
Qass. 



h(k 



THE (^ ^' 3 y 



HISTORY 



OF 



BUCHANAN COUNTY, 



MISSOURI, 



CONTAINING ^ 



A HISTORY OF THE COUNTY, ITS CITIES, TOWNS, ETC., 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ITS CITIZENS, BUCHANAN COUNTY IN THE LATE WAR, 

GENERAL AND LOCAL STATISTICS, PORTRAITS OF EARLY SETTLERS 

AND PROMINENT MEN, HISTORY OF MISSOURI, MAP 

OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, ETC., ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



ST. JOSEPH, MC: 

UNION HISTORICAL COMPANY, 

1881. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year i8Sl, by 

BIRDSALL, WILLIAMS & CO., 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 






ST. JOSEPH, MO., 
St. Joseph Steam Printing Company, Printers, Binders, Etr. 

1881. 





hazardous undertaking, viewed from a business standpoint. Much solic- 



r^r 



PREFACE. 



After months of unceasing toil, we have completed the history of 
Buchanan County. The result proves that we did not overestimate the 
importance and difficulty of the task. The importance and difficulty 
of the work result from the same cause, viz : The almost total lack in 
many instances of reliable data. This difficulty, however, has in a meas- 
ure been overcome by a systematic canvass of the county, whereby we 
have been enabled to gather together, glean and compile into compre- 
hensible and permanent form, what, until now, has floated about in the 
changing mists of tradition ; the reader will readily realize how difficult 
has been this task, and how important that the work is done at this com- 
paratively early date. The first settlers who acted so important a part 
in the history of the county, and who heretofore have been the sole cus- 
todians of much material essential for such a work as this, are rapidly 
disappearing from among us, and those who remain become less and less 
reliable as year by year the memory of early times grows indistinct. 
The importance ol the work is enhanced by the fact, that Buchanan 
county is one of the chief agricultural counties of the State, and further, 
by the fact, that it contains in point of population the third city in the 
State. In order to devote that attention to the various interests of the 
county which its importance demanded, we supposed it would be neces- 
sary to make a book of from eight to nine hundred pages. The publica- 
tion of such a book for a patronage limited to a single county was a 
hazardous undertaking, viewed from a business standpoint. Much solic- 



IV PREFACE. 

itude was felt on this account during the first stages of the enterprise 
but what misgivings we may have felt, have been dispelled by the gen- 
erous patronage afforded by the people of the county. We have been 
so far encouraged by the patronage vouchsafed, that the work has been 
extended to beyond what was originally intended, and instead of a book 
of from eight to nine hundred pages as promised in our prospectus, the 
book approximates eleven hundred pages. Our solicitude for the success 
of the enterprise in a business sense was natural, but it has not been our 
sole solicitude ; we have likewise intensely desired to make the work 
reliable, full and attractive, and thereby to merit the public favor, which 
the people of the county have extended to us. In presenting the work 
to our many hundred readers, we have the satisfaction of knowing that 
they will appreciate merit when found, and of further believing that 
errors will be criticised with the understanding that book-making, like 
all other kinds of labor, has its peculiar vicissitudes. 

The publishers avail themselves of this opportunity to thank all who 
have pided in the preparation of this book ; whatever of merit the his- 
tory of Buchanan County may contain is due, in a large measure, to their 
assistance. 

To each and all of our patrons we come with the satisfaction of 

knowing that we bring what we guaranteed, and in the belief that should 

any of them not appreciate the work, the time will come when their 

children will. 

THE PUBLISHERS. 



^^CONTENTS 



• O'^O- 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



Page. 



CHAPTER 1. 

LOUISIANA PURCHASE- 

Brief Historical Sketch . 



CHAPTER n. 

DESCRIPTIVE AND GEOGRAPHICAL— 
Name — Extent — Surface — Rivers — 
Timber — Climate — Prairies — Soils — 
Population by Counties 14 

CHAPTER HI. 

GEOLOGY OF MISSOURl- 

Classification of Rocks — Quarternary 
Formation — Tertiai y — Cretaceous — 
Carboniferous — Devonian — Silurian 
— Azoic — Economic Geology — Coal 
— Iron — Lead — Copper- Zinc— Build- 
ing Stone — Marble — Gypsum — Lime 
Paints— Springs — Water Power . . . 20 

CHAPTER IV. 

TITLE AND EARLY SETTLEMENTS— 

Title to Missouri Lands — Right of 
Discovery — Title of France and Spain 
— Cession to the United States — Ter- 
ritorial Changes — Treaties vtfith In- 
dians — First Settlement — Ste. Gene- 
vieve and New Bourbon — St. Louis — 
When Incorporated — Potosi — St. 
Chailes — Portage Des Sioux — New 
Madrid — St. Francois County — Perry 
— Mississippi — Loutre Island — 
" Boone's Lick" — Cote Sans Dessein 
— Howard County- Seme First Things 
— Counties — When Organized . . . 



Page. 



mise" — Constitutional Convention of 
1820 — Constitution Presented to Con- 
gress — Further Resistance to Admis- 
sion — Mr. Clay and his Committee 
Make Report — Second Compromise — 
Missouri Admitted 35 

CHAPTER VII. 

MISSOURI AS A STATE— 

First Election for Governor and Other 
State Officers — Senators and Represen- 
tatives to General Assembly — Sheriffs 
and Coroners — United States Senators 
— Representatives in Congress — Su- 
preme Court Judges — Counties Organ- 
ized — Capital Moved to St. Charles — 
Official Record of Territorial and 
State Officers 40 

' CHAPTER VIII. 



26 



CHAPTER V. 

TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION— 

Organization 1812— Council— House 
of Representatives — Wm. Clark First 
Territorial Governor— Edward Hemp- 
stead First Delegate — Spanish Grants 
— First General Assembly — Proceed- 
ings — Second Assembly — Proceedings 
— Population of Territory — Vote of 
Territory— Rufus Easton — Absent 
members — Third Assembly — Proceed- 
ings — Application for Admission . . 32 

CHAPTER VI. 

MISSOURI ADMITTED INTO THE UNION— 
Application of Missouri to be Admit- 
ted into the Union — Agitation of the 
Slaver) Question — " Missouri Compro- 



EARLY MILITARY RECORD— 

Black Hawk War — Mormon Difficul- 
ties — Florida War — Mexican War . 

CHAPTER IX. 

CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI— 

Fort Sumpter Fired Upon — Call for 
75,000 Men — Gov. Jackson Refuses 
to Furnish a Man— U. S. Arsenal at 
Mo , Seized — Proclamation of Gov. 
Jackson — General Order No 7— Leg- 
islature Convenes — Camp Jackson 
Organized — Sterling Price Appointed 
Major General — Frost's Letter to 
Lyon — Lyon's Letter to Frost — Sur- 
render of Camp Jackson — Proclama- 
tion of Gen. Harney— Conference Be- 
tween Price and Harney — Harney 
Superceded by Lyon — Second Confer- 
ence — Governor Jackson Burns the 
Bridges Behind Him— Proclamation 
of Gov. Jackson — Gen. Blair Takes 
Possession of Jefferson City — Trocla- 
mation of Lyon — Lyon at Springfield 
— State Offices Declared Vacant — 
Gen. Fremont Assumes Command — 
Proclamation of Lieut. Gov. Rey- 
nolds — Proclamation of Jeff. Thomp- 
son and Gov. Jackson — Death of Gen. 
Lyon — Succeeded by Sturgis — Pro- 
clamation of M'Cullough and Gamble 
— Martial Law Declared — Second 
Proclamation of Jeff. Thompson — 
President Modifies Fremont's Order — 



46 



VI 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 
Fremont Relieved by Hunter — Pro- 
clamation of Price — Hunter's Order 
of Assessment — Hunter Declares 
Martial Law — Order Relating to 
Newspapers — Halleck Succeeds Hun- 
ter — Halleck's Order 8i — Similar Or- 
der by Halleck — Boone County 
Standard Confiscated — Execution of 
Prisoners at Macon and Palmyra — 
Gen. Ewing's Order No. il — Gen. 
Rosecrans Takes Command — Massa- 
cre at Centralia — Death of Bill An- 
derson — Gen. Dodge Succeeds Gen. 
Rosecrans — List of Battles ..... 51 

CHAPTER X. 

AGRICULTURAL AND MATERIAL WEALTH 
Missouri as an Agricultural State — 
The Different Crops — Live Stock — 
Horses and Mules — Milch Cows — 
Oxen and Other Cattle — Sheep — Hogs 
— Comparisons — Missouri Adapted to 
Live Stock — Cotton — Broom Corn 
and Other Products — Fruits — Berries 
—Grapes — Railroads — First Neigh of 
the "Iron Horse" In Missouri — 
Names of Railroads — Manufactures — 
Great Bridge at St. Louis 60 



CHAPTER XI. 



Page. 



EDUCATION- 

Public School System — Public School 
System of Missouri — Lincoln Insti- 
tute — Officers of Public School Sys- 
tem — Certificates of Teachers — Uni- 
versity of Missouri — Schools — Col- 
leges — Institutions of Learning — Lo- 
cation — Libraries — Newspapers and 
Periodicals — No. of School Children 
— Amount Expended — Value of 
Grounds and Buildings — "The Press'' 66 

CHAPTER X.II. 

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS— 

Baptist Church — Its History — Congre- 
gational — When Founded — Its His- 
tory — Christian Church — Its History 
— Cumberland Presbyterian Church — 
Its History — Methodist Episcopal 
Church — Its H istory — Presbyterian 
Church — Its History — Protestant 
Episcopal Church — Its History — 
United Presbyterian Church — Its His- 
tory — Unitarian Church-Its History — 
Roman Catholic Church — Its History 73 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Page. 



CHAPTER I. 

PREFATORY- 

The County, Its Location and Name — 
Plan and Scope of This Work ... 79 

CHAPTER II. 

PHYSICAL FEATURES— 

Location — Boundary — Civil and Con- 
gressional Townships — Surface — Riv- 
ers — Lakes — Timber — Its Importance 
to Early Settlers — Climate — Rainfall- 
Health— Soil— Prairie— Waste Land. 87 

CHAPTER III. 
GEOLOGY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY— 



96 



CHAPTER IV. 



PLATTE PURCHASE— 

The Platte Country — Correspondence 
in Reference Thereto — Meeting at 
Liberty, Missfouri — Its Object — Memo- 
rial — Efforts of Benton and Linn — 
Treaty with the lowas, Sacs and Fox 
Indians 104 

CHAPTER V. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS— 

Importance of First Settlements — 
When Settlements First Commenced— 
Settlement of Platte Township — Jack- 
son Township— Craw ford--Blooming- 
ton— Centre — Rush — Agency — Ma- 
rion — Wayne — Lake — Washington . 112 



CHAPTER VI. 



Page. 



PIONEER LIFE— 

Tne Pioneers' Peculiarities — Conven- 
iences and Inconveniences — The His- 
torical Log Cabin — Agricultural Im- 
plements — Household Furniture — 
Pioneer Corn-bread — Hand Mills and 
Hominy Blocks — Going to Mill — 
Trading Points — Bee Trees— Shooting 
Matches and Quiltings 141 

CHAPTER VII. 

ORGANIZATION— 

Legislative Act Organizing Buchanan 
and Platte Counties — Appointment of 
Commissioners to Locate County Seat 
— Organization of the County — First 
Court — County and Township System 
— Government Surveys — Organiza- 
tion of Townships — Boundaries of 
Same Established — Proceedings of 
First Court — Election Precincts — 
Roads — Ferries 152 

CHAPTER VI H. 
THE FIRST RECORDS— 



169 



CHAPTER IX. 

FIRST COURT HOUSE— 

First Court House — Further Extracts 
from County Court Records — Early 
Papers on File — Circuit Court Docket 



CONTENTS. 



VI 1 



Page. 
— First Cases — Bills of Indictment — 
Chancery Court Docket 179 

CHAPTER X. 

SECOND COURT HOUSE— 

Second Court House ordered to be 
Built at Sparta — Six Thousand Dol- 
lars to be Appropriated Therefor — 
Agitation of the County Seat Ques- 
tion — Legislative Enactment — Vote 
upon the Question — County Seat Fi- 
nally Changed — Commissioner Hinks- 
ton's Report 188 

CHAPTER XI. 

MEXICAN WAR— OREGON EXPEDITION— 
The Interest Taken by Buchanan 
County in the Mexican War — Compa- 
nies Organized — General James W. 
Denver — Captain Jesse B. Moran — 
DoniphaH's Expedition — Oregon Bat- 
talion — Officers — Service and Return 197 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD EXCITEMENT- 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM, POOR 
HOUSE AND FARM- 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL— 

221 

CHAPTER XV. 

BENCH AND BAR- 

Andrew S, Hughes — Wm. B. Al- 
mond — Theodore L. Wheaton — Peter 
H. Burnett — Henry M. Voiies — James 
H. Gardenhire — David R. Atchison — 
Willard P. Hall — Solomon L Leon- 
ard-Bela M. Hughes-Silas Woodson - 
Robert M. Stewart — J. M. Bassett — 
Benjamin F. Loan- A.W. Doniphan— 
Names of Other Attorneys who Came 
at a More Recent Date 229 



Page. 
CHAPTER XVI. 

CRIMES, INCIDENTS, AND ACCIDENTS- 

225 

CHAPTER XVII. 

AGRICULTURAL- 

Review of the Progress of Agricultu- 
ral Enterprise--Fairs and Expositions - 
State Fish Hatchery 284 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
REUNION- 

Of Old Settlers of the Platte Purchase 
at St. Joseph, Missouri, September, 
1874, and September, 1875 — Bishop 
Marvin's Letter — Addresses — Names 
of Old Settlers 304 

CHAPTER XIX. 

BUCHANAN COUNTY DURING THE WAR 

327 

CHAPTER XX. 
COURT HOUSE- 

Second Court House — New Court 
House — Ceremonies at Laying Corner 
Stone — Address of Col. John Doni- 
phan 334 

CHAPTER XXI. 

CHURCHES IN RURAL DISTRICTS— 

344 

CHAPTER XXII. 
SCHOOLS- 

349 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

OFFICIAL DIRECTORY- 

367 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

HAMLETS AND VILLAGES- 

DeKalb — Rushville — Winthrop — 
Agency — Halleck — Wallace — Ar- 
noldsville — Frazer — Eveline — Lake 
Station — Easton — Saxton's Station — 
Schools — Churches — Secret Orders, 
Etc 370 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



CHAPTER I. 



Page. 



introductory- 
How Ancient Cities were Founded 
and Built — The Considerations Deter- 
mining their Location — How Modern 
Cities are Built, and the Considera- 
tions Determining their Location — 
American Cities, how Located and 
how Built — Western Cities — The Im- 
portance of Transportation Facilities 
— The People who Determine the Lo- 
cation, and Why — " Motion Follows 
the Line of Least Resistance." . . . 385 



CHAPTER II. 



Page. 



EARLY EXPEDITIONS AND SETTLE- 
MENTS- 

The Fur Companies — The First Set- 
tlement of Blacksnake Hills— Robi- 
doux' Portrait — His Lithograph — Bio- 
graphical Sketch — Locates at Chicago 
—Then at the Bluffs— Then at Roy's 
Branch and Blacksnake Hills— 1834- 
1836 — Robidoux' Home — Employes 
— Servant — Ferry — From 1S37 to 
1840 — Rival Towns — Mission of 
Three Gentlemen — Wolves .... 389 



VIU 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER III. 

FROM 1840 TO 1843— 

. Arrival of Settlers — Smal Beginning 
Four Thousand Dollar Burglary — 
Audubon — Laying Off the Town — 
Declaration of Proprietor — Certificate 
— Acknowledgement — Reservation of 
Lots — Streets — Additions — First Con ■ 

veyance 400 

CHAPTER IV. 

OLD SETTLERS AND WHAT THEY DID- 
Postmasters of St. Joseph — Business 
Men of 1845 — Professional Men — 
Prices Current — Fourth of July Cele- 
bration — Letters — Meeting of Physi- 
cians — Interesting Incidents, Etc . . 

CHAPTER V. 
CITY OFFICERS— 1845 TO 1881- 



413 



440 



CHAPTER VI. 
NEWSPAPERS— 



459 



CHAPTER VII. 
CHURCHES OF ST. JOSEPH- 
CHAPTER VIII. 

SECRET AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES 
IN BUCHANAN COUNTY— 



474 



CHAPTER XI. 



Page, 



CHAPTER IX. 
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ST. JOSEPH- 



506 



531 



CHAPTER X. 

RAILROADS— 

Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad — St. 
Joseph & Western Railroad — The 
Kansas City, St. J jseph & Council 
Bluffs Railroad — St. Louis & St. 
Joseph Railroad — Missouri Pacific 
Railway — St. Joseph & Des Moines 
Railroad 569 



TRADE, COMMERCE, ETC.— 

Board of Trade — Its Officers and Mem- 
bers — Wholesale Trade — Sewerage — 
Street Railways — Gas Works — Water 
Works — St. Joseph Clearing House — 
Union Stock Yards — Live Stock — 
Packing House — Ice — Opera House 
— City Hall — Chamber of Commerce 
— Custom House and Postoffice — 
Glucose Works — Star Pieserving 
Works — Produce Packing — Military 
— Telephone — Telegraph Statistics — 
Express Companies — Postofifice — In- 
ternal Revenue -Grain-City Finances. 588 

CHAPTER XII. 

COLLEGES, BANKS, ETC.— 

Medical Colleges — Banks and Bank- 
ers — Insurance Companies — Real 
Estate Associations — Hotels — Manu- 
facturing Interests — Mills and Manu- 
factories—Wholesale Houses. ... 616 
CHAPTER XIII. 

INTERESTING EVENTS— 

Horace Greeley — Lincoln — Seward— ^ 
Seward's Speech — Grant — Sherman — 
Hayes — Park and Boulevard — New 
Ulm Park — Cemeteries — Death of 
Joseph Rubidoux — Pony Express — 
Homes of St. Joseph — Tom Farris . 637 
CHAPTER XIV. 

THE GREAT IRON BRIDGE AND UNION 
DEPOT— 

History of the Bridge — Description — 
Celebration in Honor of Its Comple- 
tion — Railroad Traffic Over It — Foot 
and Wagon Traffic — Union Depot — 
Description — Its Necessity — Import 
ance to St. Joseph 647 

CHAPTER XV. 
FIRE DEPARTMENT OF ST. JOSEPH- 
Its Origin, Growth and Subsequent 
Importance 657 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



Cirv OF St. Joseph and Washington 

Township 659 

Marion Township 955 

Tremont Township 966 

Agency Township 975 

Center Township 984 

Wayne Township 999 



Lake Township 1008 

Rush Township 1009 

Bloomington Township ... • . . . 1020 

Crawford Township 1042 

Jackson Township 1056 

Platte Township 1065 

Addenda 1073 



LITHOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS. 



Joseph Robidoux Frontispiece. 

Israel Landis 681 

R T. Davis 745 

A. N. Schuster 800 



W. R. Penick 850 

W. C. Toole 917 

C W. Campuell 937 

S. L. Leonard • . . . 1000 



History of Missouri, 



CHAPTER I. 
LOUISIANA PURCHASE. 

BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH. 

The purchase of the vast territory west of the Mississippi River, by 
the United States, extending through Oregon to the Pacific coast and 
south to the dominions of Mexico, constitutes the most important event 
that ever occurred in the history of the nation. 

It gave to our republic additional room for that expansion and stu- 
pendous growth, to which it has since attained, in all that makes it 
strong and enduring, and forms the seat of an empire, from which will 
radiate an influence for good unequaled in the annals of time. In 1763, 
one hundred and eighteen years ago, the immense region of country, 
known at that time as Louisiana, was ceded to Spain by France. By a 
secret article, in the treaty of St. Ildefonso, concluded in 1800, Spain 
ceded it back to France. Napoleon, at that time, coveted the island of 
St. Domingo, not only because of the value of its products, but more 
especially because its location in the Gulf of Mexico would, in a military 
point of view, afford him a fine field, whence he could the more effec- 
tively guard his newly acquired possessions. Hence he desired this 
cession by Spain should be kept a profound secret until he succeeded in 
reducing St, Domingo to submission. In this undertaking, however, 
his hopes were blasted, and so great was his disappointment that he 
apparently became indifferent to the advantages to be derived to France 
from his purchase of Louisiana. 

In 1803 he sent out Laussat as prefect of the colony, who gave the 
people of Louisiana the first intimation that they had had, that they had 
once more become the subjects of France. This was the occasion of 
great rejoicing among the inhabitants, who were Frenchmen in their 
origin, habits, manners and customs. 



10 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Mr. Jefferson, then President of the United States, on being in- 
formed of the retrocession, immediately dispatched instructions to 
Robert Livingston the American Minister at Paris, to make known to 
Napoleon that the occupancy of New Orleans, by his government, 
would not only endanger the friendly relations existing between the two 
nations, but, perhaps, oblige the United States to make common cause 
with England, his bitterest and most dreaded enemy, as the possession 
of the city by France would give her command of the Mississippi, which 
was the only outlet for the produce of the Western States, and give her 
also control of the Gulf of Mexico, so necessary to the protection of 
American commerce. Mr. Jefferson was so fully impressed with the 
idea that the occupancy of New Orleans, by France, would bring about 
a conflict of interests between the two nations, which would finally cul- 
minate in an open rupture, that he urged Mr. Livingston, to not only 
insist upon the free navigation of the Mississippi, but to negotiate for 
the purchase of the city and the surrounding country. 

The question of this negotiation was of so grave a character to the 
United States that the President appointed Mr. Monroe, with full power, 
to act in conjunction with Mr. Livingston. Ever equal to all emergen- 
cies, and prompt in the cabinet, as well as in the field. Napoleon came to 
the conclusion that, as he could not well defend his occupancy of New 
Orleans, he would dispose of it, on the best terms possible. Before, 
however, taking final action in the matter, he summoned two of his min- 
isters, and addressed them as follows : 

" I am fully sensible of the value of Louisiana, and it was my wish 
to repair the error of the French diplomatists who abandoned it in 1763. 
I have scarcely recovered it before I run the risk of losing it ; but if I 
am obliged to give it up, it shall hereafter cost more to those who force 
me to part with it, than to those to whom I shall yield it. The English 
have despoiled France of all her northern possessions in America, and 
now they covet those of the South. I am determined that the}- shall not 
have the Mississippi. Although Louisiana is but a trifle compared to 
their vast possessions in other parts of the globe, }'et, judging from the 
vexation they have manifested on seeing it return to the power of 
France, I am certain that their first object will be to gain possession of 
it. They will probably commence the war in that quarter. They have 
twenty vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, and our affairs in St. Domingo are 
daily getting worse since the death of LeClerc. The conquest of Lou- 
isiana might be easily made, and I have not a moment to lose in getting 
it out of their reach. I am not sure but that the>- have already begun an 
attack upon it. Such a measure would be in accordance with their 
habits ; and in their place I should not wait. I am inclined, in order to 
deprive them of all prospect of ever possessing it, to cede it to the 
United States. Indeed, I can hardly say that T cede it, for I do not yet 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. II 

possess it ; and if I wait but a short time my enemies may leave me 
nothing but an empty title to grant to the republic I wish to conciliate. 
I consider the whole colony as lost, and I believe that in the hands of 
this rising power it will be more useful to the political and even com- 
mercial interests of France than if I should attempt to retain it. Let 
me have both .your opinions on the subject." 

One of his ministers approved of the contemplated cession, but the 
other opposed it. The matter was long and earnestly discussed by them, 
before the conference was ended. The next day Napoleon sent for the 
minister who had agreed with him, and said to him : " The season for 
deliberation is over. I have determined to renounce Louisiana. I shall 
give up not only New Orleans, but the whole colony, without reserva- 
tion. That I do not undervalue Louisiana, I have sufficiently proved, as 
the object of my first treaty with Spain was to recover it. But though I 
regret parting with it, I am convinced it would be folly to persist in try- 
ing to keep it. I commission you, therefore, to negotiate this affair with 
the envoys of the United States. Do not wait the arrival of Mr. Monroe, 
but go this very day and confer with Mr. Livingston. Remember, 
however, that I need ample funds for carrying on the war, and I do 
not wish to commence it by levying new taxes. For the last century 
France and Spain have incurred great expense in the improvement 
of Louisiana, for which her trade has never indemnified them. Large 
sums have been advanced to different companies, which have never been 
returned to the treasury. It is fair that I should require repayment for 
these. Were I to regulate my demands by the importance of this terri- 
tory to the United States, they would be unbounded ; but, being obliged 
to part with it, I shall be moderate in my terms. Still, remember, I 
must have fifty millions of francs, and I will not consent to take 
less. I w^ould rather make some desperate effort to preserve this fine 
country." 

That day the negotiations commenced. Mr. Monroe reached Paris 
on the I2th of April, and the two representatives of the United States, 
after holding a private interview, announced that they were ready to 
treat for the entire territory. On the 30th of April, 1803, eighteen days 
afterward, the treaty was signed, and on the 21st of October, of the same 
year. Congress ratified the treaty. The United States were to pay 
$11,250,000, and her citizens to be compensated for some illegal captures 
to the amount of $3,750,000, making in the aggregate the sum of 
$15,000,000, while it was agreed that the vessels and merchandise of 
France and Spain should be admitted into all the ports of Louisiana free 
of duty for twelve years. Bonaparte stipulated in favor of Louisiana, 
that it should be, as soon as possible, incorporated into the Union, and 
that its inhabitants should enjoy the same rights, privileges and immuni- 
ties as other citizens of the United States, and the clause giving to them 



12 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

these benefits, was drawn up by Bonaparte, who presented it to the 
plenipotentiaries with these words : "Make it known to the people of 
Louisiana, that we regret to part with them ; that we have stipulated for 
all the advantages they could desire ; and that France, in. -giving them 
up, has insured to them the greatest of all. They could never have pros- 
pered under any European government as they will when they become 
independent. But while they enjoy the privileges of liberty let them 
remember that they are French, and preserve for their mother country 
that affection which a common origin inspires." 

Complete satisfaction was given to both parties in the terms 
of the treaty. Mr. Livingston said : " I consider that from this 
day the United States takes rank with the first powers of Europe, and 
now she has entirely escaped from the power of England," and Bonaparte 
expressed a similar sentiment when he said : " By this cession of terri- 
tory I have secured the power of the United States, and given to 
England a maritime rival, who, at some future time, will humble her 
pride." These were prophetic words, for within a few years afterward 
the British met with a signal defeat, on the plains of the very territory 
of which the great Corsican had been speaking. 

From 1800, the date of the cession made by Spain, to 1803, when it 
was purchased by the United States, no change had been made by the 
French authorities in the jurisprudence of the Upper and Lower Louis- 
iana, and during this period the Spanish laws remained in full force as 
the laws of the entire province ; a fact which is of interest to those who 
would understand the legal history and some of the present laws of 
Missouri. 

On December 20th, 1803, Gens. Wilkinson and Claiborne, who were 
jointly commissioned to take possession of the territory for the United 
States, arrived in the city of New Orleans at the head of the American 
forces. Laussat, who had taken possession but twenty days previously 
as the prefect of the colony, gave up his command, and the star-spangled 
banner supplanted the tri-colored flag of France. The agent of France, 
to take possession of Upper Louisiana from the Spanish authorities, was 
Amos Stoddard, captain of artillery in the United States service. He 
was placed in possession of St. Louis on the 9th of March, 1804, by 
Charles Dehault Delassus, the Spanish commandant, and on the follow- 
ing day he transferred it to the United States. The authority of the 
United States in Missouri dates from this day. 

From that moment the interests of the people of the Mississippi 
Valley became identified. They were troubled no more with the uncer- 
tainties of free navigation. The great river, along whose banks they 
had planted their towns and villages, now afforded them a safe and easy 
outlet to the markets of the world. Under the protecting ^gis of a 
government, republican in form, and having free access to an almost 



• HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 1 3 

boundless domain, embracing in its broad area the diversified climates of 
the globe, and possessing a soil unsurpassed for fertility, beauty of 
scenery and wealth of minerals, they had every incentive to push on 
their enterprises and build up the land wherein their lot had been cast. 

In the purchase of Louisiana, it was known that a great empire had 
been secured as a heritage to the people of our country, for all time to 
come, but of its grandeur, its possibilities, its inexhaustible resources 
and the important relations it would sustain to the nation and the world, 
were never dreamed of by even Mr. Jefferson and his adroit and accom- 
plished diplomatists. 

The most ardent imagination never conceived of the progress, 
which would mark the history of the " Great West." The adventurous 
pioneer, who fifty years ago pitched his tent upon its broad prairies, or 
threaded the dark labyrinths of its lonely forests, little thought that a 
mighty tide of physical and intellectual strength would so rapidly flow 
on in his footsteps, to populate, build up and enrich the domain which 
he had conquered. 

Year after year, civilization has advanced further and further, until 
at length the mountains, the plains, the hills and the valleys, and even 
the rocks and the caverns, resound with the noise and din of busy 
millions. 

" I beheld the westward marches 
Of the unknown crowded nations. 
All the land was full of people, 
Restless, struggling, toiling, striving, 
Speaking many tongues, yet feeling 
But one heart-beat in their bosoms. 
In the woodland rang their axes, 
Smoked their towns in all the valleys ; 
Over all the lakes and rivers 
Rushed their great canoes of thunder." 

In 1804 Congress, by an act, passed in April of the same year, 
divided Louisiana into two parts, the " Territory of Orleans," and the 
" District of Louisiana," known as "Upper Louisiana." This district 
included all that portion of the old province, north of "Hope Encamp- 
ment," on the Lower Mississippi, and embraced the present State of 
Missouri, and all the western region of country to the Pacific Ocean, and 
all below the forty-ninth degree of north latitude not claimed by Spain. 

As a matter of convenience, on March 26th. 1804. Missouri was 
placed within the jurisdiction of the government of the Territory of 
Indiana, and its government put in motion by Gen. William H. Harrison, 
then governor of Indiana. In this he was assisted by Judges Griffin, 
Vanderberg and Davis, who established in St. Louis what were called 
Courts of Common Pleas. The District of Louisiana was regularly 
organized into the Territory of Louisiana by Congress, March 3d, 1805, 



14 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

and President Jefferson appointed Gen. James Wilkinson governor, and 
Frederick Bates secretary. The Legislature of the Territory was formed 
by Governor Wilkinson and Judges R. J. Meigs and John B. C. Lucas. 
In 1807 Governor Wilkinson was succeeded by Captain Meriwether 
Lewis, who had become famous by reason of his having made the expe- 
dition with Clark. Governor Lewis committed suicide in 1809, and 
President Madison appointed Gen. Benjamin Howard, of Lexington, 
Kentucky, to fill his place. Gen. Howard resigned October 25, 1810, to 
enter the war of 18 12, and died in St. Louis, in 18 14. Captain William 
Clark, of Lewis and Clark's expedition, was appointed governor in 18 10, 
to succeed Gen. Howard, and remained in office until the admission of 
the State into the Union. 

The portions of Missouri which were settled, for the purpose of local 
government, were divided into four districts. Cape Girardeau was the 
first, and embraced the territory between Tywappity Bottom and Apple 
Creek. Ste. Genevieve, the second, embraced the territory from Apple 
Creek to the Meramec River. St. Louis, the third, embraced the terri- 
tory between the Meramec and Missouri Rivers. St. Charles, the fourth, 
included the settled territory between the Missouri and Mississippi 
Rivers. The total population of these districts at that time was 8,670, 
including slaves. The population of the district of Louisiana, when 
ceded to the United States, was 10,120. 



CHAPTER II. 
DESCRIPTIVE AND GEOGRAPHICAL. 

NAME-EXTENT-SURFACE— RIVERS— TIMBER-CLIMATE-PRAIRIES— SOILS-POPULATION 
BY COUNTIES. 

NAME. 

The name Missouri, is derived from the Indian tongue and signifies 

muddy. 

EXTENT. 

Missouri is bounded on the north by Iowa (from which it is separated 
for about thirty miles on the northeast by the DesMoines River), and on 
the east by the Mississippi River, which divides it from Illinois, Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee, and on the west by the Indian Territory, and by 
the states of Kansas and Nebraska. The state lies (with the exception 
of a small projection between the St. Francis and the Mississippi Rivers» 
which extends to 36°), between 36° 30' and 40° 36' north latitude, and 
between 12° 2' and 18° 51' west longitude from Washington. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 1 5 

The extreme width of the state east and west is about 348 miles ; 
its width on its northern boundary, measured from its northwest corner 
along the Iowa line to its intersection with the DesMoines River, is about 
210 miles; its width on its southern boundary is about 288 miles. Its 
average width is about 235 miles. 

The length of the state north and south, not including the narrow 
strip between the St. Francis and Mississippi Rivers, is about 282 miles. 
It is about 450 miles from its extreme northwest corner to its southeast 
corner, and from the northeast corner to the southwest corner it is about 
230 miles. These limits embrace an area of 65,350 square miles, or 
41,824,000 acres, being nearly as large as England, and the states of 
Vermont and New Hampshire. 

SURFACE. 

North of the Missouri the state is level or undulating, while the por- 
tion south of that river (the larger portion of the state) exhibits a greater 
variety of surface. In the southeastern part is an extensive marsh, 
reaching beyond the state into Arkansas. The remainder of this portion, 
between the Mississippi and Osage Rivers, is rolling and gradually rising 
into a hilly and mountainous district, forming the outskirts of the Ozark 
Mountains. 

Beyond the Osage River, at some distance, commences a vast 
expanse of prairie land, which stretches away towards the Rocky Mount- 
ains. The ridges forming the Ozark chain extend in a northeast and 
southwest direction, separating the waters that flow northeast into the 
Missouri frjom those that flow southeast into the Mississippi River. 

RIVERS. 

No state in the Union enjoys better facilities for navigation than 
Missouri. By means of the Mississippi River, which stretches along her 
entire eastern boundary, she can hold commercial intercourse with the 
most northern territory and state in the Union ; with the whole valley of 
the Ohio ; with many of the Atlantic States, and with the Gulf of Mexico. 

"Ay, gather Europe's royal rivers all — 
The snow-swelled Neva, with an Empire's weight 
On her broad breast, she yet may overwhelm ; 
Dark Danube, hurrying, as by foe pursued. 
Through shaggy forests and by palace walls, 
To hide its terrors in a sea of gloom ; 
The castled Rhine, whose vine-crowned waters flow, 
The fount of fable and the source of song ; 
The rushing Rhone, in whose cerulean depths 
The loving sky seems wedded with the wave ; 
The yellow Tiber, chok'd with Roman spoils, 
A dying miser shrinking 'neath his gold ; 
The Seine, where fashion glasses the fairest forms ; 
And Thames that bears the richer of the wcrld ; 



l6 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Gather their waters in one ocean mass, 

Our Mississippi rolling proudly on, 

Would sweep them from its path, or swallow up, 

Like Aaron's rod, these streams of fame and song." 

By the Missouri River she can extend her commerce to the Rocky 
Mountains, and receive in return the products which will come in the 
course of time, by its multitude of tributaries. 

The Missouri River coasts the northwest line of the state for about 
250 miles, following its windings, and then flows through the state, a lit- 
tle south of east, to its junction with the Mississippi. The Missouri 
River receives a number of tributaries within the limits of the state, the 
principal of which are the Nodaway, Platte, Loutre and Chariton from 
the north, and the Blue, Sniabar, Grand, Osage and Gasconade from the 
south. The principal tributaries of the Mississippi within the state are 
the Salt River, north, and the Meramec River, south, of the Missouri. 

The St. Francis and W^hite Rivers, with their branches, drain the 
southeastern part of the state and pass into Arkansas. The Osage is 
navigable for steamboats for more than 275 miles. There are a vast 
number of smaller streams, such as creeks, branches and rivers, which 
water the state in all directions. 

TIMBER. 

Not more towering in their sublimity were the cedars of ancient 
Lebanon, nor more precious in their utility were the almug trees of 
Ophir, than the native forests of Missouri. The river bottoms are cov- 
ered with a luxuriant growth of oak, ash, elm, hickory, Cottonwood, linn, 
white and black walnut, and in fact all the varieties found in the Atlantic 
and Eastern States. In the more barren districts may be seen the white 
and pin oak, and in man)- places a dense growth of pine. The crab 
apple, pawpaw and persimmon are abundant, as also the hazel and pecan. 

CLIMATE. 

The climate of Missouri is, in general, pleasant and salubrious. 
Like that of North America, it is changeable and subject to sudden and 
sometimes extreme changes of heat and cold ; but it is decidedly milder, 
taking the whole year through, than that of the same latitudes east of 
the mountains. While the summers are not more oppressive than they 
are in the corresponding latitudes on and near the Atlantic Coast, the 
winters are shorter, and very much milder, except during the month of 
February, and it has many days of pleasant sunshine. 

PRAIRIZS. 

Missouri is a prairie state, espec;ally that portion of it north and 
northwest of the Missouri Ri . er. These prairies, along the water 
courses, abound with the thickest and most luxurious belts of timber, 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 1/ 

while the "rolling" prairies occupy the higher portions of the country, 
the descent generally to the forest or bottom lands being over stony 
declivities. Many of these prairies, however, exhibit a graceful, waving 
surface, swelling and sinking with an easy slope and a full, rounded out- 
line, equally avoiding the unmeaning, horizontal surface and the inter- 
ruption of abrupt or angular elevations. 

These prairies often embrace extensive tracts of land, and in one or 
two instances they cover an area of fifty thousand acres. During the 
spring and summer they are carpeted with a velvet of green and gaily 
bedecked with flowers of various forms and hues, making a most fasci- 
nating panorama of ever changing color and loveliness. To fully appre- 
ciate their great beauty and magnitude they must be seen. 

SOIL. 

The soil of Missouri is good, and of great agricultural capabilities, 
but the most fertile portions of the state are the river bottoms, which 
are a rich alluvium, mixed in many cases with sand, the producing qual- 
ities of which are not excelled by the prolific valley of the famous Nile. 

South of the Missouri River there is a greater variety of soil, but 
much of it is fertile, and even in the mountains and mineral districts 
there are rich valleys, and about the sources of the White, Eleven 
Points, Current and Big Black Rivers the soil, though unproductive, fur- 
nishes a valuable growth of yellow pine. 

The marshy lands in the southeastern part of the state will, by a 
system of drainage, be one of the most fertile districts in the state. 

POPULATION BY COUNTIES IN 1 8/0, 1 8/6, l880. 



Adair . . . . 
Andrew . . . . 
Atchison . . . 
Audrain , . . 
Barry .... 
Barton . . . 

Bates 

Benton . , . 
Bollinger , . 
Boone .... 
Buchanan . . 
Butler .... 
Caldwell . 
Callaway . . . 
Camden . . . 
Cape Girardeau 
Carroll . . . 
Carter .... 
Cass .... 



1870. 


1876. 


1880 


11,449 


13774 


15,190 


15.137 


14,992 


16,318 


8,440 


10,925 


14,565 


12,307 


15.157 


19,739 


10,373 


11,146 


14,424 


5.087 


6,900 


10,332 


15,960 


17,484 


25,382 


11,322 


11,027 


12,598 


8,162 


8,884 


11,132 


20,765 


31.923 


25424 


35-109 


38.165 


49,824 


4,298 


4,363 


6,01 1 


11,390 


12,200 


13.654 


19,202 


25.257 


23,670 


6,108 


7,027 


7,269 


17558 


17 891 


20,998 


17445 


21,518 


23,300 


1.455 


1.549 


2,168 


19,296 


18,069 


22,431 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



Cedai . . , 

Chariton . . 

Christian . 

Clark . . . 

Clinton . . 

Cole , . . 

Cooper . . 

Crawford . 

Dade . . , 

Dallas . . 

Daviess . . 

DeKalb . . 

Dent . . 

Douglas , . 

Dunkin . . 

Franklin . . 

Gasconade . 

Gentry . . . 

Greene . . 

Grundy . . 

Harrison . . 

Henry . . . 

Hickory. . . 

Holt. . . . 

Howard . . 
Howell . . 
Iron. . . . 
Jackson . . 
Jasper . . . 
Jefferson , , 
Johnson . . 
Knox . . . 
Laclede . . 
Lafayette. . 
Lawrence . 
Lewis . . . 
Lincoln . . 
Linn. . . . 
Livingston . 
McDonald . 
Macon. . . 
Madison . . 
Maries . . , 
Marion . . . 
Mercer. . . 
Miller . . . 
Mississippi . 
Moniteau. . 
Monroe . . 
Montgomery 
Morgan . . 
New Madrid 
Newton . . 



9;474 


9,912 


10,747 


19,136 


23,294 


25,224 


6,707 


7.936 


9,632 


13.667 


14549 


15,631 


14,063 


13,698 


16,073 


10,292 


14,122 


15,519 


20,692 


21.356 


21,622 


7,982 


9-391 


10,763 


8,683 


11,089 


12,557 


8,383 


8.073 


9,272 


14,410 


16,557 


19.174 


9.8S8 


",159 


13.343 


6.357 


7,401 


10,647 


3,915 


6,461 


7,753 


5,982 


6,255 


9,604 


30,098 


26,924 


26,536 


10,093 


11,160 


",153 


11,607 


12,673 


17,188 


21,549 


24.693 


28,817 


10,567 


13,071 


15,201 


14,635 


18,530 


20,318 


17,401 


18,465 


23914 


6452 


5,870 


7,388 


11,652 


i3,2<5 


15,510 


17,233 


17,815 


18,428 


4,218 


6:756 


8,814 


6,278 


6,623 


8,183 


55.041 


54,045 


82328 


14,928 


29,384 


32,021 


15.380 


16,186 


18,736 


24,648 


23,646 


28,177 


10,974 


12,678 


13,047 


9380 


9.845 


11,524 


22,624 


22,204 


25,761 


13,067 


13,054 


17,585 


15, "4 


16,360 


15,925 


15,960 


16,858 


17,443 


15,906 


18,110 


20,016 


16,730 


18,074 


20,205 


5,226 


6,072 


7,816 


231230 


25,028 


26,223 


5,849 


8,750 


8,866 


5,916 


6.481 


7,304 


23780 


22,794 


24,837 


11.557 


13,393 


14,674 


6,616 


8,529 


9,807 


4,982 


7,498 


9,270 


13375 


13,084 


14349 


17,149 


17,751 


19,075 


10,405 


14418 


16,250 


8434 


9-529 


10.134 


6357 


6,673 


7,694 


12,821 


16,875 


18,948 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI- 19 

Nodaway I4,75r 23,196 29,560 

Oregon 3,287 4,469 5,791 

Osage 10,793 11,200 11,824 

Ozaik 3,363 4,579 5,618 

Pemiscot 2,059 2,573 4,299< 

Perry 9,877 11,189 n 895 

Pettis i8,vo6 23,167 27,285 

Phelps 10506 9,919 12,565. 

Pike 23,076 22,828 26,716 

Platte 17,352 15,948 17,372 

Polk. 14.445 13.467 15,745 

Pulaski 4,714 6,157 7,250 

Putnam 11,217 12,641 13,556' 

Ralls 10,510 9,997 ",838 

Randolph 15908 '9,173 22751 

Ray 18,700 18,394 20,196' 

Reynolds 3,756 4,716 5,722 

R'piey 3.175 3,913 5.377 

St. Charles 21,304 21,821 23,060 

St. Clair 6,742 11,242 I4,I26. 

St. Francois 9,742 11,621 13,822 

Ste. Genevieve 8 3.84 9,409 10,309, 

St. Louis* 351.189 . . . 31,888 

Saline . . . 21,672 27,087 29,912 

Schuyler 8,820 9,881 10470. 

Scotland ..... 10,670 12,030 12,507 

Scott 7,317 7,312 8,587 

Shannon 2,339 3,236 3,441 

Shelby 10,119 '3,243 14,024 

Stoddard 8,535 10,888 13,432 

Stone 3,253 3,544 4,405 

Sullivan ",907 14,039 16569. 

Taney 4,407 6,124 5.605 

Texas 9,6x8 10,287 12,207 

Vernon ",247 14.413 '9 370 

Warren 9,673 10,321 10,806 

Washington 11,719 13,100 12,895 

Wayne •••... 6,068 7,006 9.097 

Webster 10,434 10,684 12,175, 

Worth 5,004 7,164 8,208 

Wright 5,684 6,124 9,733. 

City of St. Louis ... ... 350,522 

1,721,295 1,547,030 2,168,804, 

Males 1,127424 

Females 1,041,380 

Native 1,957,564 

Foreign 211,240 

White 2,023 568 

Coloredf 145,236 

*St. Louis city and county separated in 1877. Population for 1876 not given, 
fincluding 92 Chinese, 2 half Chinese, and 96 Indians and half-breeds. 



20 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



CHAPTER III. 
GEOLOGY OF MISSOURI. 

CLASSIFfCATION OF ROCKS— QUATERNARY FORMATION-TERTIARY-CRETACEOUS— CAR- 
BONIFEROUS — DEVONIAN -SILURIAN— AZOIC— ECONOMIC GEOLOGY-COAL— IRON- 
LEAD — COPPER — ZINC— BUI LDING STONE — MARBLE — GYPSUM — LIME — PA INTS — 
SPRINGS— WATER POWER. 

The Stratified rocks of Missouri, as classified and treated of by Prof 
G. C. Swallow, belong to the following divisions: I. Quaternary ; II. Ter- 
tiary ; III. Cretaceous ; IV. Carboniferous ; V. Devonian ; VI. Silurian ; 
VII. Azoic. 

The Quaternary formations are the most recent and the most val- 
uable to man ; valuable, because they can be more readily utilized. 

The Quaternary formation in Missouri, embraces the Alluvium, 30 
feet thick; Bottom Prairie, 30 feet thick; Bluff, 200 feet thick; and Drift, 
155 feet thick. The latest deposits are those which constitute the Allu- 
vium, and includes the soils, pebbles and sand, clays, vegetable mold, 
bog, iron ore, marls, etc. 

The Alluvium deposits cover an area, within the limits of* Missouri, 
of more than four million acres of land, which are not surpassed for fer- 
tility by any region of country on the globe. 

The Bluff Prairie formation is confined to the lowlands, which are 
washed by the two great rivers which course our eastern and western 
boundaries, and while it is only about half as extensive as the Alluvial, 
it is equally as rich and productive." 

" The Bluff formation," says Professor Swallow, " rests upon the 
ridges and river bluffs, and descends along their slopes to the lowest 
valleys, the formation capping all the bluffs of the Missouri from Fort 
Union to its mouth, and those of the Mississippi from Dubuque to the 
mouth of the Ohio. It forms the upper stratum beneath the soil of all 
the high lands, both timber and prairies, of all the counties north of the 
Osage and. Missouri, and also St.T^ouis. and the Mississippi counties on 
the south. 

Its greatest development is in the counties on the Missouri River, 
from the Iowa line to Boonville. In some localities it is 200 feet thick. 
At St. Joseph it is 140 ; at Boonville lOO ; and at St. Louis, in St. 
George's quarry, and the Big Mound, it is about 50 feet ; while its greatest 
observed thickness in Marion County was only 30 feet." 

The Drift formation is that which lies beneath the Bluff formation, 
having, as Prof Swallow informs us, three distinct deposits, to wit : 
"Altered Drift, which are strata of sand and pebbles, seen in the banks 
of the Missouri, in the northwestern portion of the state. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 2 1 

The Bouider formation is a heterogenous stratum of sand, gravel 
and boulder, and water-worn fragments of the older rocks. 

Boulder Clay is a bed of bluish or brown sandy clay, through which 
pebbles are scattered in greater or less abundance. It some localities in 
northern Missouri, this formation assumes a pure white, pipe-clay color." 

The Tertiary formation is made up of clays, shales, iron ores, sand- 
stone, and sands, scattered along the bluffs, and edges of the bottoms, 
reaching from Commerce, Scott County, to Stoddard, and south to the 
Chalk Bluffs in Arkansas. 

The Cretaceous formation lies beneath the Tertiary, and is composed 
of variegated sandstone, bluish-brown sandy slate, whitish-brown im- 
pure sandstone, fine white clay mingled with spotted flint, purple, red 
and blue clays, all being in the aggregate, 158 feet in thickness. There 
are no fossils in these rocks, and nothing by which theii- age may be 
told. 

The Carboniferous system includes the Upper Carboniferous or coal- 
measures, and the Lower Carboniferous or Mountain Limestone. The 
coal-measures are made up of numerous strata of sandstones, limestones, 
shales, clays, marls, spathic iron ores and coals. 

The Carboniferous formation, including coal-measures and the beds 
of iron, embrace an area in Missouri of 27,(XX) square miles. The varie- 
ties of coal found in the state are the common bituminous and cannel 
coals, and they exist in quantities inexhaustible. The fact that these 
coal measures are full of fossils, which are always confined to the coal 
measures, enables the geologist to point them out, and the coal beds con- 
tained in them. 

The rocks of the Lower Carboniferous formation are varied in color, 
and are quarried in many different parts of the state, being extensively 
utilized for building and other purposes. 

Among the Lower Carboniferous rocks is found the Upper Archi- 
medes Limestone, 200 feet; Ferruginous Sandstone, 195 feet; Middle 
Archimedes, 50 feet ; St. Louis Limestone, 250 feet ; Oolitic Limestone, 
25 feet; Lower Archimedes Limestone, 350 feet ; and Encrinital Lime- 
stone, 500 feet. These limestones generally contain fossils. 

The Ferruginous Limestone is soft when quarried, but becomes hard 
and durable after exposure. It contains large quantities of iron, and is 
found skirting the eastern coal measures from the mouth of the Des 
Moines to McDonald County. 

The St. Louis Limestone is of various hues and tints, and very hard. 
It is found in Clark, Lewis and St. Louis Counties. 

The Lower Archimedes Limestone includes partly the lead-bearing 
rocks of Southwest Missouri. • 

The Encrinital Limestone is the most extensive of the divisions of 
Carboniferous Limestone, and is made up of brown, buff, gray and white* 



22 HISTORV OF MISSOURI. 

In these strata are found the remains of corals and mollusks. This 
formation extends from Marion County to Greene County. The Devo- 
nian system contains : Chemung Group, Hamilton Group, Onondaga 
Limestone and Oriskan\- Sandstone. The rocks of the De\onian system 
.cire found in Marion, Ralls, Pike, Callaway, Saline and Ste. Genevieve 
Counties. 

The Chemung Group has three formations, Chouteau Limestone. 85 
feet ; Vermicular Sandstone and shales. 75 feet ; Lithographic Limestone, 
125 feet. 

The Chouteau Limestone is in two divisions, when fully developed, 
:and when first quarried is soft. It is not only good for building purposes 
but makes an excellent cement. 

The Vermicular Sandstone and shales are usualU- buff or )-ellowish 
l)rown. perforated with pores. 

The Lithographic Limestone is a pure, fine, compact, evenly-textured 
limestone. Its color varies from light drab to buff and blue. It is called 
"pot-metal." because under the hammer it gives a sharp, ringing sound. 
It has but few fossils. 

The Hamilton Group is made up of some forty feet of blue shales, 
and 170 feet of Crystalline limestone. 

Onondaga Limestone is usually a coarse, gray or buff crystalline, 
thick-bedded and cherry limestone. No formation in Missouri presents 
such variable and widely different lithological characters as the Onondaga. 

The Oriskany Sandstone is a light gray limestone. 

Of the Upper Silurian series there are the following formations : 
Lower Helderburg. 350 feet ; Niagara Group. 2CX) feet; Cape Girardeau 
Limestone. 60 feet. 

The Lower Helderburg is made up of buff, gray and reddish cherry 
and argillaceous limestone. 

Niagara Group. The upper part of this group consists of red, yel- 
low and ash-colored shales, with compact limestones, variegated with 
bands and nodules of chert. 

The Cape Girardeau Limestone, on the Mississippi River near Cape 
'Girardeau, is a compact, bluish-gray, brittle limestone, with smooth frac- 
tures in layers from two to six inches in thickness, with argillaceous 
partings. These strata contain a great many fossils. 

The Lower Silurian has the following ten formations, to wit : Hudson 
River Group. 220 feet ; Trenton Limestone. 360 feet ; Black River and 
Bird's Eye Limestone. 175 feet ; first Magnesian Limestone. 200 feet; Sac- 
charoidal Sandstone. 125 feet; second Magnesian Limestone, 250 feet ; 
second Sandstone. 115 feet; third Magnesian Limestone. 350 feet; third 
Sandstone. 60 feet ; fourth Magnesian Limestone, 350 feet. 

Hudson River Group. There are three formations which Professor 
Swallow refers to in this group. These formation are found in the bluff 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 23 

above and below Louisiana, on the Grassy, a Cqw miles northwest of 
Louisiana, and in Ralls, Pike, Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve 
Counties. 

Trenton Limestone. The upper part of this formation is made up of 
thick beds of hard, compact, bluish-gray and drab limestone, variegated 
with irregular cavities, filled with greenish materials. 

The beds are exposed between Hannibal and New London, north of 
Salt River, and near Glencoe, St. Louis County, and are 75 feet thick. 

Black River and Bird's Eye Limestone is the same color as the Tren- 
ton Limestone. 

The first Magnesian Limestone cap the picturesque bluffs of the Osage 
in Benton and neighboring counties. 

The Saccharoidal Sandstone has a wide range in the state. In a 
bluff about two miles from Warsaw, is a very striking change of thickness 
of this formation. 

Second Magnesian Limestone, in lithological character, is like the first. 
The second Sandstone, usually of yellowish-brown, sometimes becomes 
a pure white, fine-grained, soft, sandstone, as on Cedar Creek, in Wash- 
ington and Franklin Counties. 

The third Magnesian Limestone is exposed in the high and pictur- 
esque bluffs of the Niangua, in the neighborhood of Bry's Spring. 

The third Sandstone is white and has a formation in moving water. 

The fourth Magnesian Limestone is seen on the Niangua and Osage 
Rivers. 

The Azoic rocks lie below the Silurian and form a series of silicious 
and other slates, which contain no remains of organic life. 

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. ' 

Coa/. — Missouri is particularly rich in minerals. Indeed, no state in 
the Union surpasses her in this respect. In some unknown age of the 
past — long before the existence of man, nature, by a wise process, made 
a bountiful provision for the time, when in the order of things it should 
be necessary for civilized man to take possession of these broad, rich 
prairies. As an equivalent for lack of forests she quietly stored away 
beneath the soil those wonderful carboniferous treasures for the use of 
man. 

Geological surveys have developed the fact that the coal deposits in 
the state are almost unnumbered, embracing all varieties of the best bit- 
uminous coal. The southeast boundary of the state has been ascertained 
to be one continuous coal field, stretching from the mouth of the Des 
Moines River, through Clark, Lewis, Scotland, Adair. Macon, Shelby, 
Monroe, Audrain, Callaway, Boone, Cooper, Pettis, Benton, Henry, St. 
Clair, Bates, Vernon, Cedar, Dade, Barton and Jasper, into the Indian 
Territory, and the counties on the northwest of this line contain more or 



24 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

less coal. Coal rocks exist in Ralls, Montgomery, Warren, St. Charles. 
Moniteau, Cole, Morgan, Crawford and Lincoln, and during the past few- 
years all along the lines of all the railroads in North Missouri, and along 
the western end of the Missouri Pacific, and on the Missouri River 
between Kansas City and Sioux City, has systematic mining opened up 
hundreds of mines in different localities. The area of our coal beds on the 
line of the southwestern boundary of the state alone embrace more than 
26,000 square miles of regular coal measures. This will give of workable 
coal, if the average be one foot, 26,800,000,000 tons. The estimates from 
the developments already made in the different portions of the state 
will give 134,000,000,000 tons. 

The economical value of this coal to the state, its influence in 
domestic life, in navigation, commerce and manufactures, is beyond the 
imagination of man to conceive. Suffice it to say, that in the possession 
of her developed and undeveloped coal mines, Missouri has a motive 
power which in its influence for good in the civilization of man is more 
than the gold of California. 

Iron. — Prominent among the minerals which increase the power and 
prosperity of a nation is iron. Of this ore Missouri has an inexhaustible 
quantity, and, like her coal fields, it has been developed in many portions 
of the state, and of the best and purest quality. It is found in great 
abundance in the counties of Cooper, St. Clair, Green, Henry, Franklin, 
Benton, Dallas, Camden, Stone, Madison, Iron, Washington, Perry, St. 
Francois, Reynolds, Stoddard, Scott, Dent, and others. The greatest 
deposit of iron is found in ♦^^he Iron Mountain, which is two hundred feet 
high, and covers an area of five hundred acres, and produces a metal 
which is shown by analysis to contain from 65 to 69 per cent, of metallic 
iron. 

The ore of Shepherd Mountain contains from 64 to 67 per cent, of 
metallic iron. The ore of Pilot Knob contains from 53 to 60 per cent. 

Rich beds of iron are also found at the Big Bogy Mountain, and at 
Russell Mountain. This ore has in its nude state a variety of colors, 
from the red, dark red, black, brown, to a light bluish gray. The red 
ores are found in 21 or more counties of the state, and are of great com- 
mercial value. The brown hematite iron ores extend over a greater 
range of country than all the others combined ; embracing about 100 
counties, and have been ascertained to exist in these in large quantities. 

Lead. — Long before any permanent settlements were made in Mis- 
souri by the whites, lead was mined within the limits of the state, at 
two or three points on the Mississippi. At this time more than five hun- 
dred mines are opened, and many of them are being successfully worked. 
These deposits of lead cover an area, so far as developed, of more than 
7,000 scjuare miles. Mines have been opened in Jefferson, Washington, 
St. Francois, Madison, Wayne, Carter, Reynolds, Crawford, Ste. Gene- 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 2$ 

vieve, Perry, Cole, Cape Girardeau, Camden, Morgan and some otTier 
counties. 

Copper and Zinc. — Several varieties of copper ore are found in Mis- 
souri. The copper mines of Shannon, Madison, and Franklin Counties 
have been known for years, and some of these have been successfully 
worked and are now yielding good results. 

Deposits of copper have been discovered in Dent. Crawford, Benton, 
Maries, Green, Lawrence, Dade, Taney, Dallas, Phelps, Reynolds and 
Wright Counties. 

Zinc is abundant in nearly all the lead mines in the southwestern 
part of the state, and since the completion of the A. & P. R. R. a market 
has been furnished for this ore, which will be converted into valuable 
merchandise. 

Building Stone and Marble. — There is no scarcity of good building 
stone in Missouri. Limestone, sandstone and granite exist in all shades 
of buff, blue, red and brown, and are of great beauty as building material. 

There are many marble beds in the state, some of which furnish 
very beautiful and excellent marble. It is found in Marion, Cooper, St. 
Louis and other counties. 

One of the most desirable of the Missouri marbles is in the third 
Magnesian Limestone, on the Niangua. It is fine grained, crystalline, 
silico-magnesian limestone, light drab, slightly tinged with peach blos- 
som, and clouded by deep flesh-colored shades. In ornamental archi- 
tecture it is rarely surpassed. 

GypS2ini and Lime. — Though no extensive beds of gypsum have been 
discovered in Missouri, there are vast beds of the pure white crystalline 
variety on the line of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, on Kansas River, and 
on Gypsum Creek. It exists also in several other localities accessible 
by both rail and boat. 

All of the limestone formations in the state, from the coal measures 
to the fourth Magnesian, have more or less strata of very nearly pure 
carbonate of pure lime. 

Clays and Paints. — Clays are found in nearly all parts of the state 
suitable for making bricks. Potters' clay and fire clay are worked in 
many localities. 

There are several beds of purple shades in the coal measures which 
possess the properties requisite for paints used in outside work. Yellow 
and red ochres are found in considerable quantities on the Missouri 
River. Some of these paints have been thoroughly tested and found 
fire-proof and durable. 

SPRINGS AND WATER POWER. 

No State is. perhaps, better supplied with cold springs of pure water 
than Missouri. Out of the bottoms there is scarcely a section of land 



26 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

4 

but has one or more perennial springs of good water. Even where there 
are no springs good water can be obtained by digging from twenty to 
forty feet. Salt springs are abundant in the central part of the state, 
and discharge their brine in Cooper, Saline, Howard and adjoining coun- 
ties. Considerable salt was made in Cooper and Howard counties at an 
early day. 

Sulphur springs are also numerous throughout the state. The Cho- 
teau Springs in Cooper, the Monagaw Springs in St. Clair, the Elk 
Springs in Pike, and the Cheltenham Springs in St. Louis County, have 
acquired considerable reputation as salubrious waters, and have become 
popular places of resort. Many other counties have good sulphur 
springs. 

Among the Chalybeate springs the Sweet Springs on the Black- 
water, and the Chalybeate Spring in the University campus are, perhaps, 
the most popular of the kind in the State. There are, however, other 
springs impregnated with some of the salts of iron. 

Petroleum springs are found in Carroll, Ray, Randolph, Cass, Lafay- 
ette, Bates, Vernon and other counties. The variety called lubricating 
oil is the more common. 

The water power of the State is excellent. Large springs are par- 
ticularly abundant on the Meramec, Gasconade, Bourbeuse, Osage, Nian- 
gua, Spring, White, Sugar and other streams. Besides these, there are 
hundreds of springs sufficiently large to drive mills and factories, and the 
day is not far distant when these crystal fountains will be utilized, and a 
thousand saws will buzz to their dashing music. 



CHAPTER IV. 
TITLE AND EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 



TITLE TO MISSOURI LANDS-RIGHT OF DISCOVERY— TITLE OF FRANCE AND SPAIN - 
CESSION TO THE UNITED STATES — TERRITORIAL CHANGES — TREATIES WITH 
INDIANS— FIRST SETTLEMENT- STE. GENEVIEVE AND NEW BOURBON— ST. LOUIS— 
WHEN INCORPORATED— POTOSI-ST. CHARLES— PORTAGE DES SIOUX— NEW M VDRID 
—ST. FRANCOISCOUNTV—PERRY-MISSISSIPPI-LOUTRE ISLANDS— "BOONE'S LICK" 
—COTE SANS DESSEIN-HOWARD COUNTY -SOME FIRST THINGS— COUNTIES— WHEN 
ORGANIZED. 

The title to the soil of Missouri was, of course, primarily vested in 
the original occupants who inhabited the country prior to its discovery 
by the whites. But the Indians, being savages, possessed but few rights 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 2/ 

that civilized nations considered themselves bound to respect, so when 
they found this country in the possession of such a people, they claimed 
it in the name of the King of France by the rigJit of discovery. It 
remained under the jurisdiction of France until 1763. 

Prior to the year 1763 the entire continent of North America was 
divided between France, England, Spain and Russia. France held all 
that portion that now constitutes our national domain west of the Mis- 
sissippi River, except Texas and the territory which we have obtained 
from Mexico and Russia. The vast region, while under the jurisdiction 
of France, was known as the "Province of Louisiana," and embraced the 
present State of Missouri. At the close of the "Old French War," in 
1763, France gave up her share of the continent, and Spain came into 
the possession of the territory west of the Mississippi River, while Great 
Britain retained Canada and the regions northward, having obtained 
that territory by conquest in the war with France. For thirty-seven 
years the territory now embraced within the limits of Missouri, remained 
as a part of the possession of Spain, and then went back to France by 
the treaty of St. Ildefonso, October ist, 1800. On the 30th of April, 
1803, France ceded it to the United States in consideration of receiving 
$11,250,000 and the liquidation of certain claims held by citizens of the 
United States against France, which amounted to the further sum of 
$3,750,00, making a total of $15,000,000. It will thus be seen that France 
has twice, and Spain once, held sovereignty over the territory embracing 
Missouri, but the financial needs of Napoleon afforded our government 
an opportunity to add another empire to its domain. 

On the 31st of October, 1803, an act of Congress was approved, 
authorizing the President to take possession of the newly acquired ter- 
ritory, and provided for it a temporary government, and another act, 
approved March 26th, 1804, authorized the division of the "Louisiana 
Purchase," as it was then called, into two separate territories. All 
that portion south of the 33d parallel of north latitude was called the 
" Territory of Orleans," and that north of the said parallel was known as 
the " District of Louisiana," and was placed under the jurisdiction of 
what was then known as " Indiana Territory." 

By virtue of an act of Congress, approved March 3, 1805, the " Dis- 
trict of Louisiana" was organized as the " Territory of Louisiana," with 
a territorial government of its own, which went into operation July 4th, 
of the same year, and it so remained until 1812. In this year the 
" Territory of Orleans " became the State of Louisiana, and the " Terri- 
tory of Louisiana" was organized as the "Territory of Missouri." 

This change took place under an act of Congress, approved June 
4th, 1812. In 1819 a portion of this territory was organized as "Arkan- 
sas Territory," and in 18 12 the State of Missouri was admitted, being a 
part of the former " Territory of Missouri." 



2S HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

In 1836 tlit;"'FIatte Purchase," then being a part of the Indian Ter- 
ritory, and now composing the counties of Atchison, Andrew, Buchanan, 
Holt, Nodaway, and PLitte, was made by treaty with the Indians, and 
added to the state. It will be seen then that the soil of Missouri be- 
longed 

First — ^To France with other territory. 

Second — In 1768, with other territory it was ceded to Spain. 

Third — October ist, 1800. it was ceded with other territory from 
Spain back to France. 

Fourth — April 30th, 1803. it was ceded with other territory by 
France to the United States. 

Fifth — October 31, 1803, a temporary government was authorized 
by Congress for the newly acquired territory. 

Sixth — October i, 1804, it was included in the "District of Louis-^ 
iana," and placed under the territorial government of Indiana. 

Seventh — July 4, 1805, it was included as a part of the "Territory 
of Louisiana," then organized with a separate territorial government. 

Eighth — June 4, 18 12, it was embraced in what was then made the 
'* Territor}- of Missouri." 

Ninth— August 10, 1821, it was admitted into the Union as a state. 

Tenth — In 1836 the " Platte Purchase" was made, adding more ter- 
ritory to the state. 

Tlie cession by France, April 30, 1803, vested the title in the United 
States, subject to the claims of the Indians, which it was very justly the 
policy of the government to recognize. Before the government of the 
United States could vest clear title to the soil in the grantee it was 
necessary to extinguish the Indian title by purchase. This was done 
accordingl)- b}- treaties made with the Indians at different times. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 

The name of the first white man who set foot on the territory now 
embraced in the State of Missouri is not known, nor is it known at what 
precise period the first settlements were made. It is, however, gener- 
ally agreed that they were made at Ste. Genevieve and New Bourbon, 
tradition fixing the date of these settlements in the autumn of 1735. 
These towns were settled b}- the French from Kaskaskia and St. Philip 

in Illinois. 

* 

St. Louis was founded by Pierre Laclede Liguest, on the 15th of 
February, 1764. He was a native of France, and was one of the members 
of the compan)' of Laclede, Liguest, Antoino Maxant & Co., to whom 
a royal charter had been granted, confirming the privilege of an exclu- 
sive trade with the Indians of the Missouri as far north as St. Peter's 
River. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 29 

While in search of a trading post he ascended the Mississippi as far 
as the mouth of the Missouri, and finally returned to the present town site 
of St. Louis. After the village had been laid off he named it St. Louis, 
in honor of Louis XV, of F'rance. 

The colony thrived rapidly by accessions from Kaskaskia and other 
towns on the east side of the Mississippi, and its trade was largely in- 
creased by many of the Indian tribes, who removed a portion of their 
peltry trade from the same towns to St. Louis. It was incorporated as 
a town on the 9th day of November, 1809, by the court of Common 
Pleas of the district of St. Louis; the town trustees being Auguste Chou- 
teau, Edward Hempstead, Jean F. Cabanne, Wm. C. Carr and Wm. 
Christy, and incorporated as a city December 9, 1822. The selection 
of the town site on which St. Louis stands was highly judicious, the spot 
not only being healthful and having the advantages of water transpor- 
tation unsurpassed, but surrounded by a beautiful region of country, rich 
in soil and mineral resources. St. Louis has grown to be the fifth city 
in population in the Union, and is to-day, the great centre of internal 
commerce of the Missouri, the Mississippi and their tributaries, and, 
with its railroad facilities, it is destined to be the greatest inland city of 
the American continent. 

The next settlement was made at Potosi, in Washington County, 
in 1765, by Francis Breton, who, while chasing a bear, discovered the 
mine near the present town of Potosi, where he afterward located. 

One of the most prominent pioneers who settled at Potosi, was 
Moses Austin, of Virginia, who, in 1773, received by grant from the 
Spanish government, a league of land now known as the "Austin Sur- 
vey." The grant was made on the condition that Mr. Austin would 
establish a lead mine at Potosi and work it. He built a palatial resi- 
dence, for that day, on the brow of the hill in the little village, which 
was, for many years, known as "Durham Hall." At this point the first 
shot-tower and sheet-lead manufactory were erected. 

Five years after the founding of St. Louis the first settlement made 
in Northern Missouri was made at or near St. Charles, in St. Charles 
County, in 1769. The name given to it, and which it retained till 1784, 
was Lcs Pctites Cotes, signifying Little Hills. The town site was located 
by Blanchette, a Frenchman, surnamed LeChasseur, who built the fir^t 
fort in the town and established there a military post. 

Soon after the establishment of the military post at St. Charles, the 
old French village of Portage des Sioux was located on the Mississipi, 
just below the mouth of the. Illinois river, and at about the same time a 
Kickapoo village was commenced at Clear Weather Lake. The present 
town site of New Madrid, in New Madrid County, was settled in 1781, 
by French Canadians, it then being occupied by Delaware Indians. The 
place now known as Big River Mills, St. Francois County, was settled in 



30 HISTORY OF M S>OURI. 

1796, Andrew Baker, John Alley. Francis Starater and John Andrews each 
locating claims. The following year a settlement was made in the same 
county, just below the the present town of Farmington, by the Rev. Wm. 
Murphy, a Baptist minister from East Tennessee. In 1796, settlements 
were made in Perry County by emigrants from Kentucky and Pennsyl- 
vania ; the latter locating in the rich bottom lands of Bois Brule, the 
former generally settling in the "Barrens." and along the waters of Saline 
Creek. 

Bird's Point, in Mississippi County, opposite Cairo, 111., was settled 
August 6, 1800, by John Johnson, by virtue of a land grant from the com- 
mandant under the Spanish Government. Norfolk and Charleston, in 
the same county, were settled respectively in 1800 and 1801. Warren 
county was settled in 1801. Loutre Island, below the present town of 
Herman, in the Missouri River, was settled by a few American families 
in 1807. This little company of pioneers suffered greatly from the floods, 
as well as from the incursions of thieving and blood-thirsty Indians, and 
many incidents of a thrilling character could be related of trials and 
struggles had we the time and space. 

In 1807 Nathan and Daniel Boone, sons of the great hunter and pio- 
neer, in compan)' with three others, went from St. Louis to "Boone's 
Lick," in Howard County, where they manufactured salt, and formed the 
nucleus of a small settlement. 

Cote Sans Dcssein, now called Bakersville, on the Missouri River, in 
Callaway County, was settled by the French in 1801. This little town 
was considered at that time as the " P'ar West " of the new world. During 
the war of 18 12. at this place many hard-fought battles occurred between 
the whites and Indians, wherein woman's fortitude and courage greatly 
assisted in the defense of the settlement. 

In 1 8 10 a colony of Kentuckians, numbering one hundred and fifty 
families, immigrated to Howard County, and settled in the Missouri River 
bottom, near the present town of Franklin. 

Such, in brief, is the history of some of the early settlements of Mis- 
souri, covering a period of more than half a century. 

These settlements were made on the water courses ; usually along 
the banks of the two great streams, whose navigation afforded them 
transportation for their marketable commodities and communication 
with the civilized portion of the country. 

They not only encountered the gloomy forests, settling as the}' did, 
by the river's brink, but the hostile incursion of savage Indians, by whom 
they were for many years surrounded. 

The expedients of these brave men who first broke ground in the 
territory have been succeeded b)' the permanent and tasteful improve- 
ments of their descendants. Upon the spots where the\' toiled, dared 
and died, are seen the comfortable farm, the beautiful \illage and thrifty 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. , 3 1 

city. Churches and school houses greet the eye on every hand ; rail- 
roads diverge in every direction, and indeed, all the appliances of a higher 
civilization are profusely strewn over the smiling surface of the state. 

Culture's hand 
Has scattered verdure o'er the land ; 
And smiles and fragrance rule serene, 
Where barren wild usurped the scene. 

SOME FIRST THINGS. 

The first marriage that took place in Missouri was April 20, 1766, in 
St. Louis. 

The first baptism was performed in May, 1776, in St. Louis. 

The first house of worship (Catholic), was erected in 1775, at St. 
Louis. 

The first ferry established in 1805, on the Mississippi River, at St. 
Louis. 

The first newspaper established in St. Louis (Missouri Gazette) in 
1808. 

The first postoffice was established in 1804, in St. Louis — Rufus 
Easton, postmaster. 

The first Protestant church erected at Ste. Genevieve, in 1806— 
Baptist. 

The first bank established, (Bank of St. Louis), in 18 14. 

The first market house opened in 18 11, in St. Louis. 

The first steamboat on the Upper Mississippi was the General Pike, 
Capt. Jacob Reid ; landed at St. Louis, 1817. 

The first board of trustees for public schools appointed in 18 17, St. 
Louis. 

The first college built, (St. Louis College), in 18 17. 

The first steamboat that came up the Missouri River as high as 
Franklin was the Independence, in 1819; Capt. Nelson, master. 

The first court house erected in 1823, in St. Louis. 

The first cholera appeared in St. Louis in 1832. 

The first railroad convention held in St. Louis, April 20, 1836. 

The first telegraph lines reached East St. Louis, December 20, 1847. 

The first great fire occurred in St. Louis. 1849. 



32 ^ HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

CHAPTER V. 
TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION. 



ORGANIZATION 1812— COUNCIL-HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES— WM. CLARK FIRST TER- 
RITORIAL GOVERNOR— EDWARD HEMPSTEAD FIRST DELEGATE-SPANISH GRANTS 
—FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY— PROCEEDINGS— SECOND ASSEMBLY— PROCEEDINGS- 
POPULATION OF TERRITORY- VOTE OF TERRITORY — RUFUS EASTON - ABSENT 
MEMBERS— THIRD ASSEMBLY- PROCEEDINGS-APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION. 



Congress organized Missouri as a territory July 4, 18 12, with a Gov- 
ernor and General Assembly. The Governor, Legislative Council and 
House of Representatives exercised the legislative power of the terri- 
tory, the Governor's vetoing power being absolute. 

The Legislative Council was composed of nine members, whose 
tenure of office lasted five years. Eighteen citizens were nominated by 
the House of Representatives to the President of the United States, 
from whom he selected, with the approval of the Senate, nine Council- 
lors to compose the Legislative Council. 

The House of Representatives consisted of members chosen every 
two years by the people, the basis of representation being one member 
for every five hundred white males. The first House of Representatives 
consisted of thirteen members, and, by act of Congress, the whole num- 
ber of Representatives could not exceed twenty-five. 

The judicial power of the territory was vested in the Superior and 
Inferior Courts, and in the Justices of the Peace ; the Superior Court 
having three judges, whose term of office continued four years, having 
original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. 

The Territory could send one delegate to Congress. Governor 
Clark issued a proclamation, October ist, 18 12, required by Congress, 
reorganizing the districts of St. Charles, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape 
Girardeau and New Madrid into five counties, and fixed the second Mon- 
day in November following for the election of a delegate to Congress, 
and the members of the Territorial House of Representatives. 

William Clark, of the expedition of Lewis and Clark, was the first 
Territorial Governor, appointed by the President, who began his duties 
in 1813. 

Edward Hempstead, Rufus Easton, Samuel Hammond and Matthew 
Lyon were candidates in November for delegates to Congress. 

Edward Hempstead was elected, being the first Territorial Delegate 
to Congress from Missouri. He served one term, declining a second, 
and was in.strumental in having Congress to pass the act of June 13, 18 12, 
which he introduced, confirming the title to lands which were claimed 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 33 

by the people by virtue of Spanish grants. The same act confirmed to 
the people "for the support of schools," the title to village lots, out-lots or 
common field-lots, which were held and enjoyed by them at the time of 
the cession of 1803. 

Under the act of June 4, 18 12, the first General Assembly held its 
session in the house of Joseph Robidoux, on the 7th of December, 1812. 
The names of the members of the House were : 

St. Charles. — John Pitman and Robert Spencer. 

St. Louis. — David Music, Bernard G. Farrar, William C. Carr and 
Richard Clark. 

Ste. Genevieve. — George Bullet, Richard S. Thomas and Isaac 
McGready. 

Cape Girardeau. — George F. Bollinger and Spencer Byrd. 

New Madrid. — John Shrader and Samuel Phillips. 

John B. C. Lucas, one of the Territorial Judges, administered the oath 
of office. William C. Carr was elected Speaker and Andrew Scott, Clerk. 

The House of Representatives proceeded to nominate eighteen per- 
sons from whom the President of the United States, with the Senate, was 
to select nine for the Council. From this number the President chose 
the following : 

St. Charles. — James Flaugherty and Benjamin Emmons. 

St. Louis. — August Choteau, Sr. and Samuel Hammond. 

Ste. Genevieve. — John Scott and James Maxwell. 

Cape Girardeau. — William Neely and Joseph Cavenor. 

New Madrid. — Joseph Hunter. 

The Legislative Council, thus chosen by the President and Senate, 
was announced by Frederick Bates, Secretary and Acting-Governor of 
the Territory, by proclamation, June 3, 1813, and fixing the first Monday 
in July following as the time for the meeting of the Legislature. 

In the meantime the duties of the executive office were assumed by 
William Clark. The Legislature accordingly met as required by the 
Acting-Governor's proclamation, in July, but its proceedings were never 
officially published. Consequently but little is known in reference to 
the workings of the first Territorial Legislature of Missouri. 

From the imperfect account, published in the Missouri Gazette, of 
that day, a paper which had been in existence since 1808, it is found 
that laws were passed regulating and establishing weights and measures ; 
creating the office of sheriff; providing the manner for taking the census ; 
permanently fixing the seats of justice, and an act to compensate its 
own members. At this session laws were also passed defining crimes 
and penalties ; laws in reference to forcible entry and detainer ; estab- 
lishing Courts of Common Pleas ; incorporating the Bank of St. Louis 
and organizing a part of Ste. Genevieve County into the count\- of 
Washington. 



34 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

The next session of the Legislature con\ened in St. Louis, Decem- 
ber 6, 1813. George Bullet, of Ste. Genevieve county, was Speaker elect, 
Andrew Scott, clerk, and William Sullivan, doorkeeper. Since the 
adjournment of the former Legislature several vacancies had occurred, and 
new members had been elected to fill their places. Among these was 
Israel McGready, from the county of Washington. 

The president of the legislative council was Samuel Hammond. No 
journal of the council was officially published, but the proceedings of the 
House are found in the Gazette. 

At this session of the Legislature many wise and useful laws were 
passed, having reference to the temporal as well as the moral and spirit- 
ual welfare of the people. Laws were enacted for the suppression of 
vice and immorality on the Sabbath day ; for the improvement of pub- 
lic roads and highways ; creating the offices of auditor, treasurer and 
county surveyor ; regulating the fiscal affairs of the Territory and fixing 
the boundary lines of New Madrid, Cape Girardeau, Washington and St. 
Charles Counties. The Legislature adjourned on the 19th of January, 
1 8 14, sine die. 

The population of the territory as shown by the United States 
census in 18 10, was 20,845. The census taken by the Legislature in 18 14 
gave the territory a population of 25,000. This enumeration shows the 
county of St. Louis contained the greatest number of inhabitants, and 
the new county of Arkansas the least — the latter having 827, and the 
former 3,149. 

The candidates for delegate to Congress were Rufus Easton, Samuel 
Hammond, Alexander McNair and Thomas F. Riddick. Rufus Easton 
and Samuel Hammond had been candidates at the preceding election. 
In all the counties, excepting Arkansas, the votes aggregated 2,599, ^^ 
which number Mr. Easton received 965, Mr. Hammond 746, Mr. NcNair 
853, and Mr. Riddick (who had withdrawn previously to the election) 35. 
Mr. Easton was elected. 

The census of 18 14, showing a large increase in the population of the 
territory, an apportionment was made increasing the number of repre- 
sentatives in the territorial Legislature to twenty-two. The General 
Assembly began its session in St. Louis, December 5, 1814. There were 
present on the first day twenty Representatives. James Caldwell of Ste. 
Genevieve county was elected speaker, and Andrew Scott, who had been 
clerk of the preceding assembly, was chosen clerk. The president of the 
council was William Neely, of Cape Girardeau Count)-. 

It appears that James Maxwell, the absent member of the council, 
and Seth Emmons, member elect of the House of Representatives, were 
dead. The county of Lawrence was organized at this session, from the 
western part of New Madrid County, and the corporate powers of St. 
Louis were enlarged. In 181 5 the territorial Legislature again began its 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 35 

session. Only a partial report of its proceeding's are given in the 
Gazette. The county of Howard was then organized from St. I.^ouis and 
St. Charles Counties, and included all that part of the state lying north 
of the Osage and south of the dividing ridge between the Mississippi and 
Missouri Rivers. 

The next session of the territorial Legislature commenced its ses- 
sion in December, 1816. During the sitting of this Legislature many 
important acts were passed. It was then that the "Bank of Missouri" 
was chartered and went into operation. In the fall of 18 17 the " Bank of 
St. Louis" and the "Bank of Missouri" were issuing bills. An act was 
passed chartering lottery companies, chartering the academy at Potosi, 
and incorporating a board of trustees for superintending the schools in 
the town of St. Louis. Laws were also passed to encourage the "killing 
of wolves, panthers and wild-cats." 

The territorial Legislature met again in December, 18 18, and 
among other things, organized the counties of Pike, Cooper, Jefferson, 
Franklin, Wayne, Lincoln, Madison, Montgomery, and three counties in 
the southern part of Arkansas. It 18 19 the Territory of Arkansas was 
formed into a separate government of its own. 

The people of the Territory of Missouri had been, for some time, 
anxious that their territory should assume the duties and responsibilities 
of a sovereign state. Since 18 12, the date of the organization of the 
territory, the population had rapidly increased, many counties had been 
established, its comn^erce had grown into importance, its agricultural 
and mineral resources were being developed, and believing that its 
admission into the Union as a state would give fresh impetus to all these 
interests and hasten its settlement, the territorial Legislature of 1818-19 
accordingly made application to Congress for the passage of an act 
authorizing the people of Missouri to organize a state government. 



CHAPTER VI. 

APPLICATION OF MISSOURI TO BE ADMITTED INTO THE UNION— AGITATION OF THE 
SLAVERY QUESTION-" MISSOURI COMPROMISE "-CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION 
OF 1820— CONSTITUTION PRESENTED TO CONGRESS-FURTHER RESISTANCE TO 
ADMISSION-MR. CLAY AND HIS COMMITTEE MAKE REPORT-SECOND COMPROMISE 
—MISSOURI ADMITTED. 

With the application of the territorial Legislature of Missouri for 
her admission into the Union commenced the real agitation of the 
slavery question in the United States. 



36 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Not only was our National Legislature the theatre of angry discus- 
sions, but everywhere throughout the length and breadth of the Repub- 
lic the "Missouri Question" was the all-absorbing theme. The political 
skies threatened, 

'■ In forked flashes, a commanding tempest," 

Which was liable to burst upon the nation at any moment. Through 
such a crisis our country seemed destined to pass. The question as to 
the admission of Missouri was to be the beginning of this crisis, which 
distracted the public counsels of the nation for more than forty years 
afterward. 

Missouri asked to be admitted into the great family of states. 
"Lower Louisiana," her twin sister territory, had knocked at the door of 
the Union eight years previously, and was admitted, as stipulated b\' 
Napoleon, to all the rights, privileges and immunities of a state, and in 
accordance with the stipulations of the same treaty, Missouri now sought 
to be clothed with the same rights, privileges and immunities. 

As what is known in the history of the United States as the " Mis- 
souri Compromise," of 1820, takes rank among the most prominent 
measures that had up to that day engaged the attention of our National 
Legislature, we shall enter somewhat into its details, being connected as 
they are with the annals of the state. 

February 15th, i8ig. — After the House had resolved itself into a 
committee of the whole on the bill to authorize 'the admission of Mis- 
souri into the Union, and after the question of her admission had been 
discussed for some time, Mr. Tallmadge, of New York, moved to amend 
the bill by adding to it the following proviso : 

''And Provided, That the further introduction of slavery or involun- 
tary servitude be prohibited, except for the punishment of crime, whereof 
the party shall have been duly convicted, and that all children born 
within the said state, after the admission thereof into the L^nion, shall 
be free at the age of twenty-five years." 

As might have been expected, this proviso precipitated the angry 
discussion which lasted for nearly three years, finally culminating in the 
Missouri Compromise. All phases of the slavery question were presented, 
not only in its moral and social aspects, but as a great constitutional 
question, affecting Missouri and the admission of futuce states. The pro- 
viso, when submitted to a vote, was adopted — 79 to 67, and so reported 
to the House. 

Hon John Scott, who was at that time a delegate from the Territory 
of Missouri, was not permitted to vote, but as such delegate, he had the 
privilege of participating in the debates which followed. On the i6th 
day of February the proviso was taken up and discussed. After several 
speeches had been made, among them one by Mr. Scott and one by the 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 37 

author of the proviso, Mr. Tallmadge. the amendment or proviso was 
divided into two parts, and voted upon. The first part of it, which 
inckided all to the word "convicted," was adopted — 87 to 76. The 
remaining part was then voted upon, and also adopted, by 82 to 78. By 
a vote of 97 to 56 the bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading. 

The Senate Committee, to whom the bill was referred, reported the 
same to the Senate on the lOth of February, when that body voted first 
upon a motion to strike out of the proviso all after the word "convicted," 
which was carried by a vote of 32 to 7. It then voted to strike out the 
first entire clause, which prevailed — 22 to 16, thereby defeating the 
proviso. 

The House declined to concur in the action of the Senate, and the 
bill was again returned to that body, which in turn refused to recede from 
its position. The bill was lost, and Congress adjourned. This was most 
unfortunate for the country. The people having been wrought up to 
fever heat over the agitation of the question in the national councils, 
now became intensely excited. The press added fuel to the flame, and 
the progress of events seem:;d rapidly tending to the downfall of our 
nationality. 

A long interval of nine months was to ensue before the meeting of 
Congress. That body indicated by its vote upon the " Missouri ques- 
tion" that the two great sections of the country were politically divided 
upon the subject of slavery. The restrictive clause, which it was sought 
to impose upon Missouri as a condition of her admission, would in all 
probability be one of the conditions of the admission of the Territory of 
Arkansas. The public mind was in a state of great doubt and uncer- 
tainty up to the meeting of Congress, which took place on the 6th of 
December, 18 19. The memorial of the Legislative Council and House 
of Representatives of the Missouri Territory, praying for admission into 
the Union, was presented to the Senate by Mr. Smith, of South Carolina. 
It was referred to the Judiciary Committee. 

Some three weeks having passed without any action thereon by the 
Senate, the bill was taken up and discussed by the House until the 19th 
of February, when the bill from the Senate for the admission of Maine 
was considered. The bill for the admission of Maine included the "Mis- 
souri question" by an amendment, which reads as follows : 

''And be it further enacted. That in all territory ceded by France to 
the United States, under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of 
thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes, north latitude, (excepting such 
part thereof as is) included within the limits of the state, contemplated 
by this act, slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than in the 
punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been convicted, shall 
be and is hereby forever prohibited : Provided always. That any person 
escaping into the same, from whom labor or service is lawfully claimed, 



38 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

in any state or territory of the United States, such fugitive may be law- 
fully reclainned and conveyed to the person claiming his or her labor or 
service as aforesaid." 

The Senate adopted this amendment, which formed the basis of the 
" Missouri Compromise," modified afterward by striking out the words, 
" excepting only stick part thereof.'' 

The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 24 to 20. On the 2d day of 
March the House took up the bill and amendments for consideration, 
and by a vote of 134 to 42 concurred in the Senate amendment, and the 
bill, being passed by the two Houses, constituted section 8, of " An Act 
to authorize the people of the Missouri Territory to form a Constitution 
and State Government, and for the admission of such state into the 
Union on an equal footing with the original states, and to prohibit 
slavery in certain territory." 

This act was approved March 6, 1820. Missouri then contained fif- 
teen organized counties. By act of Congress the people of said state 
were authorized to hold an election on the first Monday, and two suc- 
ceeding days thereafter in May, 1820, to select representatives to a state 
convention. This convention met in St. Louis on the 12th of June, fol- 
lowing the election in May, and concluded its labors on the 19th of Jul}-, 
1820. David Barton was its president, and Wm. G. Pettis, secretary. 
There were forty-one members of this convention, men of ability and 
statesmanship, as the admirable constitution which they framed amph' 
testifies. Their names and the counties represented by them are as 
follows : 

Cape Girardeau. — Stephen Byrd, James Evans, Richard S. Thomas, 
Alexander Buckner and Joseph McFerron. 

Cooper. — Robert P. Clark, Robert Wallace, Wm. Lillard. 

Franklin. — John G. Heath. 

//<3tf<7;'df.— Nicholas S. Burkhart, Duff Green, John Ray, Jonathan 
S. Findley, Benj. H. Reeves. 

Jefferson. — Daniel Hammond. 

Lincoln. — -Malcolm Henry. 

Montgomery. — Jonathan Ramsey, James Talbott. 

Madison. — Nathaniel Cook. 

New Madrid. — Robert S. Dawson, Christopher G. Houts. 

Pike. — Stephen Cleaver. 

St. Charles. — Benjamin Emmons, Nathan Boone, Hiram H. Baber. 

Ste. Genevieve. — John D. Cook, Henry Dodge, John Scott, R. T. Brown. 

St. Louis. — David Barton, Edward Bates, Alexander McNair, Wm. 
Rector, John C. Sullivan, Pierre Choteau, Jr., Bernard Pratte, Thomas 
¥. Riddick. 

Wasliington^o\\Vi Rice Jones, Samuel Perry, John Hutchings. 

Wayne. — PLlijah Bettis. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 39 

On the 13th of November, 1820, Congress met again, and on the 6th 
of the same month Mr. Scott, the delegate from Missouri, presented to 
the House the constitution as framed by the convention. The same 
was referred to a select committee, who made thereon a favorable report. 

The admission of the state, however, was resisted, because it was 
claimed that its constitution sanctioned slavery, and authorized the 
Legislature to pass laws preventing free negroes and mulattoes from 
settling in the state. The report of the committee to whom was referred 
the Constitution of Missouri was accompanied by a preamble and reso- 
lutions, offered by Mr. Lowndes, of South Carolina. The preamble and 
resolutions were stricken out. 

The application of the state for admission shared the same fate in 
the Senate. The question was referred to a select committee, who, on 
the 29th of November, reported in favor of admitting the state. The 
debate which followed continued for two weeks, and finally Mr. Eaton, 
of Tennessee, offered an amendment to the resolution, as follows : 

" Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be so construed as 
to give the assent of Congress to any provision in the Constitution of 
Missouri, if any such there be, which contravenes that clause in the 
Constitution of the United States which declares that the citizens of 
each state shall be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of citi- 
zens in the several states." 

The resolution, as amended, was adopted. The resolution and pro- 
viso were again taken up and discussed at great length, when the com- 
mittee agreed to report the resolution to the House. 

The question on agreeing to the amendment, as reported from the 
committee of the whole, was lost in the House. A similar resolution 
afterward passed the Senate, but was again rejected in the House. Then 
it was that the great statesman and pure patriot, Henry Clay, of Ken- 
tucky, feeling that the hour had come when angry discussion should 
cease ; 

"With grave 
Aspect he rose, and in his rising seem'd 
A piliar of state; deep on his front engraven 
Deliberation sat and public care ; 
And princely counsel in his face yet shone 
Majestic" * * * * » 

proposed that the question of Missouri's admission be referred to a com- 
mittee consisting of twenty-three persons, (a number equal to the number 
of states then composing the Union,) to be appointed to act in conjunction 
with a committee of the Senate to consider and report whether Missouri 
should be admitted, etc. 

The motion prevailed, the committee was appointed and Mr. Clay 
made its chairman. The Senate selected seven of its members to act 



40 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

with the committee of twenty-three, and the 26th of February the fol- 
lowing report was made by that committee: 

"'Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled : That Missouri shall be 
admitted into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states, in 
all respects whatever, upon the fundamental condition that the fourth 
clause, of the twenty-sixth section of the third article of the Constitu- 
tion submitted on the part of said state to Congress, shall never be con- 
strued to authorize the passage of any law, and that no law shall be 
passed in conformity thereto, by which any citizen of either of the states 
in this Union shall be excluded from the enjoyment of any of the privi- 
leges and immunities to which such citizen is entitled, under the Con- 
stitution of the United States ; Provided, That the Legislature of said 
state, by a solemn public act, shall declare the assent of the said state 
to the said fundamental condition, and shall transmit to the President 
of the United States, on or before the fourth Monday in November next, 
an authentic copy of the said act ; upon the receipt whereof, the Presi- 
dent, by proclamation, shall announce the fact ; whereupon, and without 
any further proceeding on the part of Congress, the admission of the 
said state into the Union shall be considered complete." 

This resolution, after a brief debate, was adopted in the House, and 
passed the Senate on the 28th of February. 1821. 

At a special session of the Legislature held in St. Charles, in June 
following, a solemn public act was adopted, giving its assent to the con- 
ditions of admission, as expressed in the resolution of Mr. Clay. August 
lOth, 1821, President Monroe announced by proclamation the admission 
of Missouri into the Union to be complete. 



CHAPTER VII. 
MISSOURI AS A STATE. 



FIRST ELECTION FOR GOVERNOR AND OTHER STATE OFFICERS-SENATORS AND REP- 
RESENTATIVES TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY -SHERIFFS AND CORONERS - UNITED 
STATES SENATORS— REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS— SUPREME COURT JUDGES- 
COUNTIES ORGANIZED-CAPITAL MOVED TO ST. CHARLES— OFFICIAL RECORD OF 
TERRITORIAL AND STATE OFFICERS. 

By the Constitution adopted by the Convention on the 19th of July, 
1820, the General Assembly was required to meet in St. Louis on the 
third Monday in September of that year, and an election was ordered to 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 41 

be held on the 28th of August for the election of a Governor and other 
state officers, Senators and Representatives to the General Assembly, 
Sheriffs and Coroners, United States Senators and Representatives in 
Congress. 

It will be seen that Missouri had not as yet been admitted as a 
State, but in anticipation of that event and according to the provisions 
of the constitution the election was held, and the General Assemby con- 
vened. 

William Clark (who had been Governor of the territory) and Alex- 
ander McNair were candidates for Governor. McNair received 6,576 
votes, Clark 2,556, total vote of the state 9,132. There were three can- 
didates for Lieutenant Governor, to wit : William H. Ashley, Nathaniel 
Cook and Henry Elliot. Ashley received 3,907 votes. Cook 3,212, Elliot 
931. A Representative was to be elected for the residue of the Six- 
teenth Congress and one for the Seventeenth. John Scott, who was at 
the time territorial delegate, was elected to both Congresses without 
opposition. 

The General Assembly elected in August met on the 19th Septem- 
ber, 1820, and organized by electing James Caldwell, of Ste. Genevieve, 
Speaker, and John McArthur, Clerk; William H. Ashley, Lieutenant 
Governor, President of the Senate ; Silas Bent, President pro tcm. 

Matthias McKirk, John D. Cook and John R. Jones were appointed 
Supreme Judges, each to hold office until sixty-five years of age. 

Joshua Barton was appointed Secretary of State ; Peter Didier, State 
Treasurer; Edward Bates, Attorney General, and William Christie, 
Auditor of Public Accounts. 

David Barton and Thomas H. Benton were elected by the General 
Assembly to the United States Senate. 

At this session of the Legislature the counties of Boone, Callaway, 
Chariton, Cole, Gasconade, Lillard, Percy, Ralls, Ray and Saline were 
organized. 

We should like to give in detail the meetings and proceedings of 
the different Legislatures which followed, the elections for Governors 
and other state officers, the elections for Congressmen and United 
States Senators, but for want of space we can only present in a condensed 
form the official record of the territorial and state officers. 

OFFICIAL RECORD — TERRITORIAL OFFICERS. 

Governors. — Frederick Bates, Secretary and Acting-Governor, 
1812-13; William Clark, 1813-20. 

OFFICERS OF STATE GOVERNMENT. 

6V7vv'«^;;-.s-.— Alexander McNair, 1820-24; Frederick Bates, 1824-25; 
Abraham J. Williams vice Bates, 1825 ; John Miller vice Bates, 1826-28; 



f 



42 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

John Miller, 1828-32 ; Daniel Dunklin, 1832-36, resigned, appointed Sur- 
veyor General United States; Lilburn W. Boggs vice Dunklin, 1836; 
Lilburn W. Boggs, 1836-40; Thomas Reynolds, 1840, died 1844; M. M. 
Marmaduke vice Reynolds — John C. Edwards, 1844-48 ; Austin A. King» 
1848-52; Sterling Price, 1852-56; Trusten Polk, 1856-57. resigned; 
Hancock Jackson vice Polk, 1857; Robert M. Stewart vice Polk. 1857-60 ; 
C. F. Jackson, i860, office vacated by ordinance ; Hamilton R. Gamble 
vice Jackson, Governor Gamble died 1864; WilHard P. Hall. 1864. vice 
Gamble; Thomas C. Fletcher, 1864-68; Joseph W. McClurg. 1868-70; 

B. Gratz Brown, 1870-72; Silas Woodson, 1872-74; Charles H. Hardin, 
1874-76; John S. Phelps, 1876-80; Thomas T. Crittenden, 1880. and is 
now Governor. 

Lieutenant-Governors. — William H. Ashley. 1820-24; Benjamin A. 
Reeves, 1824-28; Daniel Dunklin, 1828-32; Lilburn W. Boggs, 1832-36 
Franklin Cannon, 1836-40; M. M. Marmaduke, 1840-44; James Young 
1844-48-60; Thomas C. Reynolds, 1860-61; Williard P. Hall, 1861-64 
George Smith, 1864-68; Edward O. Stanard, 1868-70; Joseph J. Gravely 
1870-72; Charles P. Johnson, 1872-74; Norman J. Colman, 1874-76 
Henry C. Brockmeyer, 1876-80; Robert Campbell, 1880, and is the pres- 
ent incumbent. 

Secretaries of State. — Joshua Barton, 1820-21 ; William G. Pettis, 
1821-24; Hamilton R. Gamble, 1824-26; Spencer Pettis, 1826-28; P. H. 
McBride, 1829-30; John C. Edwards, 1830, term expired 1835, re-ap- 
pointed 1837, resigned 1837; Peter G. Glover, 1837-39; James L. Miner, 
1839-45; F. H. Martin, 1845-49; Ephraim B. Ewing. 1849-52; John M. 
Richardson, 1852-56; Benjamin F. Massey, 1856-60. re-elected i860, for 
four years; Mordecai Oliver, 1861-64; Francis Rodman. 1864-68, re- 
elected 1868, for two years; Eugene F. Weigel, 1870-72, re-elected 1872, 
for two years; Michael K. McGrath, 1874, and is the present incumbent. 

State Treasurers. — Peter Didier, 1820-21 ; Nathaniel Simonds, 1821- 
28 ; James Earickson, 1829-33 ; John Walker, 1833-38 ; Abraham McClel- 
lan, 1838-43; Peter G. Glover, 1843-51 ; A. W. Morrison, 1851-60; Geo. 

C. Bingham, 1862-64; William Bishop. 1864-68; William O. Dallmeyer, 
1868-70; Samuel Hays. 1872; Harvey W. Salmon, 1872-74; Joseph W. 
Mercer, 1874-76; Elijah Gates, 1876-80; Phillip E. Chappel, 1880, and 
present incumbent. 

Attorneys Genera/. — Edward Bates, 1820-21 ; Rufus Easton, 1821-26^ 
Robert W. Wells, 1826-36; William B. Napton. 1836-39; S. M. Bay, 
1839-45; B. F. Stringfellow, 1845-49; William A. Roberts, 1849-51; 
James B. Gardenhire, 1851-56; Ephraim \V. Ewing. 1856-59; James P. 
Knott, 1859-61; Aikman Welsh, 1861-64; Thomas T. Crittenden. 1864; 
Robert F. Wingate, 1864-68; Horace P. Johnson. 1868-70; A. J. Baker, 
1870-72; Henry Clay Ewing. 1872-74; John A. Hockaday. 1874-76; 
Jackson L. Smith, 1876-80; Mclntire, 1880, and present incumbent. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 43 

Auditors of Public Accoitiits. — William Christie, 1820-21; William 
V. Rector, 1821-23; Elias Barcroft, 1823-33; Henry Shurlds, 1833-35; 
Peter G. Glover, 1835-37; Hiram H. Baber, 1837-45 ; William Monroe, 
1845; J. R. McDermon, 1845-48; George W. Miller, 1848-49; Wilson 
Brown, 1849-52; William H. Buffington, 1852-60; William S. Moseley, 
1860-64; Alonzo Thompson, 1864-68; Daniel M. Draper, 1868-72; Geo. 
B. Clark, 1872-74; Thomas Holladay, 1874-80; John Walker, 1880, and 
present incumbent. 

Judges of Supreme Court. — Matthias McKirk, 1822-41 ; John D. 
Cooke, 1822-23; John R. Jones, 1822-24; Rufus Pettibone, 1823-25; 
George Tompkins, 1824-45 ; Robert Walsh, 1825-37; John C. Edwards, 
1837-39; William Scott, appointed 1841 till meeting of General Assem- 
bly, in place of M. McKirk resigned, re-appointed 1843 ; P. H. McBride, 
1845; William B. Napton, 1849-52; John F. Ryland, 1849-51 ; John H. 
Birch, 1849-51 ; William Scott, John F. Ryland and Hamilton R. Gamble 
elected by the people 185 i for six years; Gamble resigned 1854; Abiel 
Leonard elected to fill vacancy of Gamble ; William B. Napton (vacated 
by failure to file oath), William Scott and John C. Richardson (resigned), 
elected August, 1857, for six years; E. B. Ewing, 1859, to fill Richard- 
son's resignation ; Barton Bates appointed 1862 ; W. V. N. Bay appointed 
1862; John D. S. Dryden, appointed 1862; Barton Bates, 1863-65; W. 
V. N. Bay, elected 1863 ; John D. S. Dryden, elected 1863 ; David Wag- 
ner, appointed 1865 ; Wallace L. Lovelace, appointed 1865 ; Nathaniel 
Holmes, appointed 1865; Thomas J. C. Fagg, appointed 1866; James 
Baker, appointed 1868; David Wagner, elected 1868-70; Philemon 
Bliss, 1868-70; Warren Currier, 1868-71 ; Washington Adams, appointed 
1871 to fill Currier's place, who resigned; P^phraim B. Pawing, elected 
1872; Thomas A. Sherwood, elected 1872; W. B. Napton, appointed 
1873, in place of Ewing, deceased; Edward A. Seins, appointed 1874, in 
place of Adams, resigned; Warwick Hough, elected 1874; William B. 
Napton, elected 1874-80; John P^. Henry, 1876-86; Robert Ray suc- 
ceeded William B. Napton in 1880 ; Elijah H. Norton, appointed in 
1876 — elected in 1878. 

United States Senators. — T. H. Benton, 1820-50; D. Barton, 1820- 
30; Alex. Buckner, 1830-33; L. Y. Linn, 1833-43; D. R. Atchison, 
1843-55; H. S. Geyer, 1851-57; Jas. M.Green, 1857-61; T. Polk, 1857- 
()}, ; Waldo P. Johnson, 1861 ; Robt. Wilson. 1861 ; B. Gratz Brown, 1863, 
for unexpired term of Johnson; J. B. Henderson, 1863-69 > Chas. D- 
Drake, 1867-70; Carl Schurz, 1869-75; D. P"". Jewett. 1870, in place of 
Drake, resigned; P'. P. Blair, 1871-77; L. V. Bogy, 1873; F. M. Cock- 
rell, 1875-81 ; re-elected 1881 ; Geo. C. Vest, 1879. 

Representatives to Congress. — Jno. Scott, 1820-26: Ed. Bates, 1826- 
28; Spencer Pettis, 1828-31 ; Wm. H. Ashley, 1831-36; John Bull, 1832- 
34; Albert G. Harrison, 1834-39; Jno. Miller, 1836-43; John Jameson, 



44 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

1839-44, re-elected 1846 for two years; Jno. C. Edwards, 1840-42; Jas. 
M. Hughes, 1842-44; Jas. H. Relfe, 1842-46; Jas. B.'Bowlin, 1842-50; 
Gustavus M. Boner, 1842-44; Sterling Price, 1844-46; Wm. McDaniel, 
1846; Leonard H. Sims, 1844-46; John S. Phelps, 1844-60; Jas. S. Green, 
1846-50, re-elected 1856, resigned; Willard P. Hall, 1846-53; Wm. V. 
N. Bay, 1848-61; John F. Darby, 1850-53; Gilchrist Porter, 1850-57; 
John G. Miller, 1850-56 ; Alfred W. Lamb, 1852-54; Thos. H. Benton, 
1852-54; Mordecai Oliver, 1852-57; Jas. J. Lindley, 1852-56; Samuel 
Caruthers, 1852-58; Thomas P. Akers, 1855, to fill unexpired term of J. 
G. Miller; Francis P. Blair, Jr., 1856, re-elected i860, resigned; Thomas 
L. Anderson, 1856-1860; James Craig, 1856-60; Samuel H. Woodson, 
1856-60; John B. Clark, Sr., 1857-61 ; J. Richard Barrett, i860; John W. 
Noel, 1858-63; James S. Rollins, 1860-64; P^Hjah H. Norton. 1860-63; 
John W. Reid, 1860-61; William A. Hall, 1862-64; Thomas L. Price, 
1862, in place of Reid, expelled; Henry T. Blow, 1862-66; Sempronius 
T. Boyd, elected in 1862, and again in 1868, for two years; Joseph W. 
McClurg, 1862-66; Austin A. King, 1862-64; Benjamin F. Loan, 1862-69; 
John G. Scott, 1863, in place of Noel, deceased; John Hogan, 1864-66; 
Thomas F. Noel, 1864-67; John R. Kelsoe, 1864-66; Robt. T. Van 
Horn, 1864-71 ; John F. Benjamin, 1864-71 ; George W. Anderson, 
1864-69; William A. Pile, 1866-68; C. A. Newcomb, 1866-68; Joseph E. 
Gravely, 1866-68; James R. McCormack, 1866-73 : John H. Stover, 1867, 
in place of McClurg, resigned; Erastus Wells, 1868-82; G. A. Finklin- 
burg, 1868-71; Samuel S. Burdett, 1868-71; Joel F. Asper, 1868-70; 
David P. Dyer, 1868-70; Harrison E. Havens, 1870-75 ; Isaac C. Parker, 
1870-75; James G. Blair, 1870-72; Andrew King. 1870-72; Edwin O. 
Stannard, 1872-74; William H. Stone, 1872-78; Robert A. Hatcher, 
elected 1872; Richard P. Bland, 1872; Thomas Crittenden, 1872-74; Ira 
B. Hyde, 1872-74; John B. Clark, 1872-78; John M. Glover, 1872 ; Aylett 
H. Buckner, 1872; Edward C. Kerr, 1874-78; Charles H. Morgan, 1874; 
John F. Phelps, 1874; B. J. Franklin, 1874; David Rea, 1874; Rezin A. 
DeBoet, 1874; Anthony Ittne'r, 1876; Nathaniel Cole, 1876; Robert x\. 
Hatcher, 1876-78; R. P. Bland, 1876-78; A. H. Buckner, 1876-78 ; J. B. 
Clark, Jr., 1876-78; T. T. Crittenden, 1876-78; B. J. Franklin, 1876-78; 
Jno. M. Glover, 1876-78; Robert A. Hatcher, 1876-78; Chas. H. Morgan, 
1876-78; L. S. Metcalfe, 1876-78; H. M. Pollard, 1876-78; David Rea, 
1876-78; S. L. Sawyer, 1878-80; N. Ford, 1878-82; G. E. Rothwell, 
1878-82; 'John B. Clark, Jr., 1878-82; W. H. Hatch, 1878-82; A. H. 
Buckner, 1878-82; M. L. Clardy, 1878-82; R. G. Frost, 1878-82; L. H. 
Davis. 1878-82; R. P. Bland, 1878-82; J. R. Waddill, 1878-80; T. Allen, 
1880-82; R. Hazeltine, 1880-82; T. M. Rice, 1880-82; R. T. Van Horn, 
1880-82. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



45 



COUNTIES— WHEN ORGANIZED. 



Adair January 29, 184 1 

Andrew January 29, 1841 

Atchison January 14, 1845 

Audrain December 17, 1836 

Barry January 5, 1835 

Barton December 12, 1835 

Bates January 29, 1841 

Benton January 3, 1835 

Bollinger March I, 1851 

Boone • November 16, 1820 

Buchanan February 10, 1839 

Butler February 27,1849 

Caldwell December 26, 1836 

Callaway November 25 1820 

Camden January 29, 1841 

Cape Girardeau October i, 181 2 

Carroll January 3, 1833 

Carter March 10, 1859 

Cass September 14, 1835 

Cedar February 14 1845 

Chariton November 16, 1820 

Christian March 8, i860 

Clark December 15, 1818 

Clay January 2, 1822 

Clinton January 15, 1833 

Cole November 16, 1820 

Cooper December 17, 1818 

Crawford January 23, 1829 

Dade January 29, 1841 

Dallas December 10, 1844 

Daviess December 29, 1836 

DeKalb February 25, 1845 

Dent - ■ February 10, 1851 

Douglas October 19, 1857 

Dunklin February 14, 1845 

Franklin December 11, 1818 

Gasconade November 25, 1820 

Gentry February 12, 1841 

Greene January 2, 1833 

Grundy January 2, 1843 

Harrison February 14, 1845 

Henry. ...■■... .December 13, 1834 

Hickory February 14, 1845 

Holt February 15, 1841 

Howard January 23, 1816 

Howell March 2, 1857 

Iron February 17, 1857 

Jackson December 15, 1826 

Jasper January 29, 1841 

Jefferson December 8, 1818 

Johnson December 13, 1834 



Knox February 14, 1845 

Laclede February 24, 1849 

Lafayette November 16, 1820 

Lawrence February 25, 1845 

Lewis . January 2, 1833 

Lincoln December 14, 181 8 

Linn January 7, 1837 

Livingston January 6, 1837 

McDonald March 3, 1849 

Macon January 6, 1837 

Madison December 14, 1818 

Maries March 2, 1855 

Marion December 23, 1826 

Mercer February 14, 1845 

Miller February 6, 1837 

Mississippi February 14, 1845 

Moniteau February 14, 1845 

Monroe January 6, 1831 

Montgomery December 14, 18 18 

Morgan January 5, 1833 

New Madrid October i, 1812 

Newton December 31, 1838 

Nodaway February 14, 1845 

Oregon February 14. 1845 

Osage January 29 1841 

Ozark January 29, 184 1 

Pemiscot February 19, 1861 

Perry November 16, 1820 

Pettis January 26, 1833 

Phelps November 13, 1857 

Pil^e December 14, 1818 

Platte December 31, 1838 

Polk March 13, 1835 

Pulaski December 15, 1818 

Putnam February 28, 1845 

Ralls November 16, 1820 

Randolph January 22, 1829 

Ray November 16, 1820 

Reynolds February 25, 1845 

Ripley January 5, 1S33 

St. Charles October i, 18 12 

St. Clair January 29, 1841 

St. Francois December 19, 1821 

Ste. Genevieve October i, 181 2 

St. Louis October i. 1812 

Saline November 25, 1820 

Schuyler February 14. 1^45 

• Scotland January 29, 1841 

. gcott .'December 28, 1821 

Shannon ■ • January 29, 1841 

Shelby January 2, 1S35 



46 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

COUNTIES — WHEN ORGANIZED. — Continued. 



Stoddard January 2, 1835 

Stone ; . . . February 10, 185 1 

Sullivan February 16, 1845 

Taney January 16, 1837 

Texas February 14, 1835 

Vernon February 17, 1851 



Warren January 5, 1833 

Washington August 21, 18 13 

Wayne December 11, 1818 

Webster March 3, 1855 

Worth February 8, 1861 

Wright January 29, 1841 



CHAPTER VIII. 



EARLY MILITARY RECORD. 



BLACK HAWK WAR— MORMON DIFFICULTIES-FLORIDA WAR— MEXICAN WAR. 

On the 14th day of May. 1832, a bloody engagement took place 
between the regular forces of the United States, and a part of the Sacs, 
Foxes and Winnebago Indians, commanded by Black Hawk and 
Keokuk, near Dixon's Ferry, in Illinois. 

The Governor (John Miller) of Missouri, fearing these savages would 
invade the soil of his state, ordered Major-General Richard Gentry to 
raise one thousand volunteers for the defense of the frontier. Five com- 
panies were at once raised in Boone County, and in Callaway, Mont- 
gomery, St. Charles, Lincoln, Pike, Marion, Ralls, Clay and Monroe 
other companies were raised. 

Two of these companies, commanded respectively by Captain John 
Jaimison, of Callaway, and Captain David M. Hickman, of Boone County, 
were mustered into service in July for thirty days, and put under com- 
mand of Major Thomas W. Conyers. 

This detachment, accompanied by General Gentry, arrived at Fort 
Pike on the 15th of July, 1832. Finding that the Indians had not crossed 
the Mississippi into Missouri, General Gentry returned to Columbia, 
leaving the fort in charge of Major Conj^ers. Thirt}- days having expired, 
the command under Major Conyers was relieved by two other com- 
panies under Captains Sinclair Kirtley, of Boone, and Patrick P>wing, 
of Callaway. This detachment was marched to Fort Pike by Col. Austin 
A. King, who conducted the two companies under Major Conyers home. 
Major Conyers was left in charge of the fort, where he remained until 
September following, at which time the Indian troubles, so far as Mis- 
souri was concerned, having all subsided, the frontier forces were mus- 
tered out of service. 

Black Hawk continued the war in Iowa and Illinois, and was finally 
defeated and captured in 1833. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 47 

MORMON DIFFICULTIES. 

In 1832, Joseph Smith, the leader of the Mormons, and the chosen 
prophet and apostle, as he claimed, of the Most High, came with many 
followers to Jackson County, Missouri, where they located and entered 
several thousand acres of land. 

The object of his coming so far west — upon the very outskirts of 
civilization at that time — was to more securely establish his church, 
and the more effectively to instruct his followers in its peculiar tenets 
and practices. 

Upon the present town site of Independence the Mormons located 
their "Zion" and gave it the name of "The New Jerusalem." They pub- 
lished here the Evening Star, and made themselves generally obnox- 
ious to the Gentiles, who were then in the minority, by their denunciatory 
articles through their paper, their clannishness and their polygamous 

practices- 
Dreading the demoralizing influence of a paper which seemed to be 
inspired only with hatred and malice toward them, the Gentiles threw 
the press and type into the Missouri river, tarred and feathered one of 
their bishops, and otherwise gave the Mormons and their leaders to 
understand that they must conduct themselves in an entirely different 
manner if they wished to be let alone. 

After the destruction of their paper and press, they became furiously 
incensed, and sought many opportunities for retaliation. Matters con- 
tinued in an uncertain condition until the 31st of October, 1833, when a 
'deadly conflict occurred near Westport, in which two Gentiles and one 
Mormon were killed. 

On the 2d of November following the Mormons were overpowered, 
and compelled to lay down their arms and agree to leave the country 
with their families by January ist, on the condition that the owner 
would be paid for his printing press. 

Leaving Jackson County, they crossed the Missouri and located in 
Clay, Carroll, Caldwell and other counties, and selected in Caldwell 
County a town site, which they called "Far West," and where they 
entered more land for their future homes. 

Through the influence of their missionaries, who were exerting 
themselves in the East and in different portions of Europe, converts had 
constantly flocked to their standard, and "Far West" and other Mormon 
settlements rapidly prospered. 

In 1837 they commenced the erection of a magnificent temple, but 
never finished it. As their settlements increased in numbers they 
became bolder in their practices and deeds of lawlessness. 

During the summer of 1838 two of their leaders settled in the town 
of DeWitt, on the Missouri River, having purchased the land from an 



48 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Illinois merchant. DeWitt was in Carroll County, and a good point 
from which to forward goods and immigrants to their town— Far West. 

Upon its being ascertained that these parties were Mormon leaders, 
the Gentiles called a public meeting, which was addressed by some of 
the prominent citizens of the county. Nothing, however, was done at 
this meeting, but at a subsequent meeting, which was held a few days 
afterward, a committee of citizens was appointed to notify Colonel 
Hinkle (one of the Mormon leaders at DeWitt), what they intended to do. 

Col. Hinkle, upon being notified by this committee, became indig- 
nant, and threatened extermination to all who should attempt to molest 
him or the Saints. 

In anticipation of trouble, and believing that the Gentiles would 
attempt to force them from DeWitt, Mormon recruits flocked to the town 
from every direction, and pitched their tents in and around the town in 
ereat numbers. 

The Gentiles, nothing daunted, planned an attack upon this encamp- 
ment, to take place on the 21st day of September, 1838, and, accordingly, 
one hundred and fifty men bivouacked near the town on that day. A 
conflict ensued, but nothing serious occurred. 

The Mormons evacuated their works and fled to some log houses, 
where thev could the more successfully resist the Gentiles, who had in 
the meantime returned to their camp to await reinforcements. Troops 
from Howard, Ray and other counties came to their assistance, and 
increased their number to five hundred men. 

Cono-reve Jackson was chosen Brigadier General ; Ebenezer Price, 
Colonel • Singleton Vaughn, Lieutenant Colonel, and Sarchel Woods, 
Major. After some days of discipline, this brigade prepared for an 
assault, but before the attack was commenced Judge James Earickson 
and William F. Dunnica, influential citizens of Howard County, asked 
permission of General Jackson to let them try and adjust the difficulties 
without any bloodshed. 

It was finally agreed that Judge Earickson should propose to the 
Mormons that, if they would pay for all the cattle they had killed 
belonging to the citizens, and load their wagons during the night and be 
ready to move by ten o'clock next morning, and make no further attempt 
to settle in Howard County, the citizens would purchase at first cost their 
lots in DeWitt and one or two adjoining tracts of land. 

Col. Hinkle, the leader of the Mormons, at first refused all attempts 
to settle the difficulties in this way, but finally agreed to the proposition. 

In accordance therewith, the Mormons, without further delay, loaded 
iip their wagons for the town of Far West, in Caldwell County. Whether 
the terms of the agreement were ever carried out on the part of the cit- 
izens, is not known. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 49 

The Mormons had doubtless suffered much and in many ways — the 
result of their own acts — but their trials and sufferings were not at an 
end. 

In 1838 the discord between the citizens and Mormons became so 
great that Governor Boggs issued a proclamation ordering Major General 
David R. Atchison to call the militia of his division to enforce the laws. 
He called out a part of the First Brigade of the Missouri state militia, 
under command of General A. W. Doniphan, who proceeded to the seat 
of war. General John B. Clark, of Howard County, was placed in com- 
mand of the militia. 

The Mormon forces numbered about 1,000 men, and were led b}- G. 
W. Hinkle. The first engagement occurred at Crooked River, where 
one Mormon was killed. The principal fight took place at Haughn's 
Mills, where eighteen Mormons were killed and the balance captured, 
some of them being killed after they had surrendered. Only one militia- 
man was wounded. 

In the month of October, 1838, Joe Smith surrendered the town of 
Far West to General Doniphan, agreeing to his conditions, viz : That 
they should deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent leaders for 
trial, and the remainder of the Mormons should, with their families, 
leave the State. Indictments were found against a number of these 
leaders, including Joe Smith, who, while being taken to Boone County 
for trial, made his escape, and was afterward, in 1844, killed at Carthage, 
Illinois, with his brother Hyrum. 

FLORIDA WAR. 

In September, 1837, the Secretary of War issued a requisition on 
Governor Boggs, of Missouri, for six hundred volunteers, for service in 
Florida against the Seminole Indians, with whom the Creek nation had 
made common cause under Osceola. 

The first regiment was chiefly raised in Boone County by Colonel 
Richard Gentry, of which he was elected Colonel ; John W. Price, of 
Howard County, Lieutenant Colonel ; Harrison H. Hughes, also of 
Howard, Major. Four companies of the Second regiment were raised 
and attached to the First. Two of these companies were composed of 
Delaware and Osage Indians. 

October 6, 1837, Colonel Gentry's regiment left Columbia for the 
seat of war, stopping on the way at Jefferson barracks, where they were 
mustered into service. 

Arriving at Jackson barracks. New Orleans, they were from thence 
transported in brigs across the Gulf to Tampa Bay, Florida. General 
Zachary Taylor, who then commanded in Florida, ordered Colonel' 
Gentry to march to Okee-cho-bee Lake, one hundred and thirty-five 
miles inland by the route traveled. Having reached the Kissimmee 



50 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

River, seventy miles distant, a bloody battle ensued in which Colonel 
Gentry was killed. The Missourians, though losing their gallant leader, 
continued the fight until the Indians were totally routed, leaving many 
of their dead and wounded on the field. There being no further service 
required of the Missourians, they returned to their homes in 1838. 

MEXICAN WAR. 

Soon after Mexico declared war against the United States, on the 
8th and 9th of May, 1846, the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma were fought. Great excitement prevailed throughout the country. 
In none of her sister states however, did the fires of patriotism burn 
more intensely than in Missouri. Not waiting for the call for volunteers, 
the "St. Louis Legion" hastened to the field of conflict. The Legion 
was commanded by Colonel A. R. Easton. During the month of May, 
1846, Governor Edwards, of Missouri, called for voluoteers to join the 
"Arm}- of the West," an expedition to the Santa Fe — under command 
of General Stephen W. Kearny. 

Fort Leavenworth was the appointed rendezvous for the volunteers. 
By the i8th of June, the full complement of companies to compose the 
First Regiment had arrived from Jackson, Lafayette, Clay, Saline, Frank- 
lin, Cole, Howard and Callaway Counties. Of this regiment A. W. Don- 
iphan was made Colonel ; C. F. Ruff, Lieutenant-Colonel, and William 
Gilpin, Major. The battalion of light artillery from St. Louis, was com- 
manded by Captains R. A. Weightman and A. W. Fischer, with Major 
M. L. Clark as field officer ; battalions of infantry from Platte and Cole 
Counties, commanded by Captains Murphy and W. Z. Augney, respect- 
ively, and the "Laclede Rangers," from St. Louis, by Captain Thomas B. 
Hudson, aggregating, all told, from Missouri, 1,658 men. In the summer 
of 1846 Hon. Sterling Price resigned his seat in Congress, and raised one 
mounted regiment, one mounted extra battalion, and one extra battalion 
of Mormon infantry to reinforce the "Army of the West." Mr. Price was 
made Colonel, and D. D. Mitchell, Lieutenant-Colonel. 

In August, 1847, Governor F^dwards made another requisition for one 
thousand men, to consist of infantr}'. The regiment was raised at once. 
John Dougherty, of Clay Count}', was chosen Colonel, but before the regi- 
ment marched the President countermanded the order. 

A company of mounted volunteers was raised in Ralls Count}', com- 
manded by Captain Wm. T. Lalfland. Conspicuous among the engage- 
ments in which the Missouri volunteers participated in Mexico were 
the battles of Brazito, Sacramento, Canada, El Embudo, Taos and Santa 
Cruz de Rosales. The forces from Missouri were mustered out in 1848, 
and will ever be remembered in the history of the Mexican war, for 

"A thnusand glorious actions that might clai^m 
Triumphant 1 iure!s, and immortal fame." 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 5 I 

CHAPTER IX. 
CIVIL WAR IN MISSOURI. ' 



FORT SUMTER FIRED UPON-CALL FOR 75,000 MEN-GOV JACKSON REFUSES TO FUR- 
NISH A MAN-U. S. ARSENAL AT LIBERTY, MO., SEIZED— PROCLAMATION OF GOV- 
ERNOR JACKSON — GENERAL ORDER NO. 7 — LEGISLATURE CONVENES — CAMP 
JACKSON ORGANIZED— STERLING PRICE APPOINTED MAJOR-GENERAL-FROST'S 
LETTER TO LYON— LYON'S LETTER TO FROST— SURRENDER OF CAMP JACKSON- 
PROCLAMATION OF GEN HARNEY -CONFERENCE BETWEEN PRICE AND HARNEY- 
HARNEY SUPERSEDED BY LYON-SECOND CONFERENCE-GOV. JACKSON BURNS 
THE BRIDGES BEHIND HIM-PROCLAMATION OF GOV. JACKSON— GEN. BLAIR TAKES 
POSSESSION OF JEFFERSON CITY— PROCLAMATION OF LYON— LYON AT SPRINGFIELD 
—STATE OFFICES DECLARED VACANT— GEN. FREMONT ASSUMES COMMAND-PRO- 
CLAMATION OF LIEUT. GOV. REYNOLDS — PRO JLAMATIOM OF JEFF. THOMPSON 
AND GOV. JACKSON— DEATH OF GEN. LVON -SUCCEEDED BY STURGIS— PROCLAMA- 
TION OF M'CULLOCH AND GAMBLE — MARTIAL LAW DECLARED— SECOND PRO- 
CLAM. A.TION OF JEFF. THOMPSON— PRESIDENT MODIFIES FREMONT'S ORDER— FRE- 
MONT RELIEVED BY HUNTER— PROCLAMATION OF PRICE-HUNTER'S ORDER OF 
ASSESSMENT -HUNTER DECLARES MARTIAL LAW - ORDER RELATING TO NEWS- 
PAPERS— HALLECK SUCCEEDS HUNTER-HALLECK'S ORDER 81-SIMILAR ORDER BY 
HALLECK— BOONE COUNTY STANDARD CONFISCATED-EXECUTION OF PRISONERS 
AT MACON AND PALMYRA— GEN. EWING'S ORDER NO. ii-GEN. ROSECRANS TAKES 
COMMAND— MASSACRE AT CENTRALIA— DEATH OF BILL ANDERSON-GEN. DODGE 
SUCCEEDS GEN. ROSECRANS -LIST OF BATTLES. 

"Lastly Stood war-- 
With visage grim, stern looks, and blackly hued, 
****** * 

Ah ! why will kings forget that they are men ? 
And men that they are brethren ? Why delight 
In human sacrifice? Why burst the ties 
Of nature, that should knit their souls together 
In one bond of amity and love?" 

Fort Sumter wss fired upon April 12, 1861. On April 15th, President 
Lincoln issued a proclamation, calling for 75,000 men, from the militia 
of the several states, to suppress combinations in the^ Southern States 
therein named. Simultaneously therewith the secretary of war sent a 
telegram to all the governors of the states, excepting those mentioned 
in the proclamation, requesting them to detail a certain number of 
militia to serve for three months, Missouri's quota being four regiments. 

In response to this telegram Gov. Jackson sent the following answer: 

Executive Department of Missouri, 
Jefferson City, April 17, 1861. 
To the Hon. Simon Cameron, 

Secretary of War, IVas/iington, D. C: 

Sir: Your dispatch of the 15th inst., making a call on Missouri 

for four regiments of men for immediate service, has been received. 

There can be, I apprehend, no doubt but these men are intended to form 

.a part of the President's army to make war upon the people of the 



52 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

seceded states. Your requisition, in my judgment, is illegal, unconsti- 
tutional, and cannot be complied with. Not one man will the State of 
Missouri furnish to carry on such an unholy war. 

C. F. JACKSON, 

Governor of Missouri. 

April 21, 1861. U. S. Arsenal at Liberty was seized by order of 
Governor Jackson. 

April 22, 1861. Governor Jackson issued a proclamation convening- 
the Legislature of Missouri in May following, in extra session, to take 
into consideration the momentuous issues, which were presented, and 
the attitude to be assumed by the state in the impending struggle. 

On the 22nd of April, 1861, the Adjutant-General of Missouri issued 
the following military order : 

Headquarters Adjutant-General's Office, Mo., 
Jefferson City, April 22, 1861. 
{General Order No. 7.) 

I. To attain a greater degree of efficiency and perfection in organi- 
zation and discipline, the commanding officers of the several military 
districts in this state, having four or more legally organized companies 
therein, whose armories are within fifteen miles of each other, will assem- 
ble their respective commands at some place to be by them severally 
designated, on the 3rd of May, and to go into an encampment for a 
period of six days as provided by law. Captains of companies not organ- 
ized into battalions, will report the strength of their companies immedi- 
ately to these headquarters, and await further orders. 

II. The quartermaster-general will procure and issue to quarter- 
masters of districts, for these commands not now provided for, all nec- 
essary tents and camp equipage, to enable the commanding officers 
thereof to carry the foregoing orders into effect. 

III. The Light Battery now attached to the Southwest Battalion, 
and one company of mounted riflemen, including all officers and soldiers 
belonging to the First District, will proceed forthwith to St. Louis and 
report to Gen. D. M. Frost for duty. The remaining companies of said 
battalion will be disbanded for the purpose of assisting in the organiza- 
tion of companies upon that frontier. The details in the execution of 
the foregoing are intrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel John S. Bowen, com- 
manding the battalion. 

IV. The strength, organization and equipment of the several com- 
panies in the districts will be reported at once to these headquarters, 
and district inspectors will furnish all information which may be servic- 
able in ascertaining the condition of state forces. 

By order of the Governor. 

WARWICK HOUGH, 

Adjutant-General of Missouri. 

May 2, 1 86 1. The Legislature convened in extra session. Many 
acts were passed among which was one to authorize the Governor to 
purchase or lease David Ballantine's foundry, at Boonville, for the man- 
ufacture of arms and munitions of war ; to authorize the governor to 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 53 

appoint one major-general ; to authorize the governor, when in his opinion 
the security and welfare of the state required it, to take possession 
of the railroad and telegraph lines of the state ; to provide for the organ- 
ization, government and support of the' military forces ; to borrow one 
million of dollars to arm and equip the militia of the state to repel 
invasion and protect the lives and property of the people. An act was 
also passed creating a "Military Fund," to consist of all the money then 
in the treasury or that might thereafter be received from the one-tenth 
of one per cent, on the hundred dollars, levied by act of November, 1857, 
to complete certain railroads ; also the proceeds of a tax of fifteen cents 
on the hundred dollars of the assessed value of the taxable property of 
the several counties in the state, and the proceeds of the two mill tax, 
which had been theretofore appropriated for educational purposes. 

May 3, 1861. "Camp Jackson" was organized. 

May 10, 1861. Sterling Price appointed major-general of state 
guard. 

May 10, 1861. General Frost, commanding "Camp Jackson," 
addressed General N. Lyon, as follows : 

Headquarters Camp Jackson, Missouri Militia, 

May 10, 1 861. 

Capt. N. Lyon, Commanding United States Troops in and about St. 

Loin's Arsenal: 

Sir: — I am constantly in receipt of information that you contem- 
plate an attack upon my camp, whilst I understand that you are impressed 
with the idea that an attack upon the arsenal and United States troops 
is intended on the part of the Militia of Missouri. I am greatly at a 
loss to" know what could justify you in attacking citizens of the United 
States, who are in lawful performance of their duties, devolving upon 
them under the constitution in organizing and instructing the militia of 
the state in obedience to her laws, and, therefore, have been disposed to 
doubt the correctness of the information I have received. 

I would be glad to know from you personally whether there is any 
truth in the .statements that are constantly pouring into my ears. So 
far as regards any hostility being intended toward the United States, 
or its property or representatives by any portion of my command, or, as 
far as I can learn, (and I think I am fully informed,) of an)^ other part of 
the state forces, I can positively say that the idea has never been enter- 
tained. On the contrary, prior to your taking command of the arsenal, 
I proffered to Mayor Bell, then in command of the very few troops con- 
stituting its guard, the services of myself and all my command, and, if 
necessary, the whole power of the state, to protect the United States 
in the full possession of all her property. Upon General Harney taking 
command of this department, I made the some proffer of services to him, 
and authorized his Adjutant General, Captain Williams, to communicate 
the fact that such had been done to the "War Department. I have had 
no occasion since to change any of the views I entertained at the time, 
neither of my own volition nor through the orders of my constitutional 
commander. 



54 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

I trust that after this explicit statement that we may be able, by 
fully understanding each other, to keep far from our borders the misfor- 
tunes which so unhappily affect our common country. 

This communication will be handed you by Colonel Bowen, my 
Chief of Staff, who will be able to explain anything not fully set forth in 
the foregoing. 

I am, sir, very respectfully your obedient servant. 

BRIGADIER GENERAL D. M. FROST, 

Commanding Camp Jackson, M. V. M. 

May lo, 1 86 1. General Lyon sent the following to General Frost : 

Headquarters United States Troops, 
St. Louis, Mo., May lo, 1861. 

General D. M. Frost, Commanding Camp Jackson : 

Sir : — Your command is regarded as evidently hostile toward the 
Government of the United States. 

It is, for the most part, made up of those Secessionists who have 
openly avowed their hostility to the general government, and have been 
plotting at the seizure of its property and the overthrow of its authority. 
You are openly in communication with the so-called Southern Confed- 
eracy, which is now at war with the United States, and you are receiv- 
ing at your camp, from the said Confederacy and under its flag, large 
supplies of the material of war. most of which is known to be the prop- 
erty of the United States. These extraordinary preparations plainly 
indicate none other than the well-known purpose of the Governor of this 
state, under whose orders you are acting, and whose communication to 
the Legislature has just been responded to by that body in the most 
unparalleled legislation, having in direct view hostilities to the general 
government and co-operation with its enemies. 

In view of these considerations, and of your failure to dispense in 
obedience to the proclamation of the President, and of the imminent 
necessities of state policy and warfare, and the obligations imposed upon 
me by instructions from Washington, it is my duty to demand, and I do 
hereby demand of you an immediate surrender of your command, with 
no other conditions than that all persons surrendering under this com- 
mand shall be humanely and kindly treated. Believing myself prepared 
to enforce this demand, one-half hour's time before doing so will be 
allowed for your compliance therewith. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

N. LYON, 
Capt. 2d Infantry, Commanding Troops. 

May 10, 1 861. Camp Jackson surrendered and prisoners all released 
excepting Capt. Emmet McDonald, who refused to subscribe the parole. 

May 12, i86r. Brigadier General Wm. S. Harney issued a procla- 
mation to the people of Missouri, saying, "he would carefully abstain 
from the exercise of any unnecessary powers," and only use " the military 
force stationed in this district in the last resort to preserve peace." 

May 14, 1861. General Harney issued a second proclamation. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 55 

May 21, 1861. General Harney held a conference with General 
Sterling Price, of the Missouri State Guards. 

May 31, 1861. General Harney superseded by General Lyon. 

June II, 1861. A second conference was held between the national 
and state authorities in St. Louis, which resulted in nothing. 

June II, 1861. Governor Jackson left St. Louis for Jefferson City, 
burning the railroad bridges behind him, and cutting telegraph wires. 

June 12, 1861. Governor Jackson issued a proclamation calling 
into active service 50,000 militia, "to repel invasion, protect life, prop- 
erty, etc." 

June 15, 1861. Colonel F. P. Blair took possession of the state capi- 
tal. Governor Jackson, General Price and other officers having left on 
the 13th of June for Boonville. 

June 17, 1861. Battle of Boonville took place between the forces of 
General Lyon and Colonel John S. Marmaduke. 

June 18, i85i. General Lyon issued a proclamation to the people 
of Missouri. 

July 5, 1861. Battle at Carthage between the forces of General 

Sigel and Governor Jackson. 

July 6, 1861. General Lyon reached Springfield. 

July 22, 1 86 1. State convention met and declared the offices of 
Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State vacated. 

July 26, 1861. General John C. Fremont assumed command of the 
Western Department, with headquarters in St. Louis. 

July 31, 1 86 1. Lieutenant Governor Thomas C. Reynolds issued a 
proclamation at New Madrid. 

August I, 1 86 1. General Jeff. Thompson issued a proclamation at 
Bloomfield. 

August 2, 1861. Battle of Dug Springs, between Captain Steele's 

forces and General Rains. 

August 5, 1861. Governor Jackson issued a proclamation at New 

Madrid. 

August 5, 1861. Battle of Athens. 

August 10, 1861. Battle of Wilson's Creek, between the forces 
under General Lyon and General McCulIoch. In this engagemeet Gen- 
eral Lyon was killed. General Sturgis succeeded General Lyon. 

August 12, 1861. McCulloch issued a proclamation, and soon left 

Missouri. 

August 20, 1861. General Price issued a proclamation. 

August 24, 1861. Governor Gamble issued a proclamation calling 
for 32,000 men for six months, to protect the property and lives of the 
citizens of the state. 

August 30, i85i. General Fremont declared martial law, and 
declared that the slaves of all persons who should thereafter take an 
active part with the enemies of the Government should be free. 



56 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

September 2, 186 1. General Jeff. Thompson issued a proclamation 
in response to Fremont's proclamation. 

September 7, 1861. Battle at Dryvvood Creek. 

September 11, 1861. President Lincoln modified the clause in Gen- 
eral Fremont's declaration of martial law, in reference to the confiscation 
of property and liberation of slaves. 

September 12, 1861. General Price begins the attack at Springfield 
-on Colonel Mulligan's forces. 

September 20, 1861. Colonel Mulligan with 2,640 men surrendered. 

October 25, 1861. Second battle at Springfield. 

November 2, 1861. General Fremont succeeded by General David 
Hunter. 

November 7, 1861. General Grant attacked Belmont. 

November 9, 1861. General Hunter succeeded by General Halleck, 
who took command on the 19th of same month, with headquarters in St. 
Louis. 

November 27, 1861. General Price issued proclamation calling for 
50,000 men, at Neosho, Missouri. 

December 12, 1861. General Hunter issued his order of assessin^nt 
.upon certain wealthy citizens in St. Louis, for feeding and clothing Union 
refugees. 

December 23-25, 1861. Declared martial law in St. Louis and the 
country adjacent, and covering all the railroad lines. 

March 6, 1862. Battle at Pea Ridge between the forces under Gen- 
erals Curtis and Van Dorn. 

January 8, 1862. Provost Marshal Farrar, of St. Louis, issued the 
following order in reference to newspapers : 

Office of the Provost Marshal, 
General Department of Missouri, 
St. Louis, January 8, 1862. 

{General Order No. 10.) 

It is hereby ordered that from and after this date the publishers of 
newspapers in the State of Missouri, (St. Louis city papers excepted), 
furnish to this office, immediately upon publication, one copy of each 
issue, for inspection. A failure to comply with this order will render the 
newspaper liable to suppression. 

Local Provost Marshals will furnish the proprietors with copies of 
this order, and attend to its immediate enforcement. 

BERNARD G. FARRAR, 
Provost Marshal General. 

January 26, 1862. General Halleck issued order (No. 18) which for- 
bade, among other things, the display of Secession flags in the hands of 
women or on carriages, in the vicinity of the military prison in McDow- 
ell's College, the carriages to be confiscated and the offending women to 
be arrested. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 5/ 

February 4, 1862. General Halleck issued another order similar to 
Order No. 18, to railway companies, and to the professors and directors 
of the State University at Columbia, forbidding the funds of the institu- 
tion to be used "to teach treason or to instruct traitors." 

February 20, 1862. Special Order No. 120 convened a military com- 
mission, which sat in Columbia, March following, and tried Edmund J. 
Ellis, of Columbia, editor and proprietor of the Boone County Standard, 
for the publication of information for the benefit of the enemy, and 
encouraging resistance to the United States Government. Ellis was 
found guilty, was banished during the war from Missouri, and his print- 
ing materials confiscated and sold. 

April, 1862. General Halleck left for Corinth, Mississippi, leaving 
General Schofield in command. 

June, 1862. Battle at Cherry Grove between the forces under 
Colonel Joseph C. Porter and Colonel H. S. Lipscomb. 

June, 1862. Battle at Pierce's Mill between the forces under Major 
John Y. Clopper and Colonel Porter. 

July 22, 1862. Battle at Florida. 
■July 28, 1862. Battle at Moore's Mill. 

August 6, 1862. Battle near Kirksville. 

August II, 1862. Battle at Independence. 

August 16, 1862. Battle at Lone Jack. 

September 13, 1862. Battle at Newtonia. 

September 25, 1862. Ten Confederate prisoners were executed at 
Macon by order of General Merrill. 

October 18, 1862. Ten Confederate prisoners executed at Palmyra 
by order of General McNeill. 

January 8, 1863. Battle at Springfield between the foces of General 
Marmaduke and General ¥,. B. Brown. 

April 36, 1863. Battle at Cape Girardeau. 

August — , 1863. General Jeff Thompson captured at Pocahontas, 
Arkansas, with his staff 

August 25, 1863. General Thomas Pawing issued his celebrated 
Order No. 11, at Kansas City, Missouri, which is as follows: 

Headquarters District of the Border, 
Kansas City, Mo., August 25, 1863. 
(" General Order No. iir) 

First. — All persons living in Cass, Jackson and Bates Counties, Mis- 
souri, and in that part of Vernon included in this district, except those 
living within one mile of the limits of Lidependence, Hickman's Mills, 
Pleasant Hill and Harrisonville, and except those in that part of Kaw^ 
Township, Jackson County, north of Brush Creek and west of the Big 
Blue, embracing Kansas City and Westport, are hereby ordered to remove 
from their present places of residence within fifteen days from the date 
hereof 

4 



58 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Those who, within that time, establish their loyalty to the satisfac- 
tion of the commanding officer of the military station nearest their 
present places of residence, will receive from him certificates stating the 
fact of their loyalty, and the names of the witnesses by whom it can be 
shown. All who receive such certificate will be permitted to remove ta 
any military station in this district, or to any part of the State of Kansas, 
except the counties on the eastern borders of the state. All others shall 
remove out of this district. Officers commanding companies and detach- 
ments serving in the counties named, will see that this paragraph is 
promptly obeyed. 

Second. — All grain and hay in the field, or under shelter, in the dis- 
trict from which the inhabitants are required to remove, within reach of 
military stations, after the 9th day of September next, will be taken to 
such stations and turned over to the proper officer there, and report of 
the amount so turned over made to district headquarters, specifying the 
names of all loyal owners and the amount of such produce taken from 
them. All grain and hay found in such district after the 9th day of Sep- 
tember next, not convenient to such stations, will be destroyed. 

Third. — The provisions of General Order No. 10, from these head- 
quarters, will at once be vigorously executed by officers commanding in 
the parts of the district, and at stations not subject to the operations of 
paragraph First of this Order — and especially in the towns of Independ- 
ence, Westport and Kansas City. 

Fourth — Paragraph 3, General Order No. 10, is revoked as to all who 
have borne arms against the government in the district since August 20,. 

1863. 

By order of Brigadier-General Ewing. 

H. HANNAHS, Adjutant, 

October 12-13, 1863. Battle of Arrow Creek. 

January, 1864. General Rosecrans takes command of the depart- 
ment. 

September, 1864. Battle at Pilot Knob, Harrison and Little Mor- 
ceau River. 

September 27, 1864. Massacre at Centralia, by Captain William 
Anderson. 

October 5, 1864. Battle at Prince's Ford and James Gordon's farm. 

October 15, 1864. Battle at Glasgow. 

October 20, 1864. Battle at Little Blue Creek. 

October 27, 1864. Capt. Anderson killed. 

December — , 1864. General Rosecrans relieved, and General 
Dodge appointed to succeed him. 

Nothing occurred specially, of a military character, in the state, 
after December, 1864. We have, in the main, given the facts as they 
occurred, without comment or entering into details. Many of the 
minor incidents and skirmishes of the war have been omitted because 
of our limited space. 

It is utterly impossible, at this date, to give the names and dates of 
all the battles fought in Missouri during the civil war. It will be founds 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 59 

however, that the list given below, which has been arranged for conven- 
ience, contains the prominent battles and skirmishes which took place 
within the State : 

Potosi, May 14, 1861. 
Booneville, June 17, 1861. 
Carthage, July 5, 1861. 
Monroe Station, July 10, 1861. 
Overton's Run, July 17, 1861. 
Dug Spring, August 2, 1861. 
Wilson's Creek, August 9, 1861. 
Athens, August 5, 1861. 
Moreton, August 20, 1861. 
Bennett's Mills, September — , 1861. 
Drywood Creek, September 7, 1861. 
Norfolk, September 10, 1861. 
Lexington, September 12-20, 1861. 
Blue Mills Landing, September 17, 1861. 
Glasgow Mistake, September 20, 1861. 
Osceola, September 25, 1861. 
Shanghai, October 13, 186 1. 
Lebanon, October 13, 1861. 
Linn Creek, October 15, 1861. 
Big River Bridge, October 15, 1861. 
Fredericktown, October 21, 1861. 
Springfield, October 25, 1861. 
Belmont, November 7, 1861. 
Piketon, November 8, 1861. 
Little Blue, November 10, 1861. 
Clark's Station, November 11, 1861. 
Zion Church, December 28, 1861. 
Silver Creek, January 15, 1862. 
New Madrid, February 28, 1862. 
Pea Ridge, March 6, 1862. 
Neosho, April 22, 1862. 
Rose Hill, July 10, 1862. 
Chariton River, July 30, 1862. 
Cherry Grove, June — , 1862. 
Pierce's Mill, June — , 1862. 
Florida, July 22, 1862. 
Moore's Mill, July 28, 1862. 
Kirksville, August 6, 1862. 
Compton's Ferry, August 8, 1862. 
Yellow Creek, August 13, 1862. 



6o HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Independence, August ii, 1862. 
Lone Jack, August 16, 1862. 
Newtonia, September 13, 1862. 
Springfield, January 8, 1863. 
Cape Girardeau, April 29, 1863. 
Arrow Rock. October 12 and 13, 1863. 
Pilot Knob, September — , 1864. 
Harrison, September — , 1864 
Moreau River, October 7, 1864. 
Prince's Ford, October 5, 1864. 
Glasgow, October 15, 1864. 
Little Blue Creek, October 20. 1864. 
Albany, October 27, 1864. 
Near Rocheport, September 23, 1864. 
Centralia, September 27, 1864. 



CHAPTER X. 
AGRICULTURE AND MATERIAL WEALTH. 

MISSOURI AS AN AGRICULTURAL STATE— THE DIFFERENT CROPS-LIVE STOCK— HORSES 
MULES-VIILCH COWS-OXEN AND OTHER CATTLE— SHEEP- HOGS—COMPARISONS— 
MISSOURI ADAPTED TO LIVE STOCK— COTTON— BROOM-CORN AND OTHER PRO- 
DUCTS- FRUITS — BERRIES— GRAPES — RAILROADS— FIRST NEIGH OF THE 'IRON 
HORSE" IN MISSOURI— NAMES OF RAILROADS-MANUFACTURES— GREAT BRIDGE 
AT ST. LOUIS. 

Agriculture is the greatest among all the arts of man, as it is the 
first in supplying his necessities. It favors and strengthens population ; 
it creates and maintains manufactures ; gives emplo)'ment to navigation, 
and furnishes materials to commerce. It animates every species of indus- 
try, and opens to nations the safest channels of wealth. It is the strong- 
est bond of well-regulated society, the surest basis of internal peace, and 
the natural associate of correct morals. Among all the occupations and 
professions of life there is none more honorable, none more independent 
and none more conducixe to health and happiness. 

"In ancient times the sacred plow employ'd 
The kings, and awful fathers of mankind ; 
And some, with whom compared, your insect tribes 
Are but the beings of a summer's day, 
Have held the scale of empire, ruled the storm 
Of mighty war with unwearied hand, 
Disdaining little delicacies, seized 
The plow and greatly independent lived." 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. Gl 

As an agricultural region, Missouri is not surpassed by any state in 
the Union. It is indeed the farmer's kingdom, where he always reaps 
an abundant harvest. The soil, in many portions of the state, has an 
open, flexible structure, quickly absorbs the most excessive rains, and 
retains moisture with great tenacity. This being the case it is not so 
easily affected by drouth. The prairies are covered with sweet, luxuri- 
ant grass, equally good for grazing and hay ; grass not surpassed by the 
Kentucky blue grass — the best of clover and timothy in growing and 
fattening cattle. This grass is now as full of life-giving nutriment as it 
was when cropped by the buffalo, the elk, the antelope and the deer, 
and costs the herdsman nothing. 

No state or territory has a more complete or rapid .system of nat- 
ural drainage, or a more abundant supply of pure, fresh water, than 
Missouri. Both man and beast may slake their thirst from a thousand 
perennial fountains, which gush in limpid streams from the hillsides and 
wend their way through verdant valleys and along smiling prairies, 
varying in size as they onward flow, from the diminutive brooklet to the 
giant river. 

Here nature has generously bestowed her attractions of climate, 
soil and scenery to please and gratify man while earning his bread in 
the sweat of his brow. Being thus munificiently endowed, Missouri 
offers superior inducements to the farmer, and bids him enter her broad 
domain and avail himself of her varied resources. 

We present here a table showing the product of each principal crop 
in Missouri for 1878. 

Indian Corn 93,062,000 bushels 

Wheat 20,196000 " 

Rye 732,000 " 

Oats 19,584 000 " 

BBckwheat . . 46,400 " 

Potatoes 5,415,000 " 

Tobacco 23 023,000 pounds 

Hay I 620,000 tons 

There were 3,522,000 acres in corn; wheat, 1,836,000; rye, 48,800 ; 
oats, 640,000 ; buckwheat, 2,900 ; potatoes, 72,200 ; iobacco, 29,900 ; hay; 
850,000. Value of each crop: corn, $24,196,224; wheat, $13,531,320; 
rye, $300,120 ; oats, $3,325,120 ; buckwheat, $24,128 ; potatoes, $2,057,- 
700; tobacco, $1,151,150 ; hay, $10,416,600. 

Average cash value of crops per acre, $7.69 ; average yield of corn 
per acre, 26. bushels ; wheat, 11 bushels. 

Next in importance to the corn crop in value is the live stock. The 
following table shows the number of horses, mules and milch cows in 
the different states for 1879 : 



62 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



STATES. HORSES. 

Maine 81,700 

New Hampshire 57. 100 

Vermont 77 400 

Massachusetts 131,000 

Rhode Island 16,200 

Connecticut •••.... 53 500 

New York 898,000 

New Jersey 114,5°° 

Pennsylvania 614500 

Delaware 19,900 

Maryland 108,600 

Virginia 208,700 

North Carolina 144,200 

South Carolina 59,6oo 

Georgia 119,200 

Florida 22,400 

Alabama 112,800 

Mississippi 97 200 

Louisiana 79.3°° 

Texas 618,000 

Arkansas 180,500 

Tennessee 329 7°° 

West Virginia 122,200 

Kentucky 386,900 

Ohio • • • 772,70° 

Michigan 333-S°o 

Indiana 688,800 

Illinois 1,100,000 

Wisconsin 3^4 400 

Minnesota 247,300 

Iowa 770,700 

Misiouri 627,300 

Kansas 265,000 

Nebraska 157,200 

California i73-000 

Oregon 109,700 

Nevada, Colorado, and Territories 250,000 

It will be seen from the above table that Missouri is the fiftJi state 
in the number of horses ; fiftJi in number of milch cows, and the lead- 
ino- state in number of mules, having 11,700 more than Texas, which 
produces the next largest number. Of oxen and cattle Missouri pro- 
duced in 1879, 1,632,000, which was more than any other state pro- 
duced excepting Texas, which had 4,800,000. In 1879, Missouri raised 
2,817,600 hogs, which was more than any other state produced excepting 
Iowa. The number of sheep was 1,296,400. The number of hogs packed 
in 1879 by the different states is as follows : 

STATES. f^'O- STATES. NO. 

Ohio 932,878 Missouri 965 839 

Indiana 622.321 Wisconsin 472,108 

Illinois 3214,896 Kentucky 212,412 

Iowa 569,763 



MULES. 


MILCH COWS. 


. . . 


169,100 


. . . 


98,100 


. . . 


217,800 


. . . 


160 700 


. . . 


22,000 




116,500 


11,800 


1,446,200 


14 400 


152,200 


24,900 


828,400 


4,000 


23.200 


11,300 


100,500 


30,600 


236,200 


74,000 


232,300 


51,500 


131,300 


97,200 


273,100 


11,900 


70,000 


111,700 


215,200 


100,000 


188,000 


80,700 


1 10,900 


180,200 


544,500 


89,300 


187,700 


99,700 


245,700 


2,400 


130,500 


117,800 


237 200 


26,700 


714,100 


4,300 


416,900 


61 200 


439,200 


138,000 


702,400 


8,700 


477,300 


7,000 


278,900 


43,400 


676,200 


191,900 


516,200 


50,000 


321,900 


13,600 


127,600 


25,700 


459,600 


3.500 


112,400 


25,700 


423 600 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 63 

Average weight per head for each state : 

STATES. POUNDS. STATES. POUNDS. 

Ohio 210.47 Missouri 213.32 

Indiana 19380 Wisconsin 220 8l 

Illinois 22571 Kentucky 210 II 

Iowa 211.98 

From the above, it will be seen that Missouri annually packs more 
hogs than any other state, except Illinois, and that she ranks third in 
the average weight. 

We see no reason why Missouri should not be the foremost stock- 
raising state of the Union. In addition to the enormous yield of corn 
and oats upon which the stock is largely dependent, the climate is well 
adapted to their growth and health. Water is not only inexhaustible, 
but everywhere convenient. The ranges for stock are boundless, afford- 
ing for nine months of the year, excellent pasturage of nutritious wild 
grasses, which grow in great luxuriance upon her thousand prairies. 

Cotton is grown successfully in many counties of the southeastern 
portions of the state, especially in Stoddard, Scott, Pemiscott, Butler, 
New Madrid, Lawrence and Mississippi. 

Sweet potatoes are produced in abundance and are not only sure 
but profitable. 

Broom corn, sorghum, castor beans, white beans, peas and hops, 
thrive well, and all kinds of garden vegetables are produced in great 
abundance and are found in the markets during all seasons of the year. 
Fruits of every variety, including the apple, pear, peach, cherries, apricots 
and nectarines are cultivated with great success, as are also the straw- 
berry, gooseberry, currant, raspberry and blackberry. 

The grape has not been produced with that success that was at first 
anticipated, yet the yield of wine for the year 1879 was nearly half a 
million gallons. Grapes do well in Kansas, and we see no reason why 
they should not be as surely and profitably grown in a similar climate 
and soil in Missouri, and particularly in many of the counties north and 
east of the Missouri River. 

RAILROADS. 

Twenty-nine years ago the neigh of the "iron horse" was heard for 
the first time within the broad domain of Missouri. His coming pres- 
aged the dawn of a brighter and grander era in the history of the state. 
Her fertile prairies and more prolific valleys would soon be of easy access 
to the oncoming tide of immigration, and the ores and minerals of her 
hills and mountains would be developed and utilized in her manufactur- 
ing and industrial enterprises. 

Additional facilities would be opened to the marts of trade and 
commerce; transportation from the interior of the state would be secured; 



64 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

a fresh impetus would be given to the growth of her towns and cities;, 
and new hopes and inspirations would be imparted to all her people. 

Since 1852, the initial period of railroad building in Missouri, between 
four and five thousand miles of track have been laid ; additional roads 
are now being constructed and many others in contemplation. The 
state is already supplied with railroads which thread her surface in all 
directions, bringing her remotest districts into close connection with St. 
Louis, that great centre of western railroads and inland commerce. 
These roads have a capital stock aggregating more than one hundred 
millions of dollars, and a funded debt of about the same amount. 

The lines of railroads which are operated in the state are the fol- 
lowing : 

Missouri Pacific — chartered May loth, 1850; the St. Louis, Iron 
Mountain & Southern Railroad, which is a consolidation of the Arkansas 
Branch ; the Cairo, Arkansas & Texas Railroad ; the Cairo & Fulton 
Railroad ; the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railway ; the St. 
Louis & San Francisco Railway ; the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Rail- 
road ; the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad ; the Missouri, Kansas & 
Texas Railroad ; the Illinois, Missouri & Texas Railroad ; the Kansas 
City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad ; the Keokuk & Kansas City 
Railway Company ; the St. Louis, Salem & Little Rock Railroad Com- 
pany ; the Missouri & Western ; the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern ; 
the St. Louis, Hannibal & Keokuk Railroad ; the Missouri, Iowa & 
Nebraska Railway ; the Quincy, Missouri & Pacific Railroad ; the Chi- 
cago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway ; the Burlington & Southwestern 
Railroad ; the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and the St. 
Joseph & Des Moines. 

MANUFACTURES. 

The natural resources of Missouri especially fit her for a great man- 
ufacturing state. She is rich in soil ; rich in all the elements which sup- 
ply the furnace, the machine shop and the planing mill ; rich in the mul- 
titude and variety of her gigantic forests ; rich in her marble, stone and 
granite quarries ; rich in her mines of iron, coal, lead and zinc ; rich in 
strong arms and willing hands to apply the force ; rich in water power 
and river navigation ; and rich in her numerous and well built railroads, 
whose numberless engines thunder along their multiplied trackways. 

Missouri contains over fourteen thousand manufacturing establish- 
ments, 1,965 of which are using steam and give employment to 80,000 
hands. The capital employed is about $100,000,000, the material annu- 
ally used and worked up amounts to over $150,000,000 and the value of 
the products put upon the markets $250,000,000, while the wages paid 
are more than $40,000,000, 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 6$ 

The leading manufacturing counties of the state are St. Louis, Jack- 
son, Buchanan, St. Charles, Marion, Franklin, Green, Lafayette, Platte, 
Cape Girardeau and Boone. Three-fourths, however, of the manufactur- 
ing is done in St. Louis, which is now about the second manufacturing 
city of the Union. Flouring mills produce annually about $38,194,000; 
carpentering, $18,763,000; meat-packing, $16,769,000; tobacco, $12,496,- 
000; iron and castings, $12,000,000; liquors, $11,245,000; clothing, 
10,022,000; lumber, $8,652,000; bagging and bags, $6,914,000, and many 
other smaller industries in proportion. 

GREAT BRIDGE AT ST. LOUIS. 

Of the many public improvements which do honor to the state and 
reflect great credit upon the genius of their projectors, we have space 
only to mention the great bridge at St. Louis. 

This truly wonderful structure is built of tubular steel, the total 
length of which, with its approaches, is 6,277 ^e^t, at a cost of nearly 
$8,000,000. The bridge spans the Mississippi from the Illinois to the 
Missouri shore, and has separate railroad tracks, roadways and foot 
paths. In durability, architectural beauty and practical utility, there is, 
perhaps, no similar piece of workmanship that opproximates it. 

The structure of Darius upon the Bosphorus ; of Xerxes upon the 
Hellespont ; of Caesar upon the Rhine ; and Trajan upon the Danube, 
famous in ancient history, were built for military purposes, that over 
them might pass invading armies with their munitions of war, to destroy 
commerce, to lay in waste the provinces, and to slaughter the people. 

But the erection of this was for a higher and nobler purpose. Over 
it are coming the trade and merchandise of the opulent East, and thence 
are passing the untold riches of the West. Over it are crowding legions 
of men, armed not with the weapons of war, but the implements of 
peace and industry ; men who are skilled in all the arts of agriculture, 
of manufacture and of mining ; men who will hasten the day when St. 
Louis shall rank in population and importance second to no city on the 
continent, and when Missouri shall proudly fill the measure of greatness, 
to which she is naturally so justly entitled. 



66 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 



CHAPTER XI. 



EDUCATION. 



PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM OF MISSOURI-LINCOLN INSTITUTE- 
OFFICERS OF PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-CERTIFICATES OF TEACHERS— UNIVERSITY 
OF MISSOURI-SCHOOLS— COLLEGES -INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING — LOCATION- 
LIBRARIES - NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS — NO. OF SCHOOL CHILDREN - 
AMOUNT EXPENDED-VALUE OF GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS--" THE PRESS." 



The first constitution of Missouri provided that " one school or more 
shall be established in each township, as soon as practicable and neces- 
sary, where the poor shall be taught gratis." 

It will be seen that even at that earl}- day (1820), the framers of 
the constitution made provision for at least a primary education for the 
poorest and the humblest, taking it for granted that those who were 
able would avail themselves of educational advantages which were not 
•gratuitous. 

The establishment of the public school system in its essential feat- 
ures was not perfected until 1839, during the administration of Governor 
Boggs, and since that period the system has slowly grown into favor, 
not only in Missouri, but throughout the United States. The idea of a 
free or public school for all classes was not at first a popular one, espe- 
■cially among those who had the means to patronize private institutions 
of learning. In upholding and maintaining public schools, the oppo- 
nents of the system felt that they were not only compromising their 
own standing among their more wealthy neighbors, but that they were 
to some extent bringing opprobrium upon their children. Entertaining 
such prejudices they naturally thought that the training received in pub- 
lic schools could not be otherwise than defective, hence many years of 
probation passed before the popular mind was prepared to appreciate 
the benefits and blessings which spring from these institutions. 

Every year only adds to their popularity, and commends them the 
more earnestly to the fostering care of our State and National Legisla- 
tures, and to the esteem and favor of all classes of our people. 

We can hardly conceive of two grander and more potent promoters 
of civilization than the free school and the free press. They would 
indeed seem to constitute all that was necessary to the attainment of 
the happiness and intellectual growth of the republic, and all that was 
necessary to broaden, to liberalize, and to instruct. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 6/ 

" Tis education forms the common mind ; 

For noble youth there is nothing so meet 
As learning is, to know the good from ill ; 
To know the tongues, and perfectly indite, 
And of the laws to have a perfect skill, 
Things to reform as right and justice will, 
For honor is ordained for no cause 
But to see right maintained by the laws. 

All the states of the Union have in practical operation the public 
school system, governed in the main by similar laws, and not differing 
materially in the manner and methods by which they are taught, but 
none have a wiser, a more liberal and comprehensive machinery of 
instruction than Missouri. Her school laws since 1839 have undergone 
many changes, and always for the better, keeping pace with the most 
enlightened and advanced theories of the most experienced educators 
of the land. But not until 1875, when the new constitution was adopted, 
did the present admirable system of public instruction go into effect. 

Provisions were made not only for white, but for children of African 
descent, and are a part of the organic law, not subject to the caprices 
of unfriendly legislatures, or the whims of political parties. The Lincoln 
Institute, located at Jefferson City, for the education of colored teachers, 
receives an annual appropriation from the General Assembl)-. . 

For the support of the public schools, in addition to the annual 
incorne derived from the public school fund, which is set apart by law, 
not less than twenty-five per cent, of the state revenue, exclusive of the 
interest and sinking fund, is annually applied to this purpose. 

The officers having in charge the public school interests are the 
State Board of Education, the State Superintendent, County Superin- 
tendent, County Clerk and Treasurer, Board of Directors, City and 
Tov/n School Board and teacher. The State Board of Education is 
composed of the State Superintendent the Governor, Secretary of State 
and the Attorney General, the executive officer of this board being the 
State Superintendent, who is chosen by the people every four years. His 
duties are numerous. He renders decisions concerning the local appli- 
cation of school law; keeps a record of all the school funds and annually 
distributes the same to the counties ; supervises the work of county 
school officers ; delivers lectures ; visits schools ; distributes educational 
information ; grants certificates of higher qualifications and makes an 
annual report to the General Assembly of the condition of the schools. 

The County Superintendents are also elected by the people for two 
years. Their work is to examine teachers, to distribute blanks and 
make reports. County clerks receive estimates from the local directors 
and extend them upon the tax-books. In addition to this they keep the. 
general records of the county and township school funds, and return an 



68 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

annual report of the financial condition of the schools of their county to 
the State Superintendent. School taxes are gathered with other taxes 
by the county collector. The custodian of the school funds belonging to 
the schools of the counties is the county treasurer, except in counties 
adopting the township organization, in which case the township trustee 
discharges these duties. 

Districts organized under the special law for cities and towns are 
governed by a board of six directors, two of whom are selected annually 
on the second Saturday in September, and hold their office for three 
years. 

One director is elected to serve for three years in each school dis- 
trict at the annual meeting. These directors may levy a tax not exceed- 
ing forty per cent, on the one hundred dollars valuation, provided such 
annual rates for school purposes may be increased in districts formed of 
cities and towns, to an amount not to exceed one dollar on the hundred 
dollars valuation ; and in other districts to an amount not to exceed 
sixty-five cents on the one hundred dollars valuation, on the condition 
that a majority of the voters who are ta.x payers, voting at an election 
held to decide the question, vote for said increase. For the purpose of 
erecting public buildings in school districts, the rates of taxation thus 
limited, may be increased when the rate of such increase and the pur- 
pose for which it is intended shall have been submitted to a vote of the 
people, and two-thirds of the qualified voters of such school district vot- 
ing at such election shall vote therefor. 

Local directors may direct the management of the school in respect 
to the choice of teachers and other details, but in the discharge of all 
important business such as the erection of a school house or the exten- 
sion of a term of school beyond the constitutional period, they simply 
execute the will of the people. The clerk of this board may be a 
director. He keeps a record of the names of all the children and youth 
in the district between the ages of five and twenty-one ; records all busi- 
ness proceedings of the district, and reports to the annual meeting, to 
the County Clerk and County Superintendents. 

Teachers must hold a certificate from the State Superintendent or 
County Commissioner of the county where they teach. State certificates 
are granted upon personal written examinations in the common branches, 
together with the natural sciences and higher mathematics. The holder 
of such certificate may teach in any of the public schools of the state 
without further examination. Certificates granted by County Commis- 
sioners are of two classes, with two grades in each class. Those issued 
for a longer term than one year belong to the first class, and are suscep- 
tible of two grades, differing both as to length of time and attainments. 
Those issued for one year may represent two grades, marked by qualifi- 
cation alone. The township school fund arises from a grant -of land by 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 69 

the general government, consisting of section sixteen in each Congres- 
sional township. The annual income of the township fund is appropri- 
ated to the various townships, according to their respective proprietary- 
claims. The support from the permanent funds is supplemented by- 
direct taxation laid upon the taxable property of each district. The 
greatest limit of taxation for the current expenses is one per cent.; the 
tax permitted for school house building cannot exceed the same amount. 

Among the institutions of learning, and ranking, perhaps, the first 
in importance, is the State University, located at Columbia, Boone 
County. When the state was admitted into the Union, Congress granted 
to it one entire township of land (46,080 acres) for the support of a 
" Seminary of Learning." The lands secured for this purpose are among 
the best and most valuable in the state. These lands were put upon 
the market in 1832 and brought $75,000, which amount was invested in the 
stock of the old Bank of the State of Missouri, where it remained and 
increased by accumulation to the sum of $100,000. In 1839, by an act 
of the General Assembly, five commissioners were appointed to select a 
site for the State University, the site to contain at least fifty acres of 
land in a compact form, within two miles of the county seat of Cole, 
Coopec, Howard, Boone, Callaway or Saline. Bids were let among the" 
counties named, and the county of Boone having subscribed the sum of 
$117,921, some $18,000 more than any other county, the State Univer- 
sity was located in that county, and on the 4th of July, 1840, the corner- 
stone was laid with imposing ceremonies. 

The present annual income of the university is nearly $65,000. 
There are still unsold about 200,000 acres of land from the grant of 
1862. The donations to the institutions connected therewith amount to 
nearly $400,000. This uni\ersity, with its different departments, is 
opened to both male and female, and both sexes enjoy alike its 
rights and privileges. Among the professional schools, which form a 
part of the university, are the Normal, or College of Instruction in 
Teaching ; the Agricultural and Mechanical College ; the School of 
Mines and Metallurgy ; the College of Law ; the Medical College, and 
Department of Analytical and Applied Chemistry. Other departments 
are contemplated and will be added as necessity requires. 

The following will show the names and locations of the schools and 
institutions of the state as reported by the Commissioner of Education 
in 1875. 

UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. 

Christian University Canton, 

St. Vincent's College Cape Girardeau. 

University of Missouri Columbia. 

Central College Fayette. 



70 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

Westminster College Fulton. 

Lewis College Glasgow. 

Pritchett School Institute Glasgow. 

Lincoln College Greenwood. 

Hannibal College Hannibal. 

Woodland College Independence. 

Thayer College Kidder. 

LaGrange College , LaGrange. 

William Jewell College Liberty. 

Baptist College Louisiana. 

St. Joseph College St. Josoph. 

College of Christian Brothers St. Louis. 

St. Louis University St. Louis. 

Washington University St. Louis. 

Drury College Springfield. 

Central Wesleyan College Warrenton. 

FOR SUPERIOR INSTRUCTION OF WOMEN. 

St. Joseph Female Seminary St. Joseph. 

Christian College Columbia. 

Stephens' College Columbia. 

Howard College : . .' Fayette. 

Independence Female College Independence. 

Central Female College Lexington. 

Clay Seminary Liberty. 

Ingleside Female College Palmyra. 

Linden Wood College for Young Ladies St. Charles. 

Mary Institute (Washington University) St. Louis. 

St. Louis Seminary St. Louis. 

Ursuline Academy St. Louis. 

FOR SECONDARY INSTRUCTION. 

Arcadia College Arcadia. 

St. Vincent's Academy Cape Girardeau. 

Chillicothe Academy Chillicothe. 

Grand River College Edinburgh. 

Marionville College Institute Marionville. 

Palmyra Seminary Palmyra. 

St. Paul's College Palmyra. 

Van Rensselaer Academy Rensselaer. 

Shelby High School Shelbyville. 

Stewartsville Male and Female Seminary Stewartsville. 

SCHOOLS OF SCIENCE.. 

Mo. Agricultural and Mechanical College (University of Mo.) .Columbia. 

Schools of Mines and Metallurgy (Universy of Missouri) Rolla. 

Polytechnic Institute (Washington University) St. Louis. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. /I 

SCHOOLS OF THEOLOGY. 

St. Vincent's College (Theological Department) Cape Girardeau. 

Westminster College (Theological School) Fulton. 

Vardeman School of Theology (William Jewell College) Liberty. 

Concordia College St. Louis. 

SCHOOLS OF LAW. 

Law School of the University of Missouri Columbia. 

Law School of the Washington University St. Louis. 

SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE. 

Medical College, LTniversity of Missouri Columbia 

College of Physicians and Surgeons St. Joseph 

Kansas City College of Physicians and Surgeons Kansas City 

Hospital Medical College St. Joseph 

Missouri Medical College St. Louis 

Northwestern Medical College St. Joseph 

St. Louis Medical College St. Louis. 

Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri St. Louis 

Mo. School of Midwifery and Diseases of Women and Children, St. Louis 

Missouri Central College St. Louis 

St. Louis College of Pharmacy St. Louis. 

LARGEST PUBLIC LIBRARIES. 

NAME " LOCATION. VOLUMES. 

St. Vincent's College Cape Girardeau .... 5,500 

Southeast Missouri State Normal School Cape Girardeau. 1,225 

University of Missouri Columbia 10,000 

Athenian Society Columbia • . 1,200 

Union Literary Society Columbia 1.200 

Law College Columbia 1,000 

Westminster College Fulton 5,ooo 

Lewis College Glasgow 3.000 

Mercantile Library Hannibal 2,219 

Library Association Independence 1,100 

Fruitland Normal Institute Jackson i.ooo 

State Library Jefferson City 13,000 

Fetterman's Circulating Library Kansas City 1.300 

Law Library Kansas City 3,ooo 

Whittemore's Circulating Library Kansas City 1,000 

North Missouri State Normal School Kirksville 1,050 

William Jewell College Liberty 4.000 

St. Paul's College Palmyra 2,000 

Missouri Schools of Mines and Metallurgy. . .Rolla 2,47« 

St. Charles Catholic Library St. Charles 1.710 

Carl Fuelling's Library St. Joseph 6,000 

Law Library St. Joseph 2,000 

Public School Library St. Joseph 2,500 



72 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

WooKvorth & Colt's Circulating Library St. Joseph 4,000 

Academy of Science St. Louis 2,744 

Academy of Visitation St. Louis 4,000 

College of the Christian Brothers St. Louis 22,000 

Deutsche Institute St. Louis i,000 

German Evang. Lutheran, Concordia College . . St. Louis 4,800 

Law Library Association St. Louis 8,000 

Missouri Medical College St. Louis 1,000 

Mrs. Cuthbert's Seminary (Young Ladies). . .St. Louis 1,500 

Odd Fellows Library St. Louis 4,000 

Public School Library St. Louis 40,097 

St. Louis Medical College St. Louis 1,100 

St. Louis Mercantile Library St. Louis 45,000 

St. Louis Seminary St. Louis 2,000 

St. Louis Turn Verein St. Louis 2,000 

St. Louis University St. Louis 17,000 

St. Louis University Libraries St. Louis 8,000 

Ursuline Academy St. Louis 2,000 

Washington University St. Louis 4.500 

St. Louis Law School St. Louis 3,000 

Young Men's Sodality St. Louis 1.327 

Library Association ; . . . . Sedalia i ,500 

Public School Library Sedalia 1,015 

Drury College Springfield 2,000 



IN i; 
Newspapers and periodicals 48 1 

CHARITIES. 

State Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Fulton. 

St. Bridget's Institution for Deaf and Dumb St. Louis. 

Institution for the Education of the Blind St. Louis. 

State Asylum for Insane Fulton. 

State Asylum for the Insane St. Joseph. 

NORMAL SCHOOLS. 



Normal Institute , . ;. . . Bolivar. 

Southeast Missouri State Normal School Cape Girardeau. 

Normal School (University of Missouri) Columbia. 

Fruitland Normal Institute. . Jackson. 

Lincoln Institute (for colored) Jefferson City. 

City Normal School St. Louis. 

Missouri State Normal School Warrensburg. 

IN 1878. 

Estimated value of school property •. $[,321,399 

Total receipts for public schools 4,207,617 

Total expenditures . . . 2,406,139 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 73 

NUMBER OF TEACHERS. 

Male teachers, 6,239 ; average monthly pay $36.36 

Female teachers, 5,060 ; average monthly pay 21.09 

« 

NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS. 

The fact that Missouri supports and maintains foir hundred and 
seventy-one newspapers and periodicals shows that her inhabitants are 
not only a reading and reflecting people, but that they appreciate "The 
Press," and its wonderful influence as an educator. The poet has well 

said : 

But mightiest of the m'ghty means, 
On which the arm of progress leans, 
Man's noblest mission to advance. 
His woes assuage, his weal enhance. 
His rights enforce, his wrongs redress — 
Mightiest of mighty is the Press. 



CHAPTER XII. 
RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS. 

BAPTIST CHURCH— ITS HISTORY— CONGREGATIONAL— WHEN FOUNDED— ITS HISTORY— 
CHRISTIAN CHURCH-irS HISTORY— CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-U'S 
HISTOXY— METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH - ITS HISTORY - PRESBY FERIAN 
CHURCH-ITS HISTORY-PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH-ITS HISTORY-UNITED 
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH— ITS HISTORY— UNITARIAN CHURCH-ITS HISTORY— RO- 
MAN CATHOLIC CHURCH-ITS HISTORY. 

The first representatives of religious thought and training who pene- 
trated the Missouri and Mississippi Valleys were Pere Marquette, La Salle, 
and others of Catholic persuasion, who performed missionary labor among 
the Indians. A century afterward came the Protestants. At that early 
period 

*'.\ church in every grove that spread 
Its living roof above their heads," 

constituted for a time, their only house of worship, and yet to them 

" No temple built with hands could vie 
In glory with its majesty." 

In the course of time the seeds of Protestantism were scattered along 
the shores of the two great rivers which form the eastern and western 
boundaries of the state, and still a little later they were sown upon her 
hillsides and broad prairies, where they have since bloomed and blos- 
somed as the rose. 



74 HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

BAPTIST CHURCH. 

The earliest anti-Catholic religious denomination of which there is 
any record, was organized- in Cape Girardeau County in 1806, through 
the efforts of Rev. David Green, a Baptist, and a natixe of Virginia. In 
1 8 16 the first association of Missouri Baptists was formed, which was 
composed of seven churches, all of which were located in the southeast- 
ern part of the state. In 1817 a second association of churches was 
formed, called the Missouri Association, the name being afterwards 
changed to St. Louis Association. 1834 a general convention of all the 
churches of this denomination was held in Howard County, for the pur- 
pose of effecting a central organization, at which time was commenced 
what is now known as the "General Association of Missouri Baptists." 

To this body is committed the state mission work, denominational 
education, foreign missions and the circulation of religious literature. 
The Baptist Church has under its control a number of schools and col- 
leges, the most important of which is William Jewell College, located at 
Liberty, Clay County. As shown by the annual report for 1875, there 
were in Missouri at that date, sixty-one associations, one thousand four 
hundred churches, eight hundred and twenty-four ministers and eighty- 
nine thousand six hundred and fifty church members. 

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

The Congregationalists inaugurated their missionary labors in the 
state in 18 14. Rev. Samuel J. Mills, of Torringford, Connecticut, and 
Rev. Daniel Smith, of Bennington, Vermont, were sent west by the Mas- 
sachusetts Congregational Home Missionary Society during that }'ear, 
and in November, 18 14, they preached the first regular Protestant ser- 
mons in St. Louis. Rev. Salmon Giddings, sent out under the auspices 
of the Connecticut Congregational Missionary Society, organized the 
first Protestant church in the cit}-. consisting, of ten members, constituted 
Presbyterian. The churches organized by Mr. Giddings were all Presby- 
terian in their order. 

No exclusively Congregational church was founded until 5852, when 
the First Trinitarian Congregational Church of St. Louis was organized. 
The next church of this denomination was organized at Hannibal, in 
1 559. Then followed a Welsh church in New Cambria, in 1864. and 
after the close of the war fifteen churches of the same order were formed 
in different parts of the state. In 1866 Pilgrim Church, St. Louis was 
organized. The General Conference of Churches of Missouri was formed 
in 1865, which was changed in 1868 to General Association. In 1866 
Hannibal, Kidder and St. Louis District Associations were formed, and 
following these were the Kansas Cit\- and Springfield District Associa- 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 75 

tions. This denomination in 1875 had 70 churches, 41 ministers, 3,363 
church members, and had also several schools and colleges and one 
monthly newspaper. 

CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

The earliest churches of this denomination were organized in Cal- 
laway, Boone and Howard Counties, some time previously to 1829. The 
first church was formed in St. Louis in 1836, by Elder R. B. Fife. The 
first state Sunday school convention of the Christian Church was held 
in Mexico, in 1876. Besides a number of private institutions this 
denomination has three state institutions, all of which have an able corps 
' of professors and have a good attendance of pupils. It has one religious 
paper published in St. Louis, The Christian, which is a weekl}' publica- 
tion and well patronized. The membership of this church now numbers 
nearly one hundred thousand in the state and is increasing rapidly. It 
has more than five hundred organized churches, the greater portion of 
which are north of the Missouri River. 

CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

In the spring of 1820 the first Presbytery of this denomination west 
'of the Mississippi, was organized in Pike County. This Presbytery 
included all the territory of Missouri, Western Illinois and Arkansas, 
and numbered only four ministers, two of whom resided at the time in 
Missouri. There are now in the state twelve Presbyteries, three Synods, 
nearly three hundred ministers and over twenty thousand members. 
The Board of Missions is located at St. Louis. They have a number of 
High Schools and two monthly papers published at St. Louis. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

In 1806, Rev. John Travis, a young Methodist minister, was sent out 
to the Western Conference, which then embraced the Mississippi Valley, 
from Green County, Tennessee. During that year Mr. Travis organized 
a number of small churches. At the close of his conference year he 
reported the result of his labors to the Western Conference, which was 
held at Chillicothe, Ohio, in 1807, and showed an aggregate of one hun- 
•dred and six members and two circuits, one called Missouri and the 
other Meramec. In 1808 two circuits had been formed, and at each suc- 
ceeding year tbe number of circuits and members constantl)' increased, 
until 18 12, when what was called the Western Conference was divided 
into the Oliio and Tennessee Conferences. Missouri falling into the Ten- 
nessee Conference. In 18 16 there was another division when the Mis- 
Siouri Annual Conference was formed. In 18 10 there were four traveling 



•J^ HISTORY OF MISSOURI. 

preachers, and in 1820 fifteen traveling preachers, with over two thousand 
members. In 1836 the territory of the Missouri Conference was again 
divided when the Missouri Conference included only the state. In 1840 
there were seventy-two traveling preachers, 177 local ministers and 13,992 
church members. Between 1840 and 1850 the church was divided by the 
organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1850 the 
membership of the M. E. Church was over 25,000, and during the succeed- 
ing ten years the church prospered rapidly. In 1875 the M. E. Church 
reported 274 church edifices and 34,156 members; the M. E. Church 
South reported 443 church edifices and 49,588 members. This denom- 
ination has under its control several schools and colleges and two weekly 
newspapers. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The Presbyterian church dates the beginning of their missionary 
efforts in the state as far back as 18 14, but the first Presbyterian Church 
was not organized until 18 16, at Bellevue settlement, eight miles from 
St. Louis. The next churches were formed in 18 16 and 18 17, at Bon- 
homme. Pike County. The first Presbyterian Church was organized in 
St. Louis in 18 17, by Rev. Salmon Gidding. The first Presbytery was 
organized 1817, by the Synod of Tennessee, with four ministers and four 
churches. The first Presbyterian house of worship (which was the first 
Protestant) was commenced in 18 19 and completed in 1826. In 1820 a 
mission was formed among the Osage Indians. In 1831, the Presbytery 
was divided into three : Missouri, St. Louis and St. Charles. These 
were erected with a synod, comprising eighteen ministers and twent)-- 
three churches. 

The church was divided in 1838, throughout the United States. In 
i860 the rolls of the Old and New School Synods together showed 109 
ministers and 146 churches. In 1866 the Old School Synod was divided 
on political questions springing out of the war — a part forming the Old 
School or Independent Synod of Missouri, who are connected with the 
General Assembly South. In' 1870 the Old and New School Presbyterians 
united, since which time this Synod has steadily increased until it now 
numbers more than 12,000 members, with more than 220 churches and 
150 ministers. 

This Synod is composed of six Presbyteries and has under its con- 
trol one or two institutions of learning and one or two newspapers. 
That part of the original Synod which withdrew from the General 
Assembly remained an independent body until 1874, when it united with 
the Southern Presbyterian Church. The Synod in 1875 numbered 80 
ministers, 140 churches and 9,000 members. It has under its control 
several male and female institutions of a high order. The St. Louis 
Presbyterian, weekly paper, is the recognized organ of the Synod. 



HISTORY OF MISSOURI. "JJ 

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

The missionary enterprises of this church began in the state in 
i8i8, when a parish was organized in the city of St. Louis. In 1828 an 
agent of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society visited the city, 
who reported the condition of things so favorably that Rev. Thomas 
Horrell was sent out as a missionary, and in 1825 he began his labors in 
St. Louis. A church edifice was completed in 1830. \x\ 1836 there were 
five clergymen of this denomination in Missouri, who had organized 
congregations in Booneville, Fayette, St. Charles, Hannibal and other 
places. In 1840, the clergy and laity met in convention, a diocese was 
formed, a constitution and canons adopted, and in 1844 a Bishop was 
chosen, he being the Rev. Cicero S. Hawks. 

Through the efforts of Bishop Kemper, Kemper College was founded 
near St. Louis, but was afterward given up on account of pecuniary 
troubles. In 1847, the Clark Mission began and in 1849 the Orphans 
Home, a charitable institution was founded. In 1865, St. Luke's Hospital 
was established. In 1875, there were in the city of St. Louis, twelve 
parishes artti missions and twelve clergymen. This denomination has 
several schools and colleges and one newspaper. 

UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

This denomination is made up of the members of the Associate and 
Associate Reformed churches of the Northern states, which two bodies 
united in 1858, taking the name of United Presbyterian Church of North 
America. Its members were generally bitterly opposed to the institu- 
tion of slavery. The first congregation was organized at Warrensburg, 
Johnson County, in 1867. It rapidly increased in numbers and had, in 
1875, ten ministers and five hundred members. 

UNITARIAN CHURCH. 

This church was formed in 1834, by Rev. W. G. Eliot, in St. Louis. 
The churches are few in number throughout the state, the membership 
being probably less than 300, all told. It has a mission house and free 
school, for poor children, supported by donations. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The earliest written record of the Catholic Church in Missouri 
shows that Father VVatrin performed ministerial services in Ste. Gene- 
vieve in 1760, and in St. Louis in 1766. In 1770 Father Meurin erected 
a small log church in St. Louis. In 1818 there were in the state four 
chapels, and for Upper Louisiana, seven priests. A college and semin- 



78 HISTORY OF MI^ SOURI. 

ary were opened in Perry County about this period for the education of 
the young, being the first college west of the Mississippi river. In 1824 
a college was opened in St. Louis, which is now known as the St. Louis 
University., In 1826, Father Rosatti was appointed Bishop of St. Louis,, 
and, through his instrumentality, the Sisters of Charity, Sisters of St. 
Joseph and of the Visitation were founded, besides other benevolent 
and charitable institutions. In 1834 he completed the present Cathedral 
Church. Churches were built in different portions of the state. In 1847 
St. Louis was created an arch-diocese, with Bishop Kenrick, Arch- 
bishop. 

In Kansas City there are five parish churches, a hospital, a convent 
and several parish schools. In 1868 tlie northwestern portion of the 
state was erected into a separate diocese, with its seat at St. Joseph, and 
Right-Reverend John J. Hogan appointed Bishop. There were, in 1875^ 
in the city of St. Louis, 34 churches, 27 schools, 5 hospitals, 3 colleges,. 
7 orphan asylums and 3 female protectorates. There were also 105 
priests, 7 male and 13 female orders, and 20 conferences of St. Vincent 
de Paul, numbering 1,100 members. In the diocese, outside ©f St. Louis,., 
there is a college, a male protectorate, 9 convents, about 120 priests, 150 
churches and 30 stations. In the diocese of St. Joseph there were, in 
1875,21 priests, 29 churches, 24 stations, i college, i monastery, 5 con- 
vents and 14 parish schools. 

THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS. 

Instruction preparatory to ministerial work is given in connection 
with collegiate study, or in special theological courses, at : 

Central College, (M. E. South) Fayette 

Central Wesleyan College (M. E. Church) Warrenton 

Christian University (Christian) Canton 

Concordia College Seminary (Evangelical Lutheran) St. Louis 

Lewis College (M. E. Church) Glasgow 

St. Vincent's College (Roman Catholic) Cape Girardeau 

Vardeman School of Theology (Baptist) Liberty 

The last is connected with William Jewell College. 



History of Buchanan County. 



CHAPTER I. 

PREFATORY. 

THE COUNTY, ITS LOCAT ION AND NAME— PLAN AND SCOPE OF THIS WORK. 

Over two score years have passed since the first white settlement 
was made within the bounds of that territory now known as Buchanan 
County, Missouri. 

A little more than half a century since, the uncivilized aborigines 
roamed the prairies wild and free, unfettered by the restraint of com- 
mon or statutory law, and uncircumscribed by township boundaries and 
county lines. The transformation which has taken place in the physiog- 
nomy of the country alone is beyond the comprehension of the finite 
mind ; luxuriant groves where there was the wide stretching prairie ; 
cultivated fields where was the primeval forest ; orchards, vineyards and 
gardens where waved the tall prairie grass. So marked has been the 
change in the physiognomy of the country that there has been a decided 
change in the climatology. The elements themselves seem to have 
taken notice of the great change and have governed themselves accord- 
ingly. While the annual rainfall and the mean annual temperature 
remain the same in quantity, they are now entirely different in quality, 
and although imperceptible and independent of man's will, they have 
nevertheless come under the same civilizing power which has changed 
the wilderness into a fruitful land. 

The great change which has taken place in the development of the 
material resources of the country is more noticeable, as man can more 
readily discern the changes which take place by detail in his own cir- 



80 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Giimscribed field of activity than he can those grand revolutions in the 
boundless domain of nature. The changes which have occurred in 
social, intellectual and moral conditions are still more marked, mind 
being more swift to act on mind than on matter. 

These changes can best be estimated by the institution of a brief 
contrast : 

Then the material resources of the country consisted simply in the 
streams of water which quenched the thirst of the aborigine, wherein 
was found the fish which he ate, and upon w^hich floated his frail canoe ; 
the forest where he procured his fuel, material for the construction of his 
rude weapons, and which sheltered the game which afforded him a 
meagre and uncertain sustenance. Such were the material resources 
made available to the owner of the soil. The social condition of the 
people was scarcely more advanced than is that of certain orders of the 
lower animals, whose social attainments are comprehended in the ability 
to unite for mutual offense or defense. In intellect and morals, there 
was a people somewhat above the brute, but on the lowest round of 
the ladder. 

Now the material resources of the country include in their number 
the soil, with every useful and ornamental product known to the temper- 
ate zone ; the forest wuth every species of manufacture, useful and orna- 
mental, known to the civilized world. The water in the streams, and 
the currents of air above us, are alike trained to do man's bidding, while 
from the depths of the earth beneath our feet is brought forth the hidden 
wealth, which was hoarded by the turmoil of ages. A city with its tens 
of thousands of people, a country' with its thousands of inhabitants, 
while in city and country the lofty spires of churches and school houses 
are evidences of the social, moral and intellectual conditions. 

All this change in material things has been brought about by the 
incoming of a new people from the far off East and South, and that, too, 
within the space of half a century. History furnishes no parallel to 
the rapid development of this western country ; it has been a chain 
whose links were ever recurring surprises, and among the astonshed, there 
are none more so, than those whose throbbing brains ha\e planned, and 
whose busy hands have executed the work. 

Almost a century ago, a friend of America, although an Englishman, 
in language almost prophetic, wrote : 

" Westward the course of empire takes its way, 
The four first acts &lready past. 
The fifth shall close the drama of the day ; 
Time's noblest offering is the last." 

The settlement of the new world, alluded to b)- the writer, has, as a 
whole, fully met the conditions of that prophecy, but not till the past 
half a century, did the onward march of empire culminate in the settle- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 8 1 

ment of Northwest Missouri. With the exception of a few mining towns 
in the gold regions of California and the silver districts of Colorado, 
nothing has been like it before, and it will not be exceeded in time to 
come. 

This has not been an accident. All kinds of material development 
follow recognized and well-established laws, and in nothing does this 
fact more reveal itself than in the settlement of a country. 

Whoever has made it his business to study the " Great Northwest,'' 
as it has unfolded itself in history during the last quarter of a century, 
has doubtless met with ever returning wonders. The story of its 
unparalleled growth, and almost phenomenal development, has so often 
been repeated that it has become a common place platitude ; but a careful 
■study of the country will suggest questions, which have thus far not been 
.answered, and cannot be. Why, for instance, have some sections filled 
up so rapidly, and certain cities spring up as if by magic, while others 
seemingly no less favored by nature, are still in the first stages of devel- 
opment .•* These question cannot in all cases be answered ; but whoever 
has studied the matter carefully cannot fail to have discovered a law of 
growth, which is as unvarying as any law of nature. 

The two leading factors in the problem of municipal growth are 
location and character of first settlers. The location of Buchanan 
County was most favorable, and what is true of Buchanan County is true 
■of the whole state. Almost surrounded, as it is, by two of the most 
renowned water-courses of the world, one will readily see that it pos- 
sessed advantages enjoyed by no other state in the Union. These con- 
ditions, so favorable to the past and future development of the country, 
.are beautifully illustrated by an ingenious little poem entitled "Two 
Ancient Misses," written by a gentleman who has won a widespread 
reputation at the bar. We here quote it, as it well illustrates our point, 
and is of aufficiejit merit to be preserved : 

TWO ANCIENT MISSES. 

I know two ancient misses 

Who ever onward go, 
From a cold and rigid northern clime, 
Through a land of wheat, and corn and wine, 
To the southern sea where the fig and the lime 

And the golden orange grow. 

In graceful curves they wind about. 
Upon their long and lonely route, 

Among the beauteous hills; 
They never cease their onward step, 
Though day and night they're dripping wet, 
And oft with the sleet and snow beset, 

And sometimes with the chills. 



82 HISTORY OF BUCHA'NAN COUNTY. 

The one is a romping, dark brunette, 
As fickle and gay as any coquette ; 
She glides along by the western plains, 
And changes her bed every time it rains ; 
Witching as any dark-eyed houri, 
This romping, wild brunette, Missouri, 

The other is placid, mild and fair, 
With a gentle, sylph-like, quiet air, 
And a voice as sweet as a soft guitar; 
She moves along the meadows and parks 
Where naiads play ^^lolian harps — 
Nor ever go by fits and starts — 
No fickle coquette of the city, 
But gentle, constant Mississippi. 

I love the wild and dark brunette 

Because she is a gay coquette ; 

Her, too, I love, of quiet air. 

Because she's gentle, true and fair; 

The land of my birth, on the east and the west. 

Embraced by these is doubly blest — 

'Tis hard to tell which I love best. 

In entering upon the work before us, we have not underestimated 
the difificulty and importance of the task. Tlie chief diffrculty lies in 
the fact that the events to be treated, while they have to do with the 
past, are so intimately interwoven with the present that they are 
properly a part of it. The writer of history, as a general thing, deals 
wholly with the affairs of past generations, and his aim is to pause when 
he arrives at that realm bounded by the memory of men now living. 
The whole field of our investigation lies this side of that boundary line, 
as there are many who will doubtless peruse this work who from the 
first have witnessed and taken part in the events we shall attempt to 
relate. 

While there are a few who came to Buchanan County as early as 1836,. 
its permanent settlement did not properly begin until 1837-8. Assum- 
ing 1837, to be the beginning of the history proper, there have 
elapsed but forty-four years, and many who came at that time, or shorth- 
afterward, still live in our midst. And such, while they have grown 
prematurely old in body by reason of the hardships and privations inci- 
dent upon a life of more than ordinary activity and trial have not grown 
old in spirit. Each one of such knows the history of the county, and be it 
said, with due reverence Jbr their hoary heads and bended forms, each 
one knows the history better than anyone else. Such readers are ver}- 
uncharitable critics ; and a work of this kind,, absolutely accurate in all 
its details and particulars, were it witliin the scope of human possibilit)- 
to make such a work, would undoubtedly be pronounced by many well- 
meaning and honest persons, faulty and untrustwortliy. This results 



HISTORY 'OF BUCHANAN COUNTY.. . 8 J, 

from the fact that forty-three years, though not a long period in the his- 
tory of the world, is a long time in the life of an individual. Events 
occurring at that length of time in the past, we think we know perfectly 
well, when the fact is we know them very imperfectly. This is proved 
and illustrated by the reluctancy and hesitation manifested invariably by 
old settlers, when called upon, to give the details of some early transac- 
tion ; the old settler usually hesitates before giving a date, and after 
having finally settled down upon the year and the month, when a certain 
event occurred, will probably hunt you up, in less than a day, and 
request the privilege of correcting the date. In the meantime, you have 
found another old settler, who was an eye witness of the act in question, 
and the date he will give you does not correspond with the first date,, 
nor the corrected date as given by the first old settler. There are some 
marked exceptions, but as a rule the memory of the old settler is not 
trustworthy ; his ideas of the general outlines are usually comparatively 
correct, but no one who has the grace to put the proper estimate upon 
his mental faculties when impaired by age and weakened by the many 
infirmities of years will trust it to the arbitrament of questions of parti- 
culars and details. 

The stranger who comes into the county with none of the informa- 
tion which those possess who have resided here for years, works at a great 
disadvantage in many respects. He does not at first know whom to- 
interview, or where to find the custodians of important records. How- 
ever, he possesses one great advantage which more than makes up for 
this : he enters upon his work with an unbiased mind ; he has no friends 
to reward, and no enemies to punish ; his mind is not preoccupied and 
prejudged by reports which may have incidentally come into his posses- 
sion while transacting the ordinary affairs of business ; and when in addi- 
tion to this, he is a person whose business it is to collect statements and 
weigh facts of history, he is much better qualified for the task, and to dis- 
criminate between statements, seemingly of equal weight, than those- 
who either immediately or remotely are interested parties and whose 
regular employment lies in other fields of industry. This is true, even, 
though the former be a total stranger and the latter have become familiar 
with men and things by many years of intercourse and acquaintanceship.. 
He is best judge and best juror who is totally unacquainted with both 
plaintiff and defendant, and he is best qualified to arbitrate between con- 
flicting facts of history who comes to the task without that bias which is 
the price one must pay for acquaintanceship and familiarity. The best 
history of France was written by an Englishman, and the most authentic 
account of American institutions was written by a Frenchman, and it 
remained for an American to write the only authentic history of the 
Dutch Republic. 



'84 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The American people are much given to reading, but the character 
of the matter read is such, that, with regard to a large proportion of them, 
it ma)- truthfully be said that "truth is stranger than fiction." Espe- 
cially is this the case in respect to those facts of local history belonging 
to their own immediate count}' and neighborhood. This is, perhaps, not 
so much the fault of the people as a neglect on the part of the book pub- 
lishers. Books, as a rule, are made to sell, and in order that a book may 
have a large sale its matter must be of such a general character as to be 
applicable to general rather than special conditions — to the nation and 
state rather than to county and township. Thus it is that no histories 
heretofore published pertain to matters relating to county and neighbor- 
hood affairs, for such books, in order to have a sale over a large section 
•of country, must necessarily be very voluminous and contain much matter 
of no interest to the reader. After having given a synopsis of the history 
of the state, which is as brief as could well be, we shall then enter upon 
the history of the county. The physical features of the county and its geol- 
<ogy, will first engage our attention ; then the Platte Purchase and treaty 
with the lowas. Sacs and Fox Indians ; then the act under which the 
•counties of Platte and Buchanan were organized ; the location of first 
county seat ; then we shall give something of the history of the Platte 
•country, and the incidents which led to its annexation to th© state ; 
then speak of the first settlers, treating of them as accurately, definitel}' 
and fully as warranted by the facts at our disposal, giYing the date 
when each one came to the county, from what state or country, and 
where now located, if still living. Pioneer times will then be described, 
and incidents related showing the trials and triumphs of the pioneer 
settler. Then count)- organization, courts and first records, removal of 
county seat, the early Vjench and bar, Mexican war, (3regon expedition, 
California emigrants, old settlers' reunions, etc. A history of St. Joseph 
from date of earlies| settlement, its growth and prosperity, manufac- 
tures, newspapers, schools, churches, railroads, public buildings, enter- 
prises, citizens, etc. We shall give a biographical directory, the value 
of which will increase with \cars, and conclude with a chapter of facts 
and miscellaneous matter. 

The compiler of a history of a county has a task which ma)- seem to 
be comparatively easy, and the facts which come within the legiti- 
mate scope of the work may appear commonplace when compared with 
national events ; the narration of the peaceful events attending the con- 
quests of industr)- as 

" Westward the course of empire takes its way " 

may seem tame when compared with accounts of battles and sieges. 
Nevertheless, the faithful gathering, and the truthful narration of facts 
bearing upon the earl)- settlement of this county, and the dangers, hard- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. / 85: 

ships and privations encountered by the early pioneers, engaged in> 
advancing the standards of civilization is a work of no small magii'itude, 
and the facts thus narrated are such as may challenge the admiration 
and arouse the sympathy of the reader, though they have nothing to do' 
with the feats of arms. 

THE NAME. 

It has been intimjited by one that there is nothing in a name, but a 
name sometimes means a great deal. In this case it indicates, in a 
measure, the character of the people who settled the county, and have- 
given to it its distinctive characteristics. Names are sometimes given 
to towns and countries by accident ; sometimes they originate in the 
childish caprice of some one individual, whose dictate, by reason of 
some real or imaginary superiority, is law. However, in this instance 
the county and its chief city did not receive a name by accident ; neither 
did they originate in the vagaries of one man, but the christening took 
place after mature deliberation and by general consent. 

During the period when the "Platte Purchase" was made, and divided 
into counties, the man after whom the county was named, had, at that 
time, not only distinguished himself in the council chambers of the 
nation, as one of the leaders of the two great parties which were then 
struggling for the mastery, but had won a more extensive and enduring 
fame in a foreign field. 

The Russian government had, theretofore, refused all intercourse of 
a commercial character with the United States. The effort had been 
repeatedly made on the part of our government, through its foreign min- 
isters, but all attempts had been futile, until James Buchanan was 
appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to St. 
Petersburg. 

By his adroitness and talents, the commercial intercourse and' 
friendly relations between the two nations were successfully and perma- 
nently established. His services in that behalf were so signally merito- 
rious that he grew in favor and popularity with his countrymen, until in 
1856, he was elected President of the United States, by one of the largest 
popular majorities ever received by any man for that place. At the 
time, therefore, of Mr. Buchanan's rising fame, when his name was being 
mentioned with admiration by all, the small area of territory now known 
as Buchanan County was then christened. Whether or not the polic}- of 
naming counties after illustrious politicians and famous generals be a 
good one, it has, nevertheless, been followed to a greater or less extent 
in the various states throughout the Union, and in none more so than in 
Missouri, as is illustrated by the following named counties : Atchison,, 
Barton, Bates, Benton, Cla\', Clark, Clinton, Dallas, Lewis, Pike, Polk,, 



66 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Tanty, Randolph. Washington, Webster and many others, but in no 
case was the selection of a name more appropriate than that of Buchanan 
County. 

A brief sketch of the man whose name the county bears, will be in 
place here : 

He was born in Franklin County, Penns)-lvania, April 13, 1791. His 
father was an Irishman, who had eight years before emigrated from 
Donegal, and was a farmer. James Buchanan completed his education 
at Dickinson College, Carlisle, graduating in 1809. Studied law and 
•was admitted to the bar in 18 12, and located at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 
In 18 1 2 he joined a party of volunteers who, under command of Judge 
Shippen, marched to the defense of Baltimore, against the British. In 
1814 he was elected to the State Legislature, and was re-elected the fol- 
lowing year, and in 1820 became a Member of Congress. While in Con- 
gress he uttered grave warnings against alliances with Mexico and the 
South American Republics. In 1828 he supported General Jackson for 
President, and was at the same time re-elected to Congress. During 
the following year he succeeded Daniel Webster as the head of the 
Judiciary Committee, and in tliat capacity he conducted the trial and 
impeachment of Judge Peclv. He retired from Congress in 1831, and in 
1832 was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary 
to St. Petersburg. His mission was marked by the treaty of commerce 
between the United States and Russia. Returning home, he was elected 
to the United States Senate, and retained his seat till 1845. In the 
struggle between Calhoun and Jackson, he strongly defended Jackson. 
He advocated the independence of Texas, and also her annexation. He 
supported the establishment of an independent treasury. In 1845 was 
Secretary of State under President Polk, and during President Pierce's 
administration was Minister at Great Britain. He was the originator of 
the Ostend Conference, and one of its three members. In that confer- 
ence he advocated the seizure of Cuba. 

Was elected President of tTie United States in 1856, and thereafter 
led a retired life, until his death, which occurred in 1868. 

Thus much liave we deemed proper to be said with regard to the 
person for wliom the county was named. So much ever)- boy or girl, 
whose home is within the bounds of the county, should know, and less 
than that certainl}- would be unsatisfactory to one, whose mind has ever 
hccn led to the in\estigation of the county's historj^ 



CHAPTER IL 

PHYSICAL FEATURES, 



LOCATION— BOUNDARY-CIVIL AND CONGRESSIONAL TOWNSHIPS— SURFACE -RIVERS- 
LAKES-TIMBKR— ITS IMPORTANCE TO EARLY SETTLERS-CLIMATE— RAINFALL- 
HEALTH— SOIL— PRAIRIE— WASTE LAND. 



Buchanan County is situated near the northwestern portion of the 
state. Its latitude is 39° 47' north, and longitude 94" 55' west. It is 
near the same parallel of Philadelphia, Columbus. Indianapolis, Spring- 
field, Denver and San Francisco. It is about the same meridian as Lake 
Itasca and Galveston. 

It is bounded on the north by Andrew County, east by DeKalb and 
Clinton, south by Platte, and west by the Missouri River, and contains 
272,329 acres, or about four hundred square miles. Missouri is divided 
into one hundred and fourteen counties, Buchanan being the smallest 
in area, excepting Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, DeKalb, Dunklin, Grundy, 
Hickory, Mississippi. Moniteau, New Madrid, Platte, Schuyler. Scott, 
Warren and Worth. Texas is the largest county, containing 700,000 
acres, and Dunklin is the smallest, having an area of 1 10,799 acres. 

Buchanan County is at an altitude of about one thousand feet above 
the level of the sea, and is about four hundred feet above Chicago and 
nearly six hundred feet above St. Louis. The highest point in the county 
is Reservoir Hill 310 feet, two and a half miles north of St. Joseph. 

The county is divided into twelve civil townships, three full con- 
gressional townships, and nine fractional congressional townships. The 
civil townships are as follows : Platte, Jackson. Crawford, Bloomington, 
Rush, Wayne, Center, Agency, Tremont, Marion. Washington and Lake. 
Lake being the smallest. 

SURFACE. 

The land in the county, away from the streams, is generally an 
undulating prairie, and has altogether a dixersit}- of countr\- seldom 
found in so small a space. At a varying distance from the larger 
streams rise irregular lines of bluffs, or hills, sometimes wooded, and 
sometimes, previous to improvement, coxered with a luxuriant growth 
of prairie grass., having between them water bottom lands of surprising 
beauty and unsurpassed fertility. These hills are generally a gentle 



•88 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

slope, easily ascended and descended by wagons, and sinking into mere 
benches, moderately lifted above the surface of the valley ; again, some- 
times they rise to a height of over two hundred feet above the bed of 
the Missouri River. From side to side, between these hills, the streams 
meander with banks varied by hill, meadow, and forest. Rising to the 
higher points the eye often commands views of exquisite loveliness, 
embracing the silvery course of river or creek, the waving foliage of 
trees, the changing outlines of hills and the undulating surface of flower- 
decked prairie, with cultivated farms, with farm houses from the log hut 
of the first settler to the brick or painted houses and barns of the more 
advanced cultivator of the soil, and the palatial mansions of the wealthy 
capitalists. 

The county has less land unfitted for cultivation by reason of 
sloughs and marshes than any of the neighboring counties. There is 
probably not a section of country of like extent in the state which pos- 
sesses a better distributed drainage system than Buchanan County. 
There is proportionately such a small area of waste and swamp lands, 
and the facilities for drainage are so admirable, that waste lands arising 
from this cause are too insignificant to be worthy of particular mention. 
The country presented to the first settler an easy task in subduing- 
the wild land. Its natural prairies were fields almost ready for the 
planting of the crop, and its rich black soil seemed to be awaiting the 
opportunity of paying rewards as a tribute to the labor of the hus- 
bandman. The farms of Buchanan County are generally large, level, 
unbroken by impassable sloughs, without stumps or other obstructions, 
and furnish the best of conditions favorable to the use of reaping 
machines, mowers, corn planters, and other kinds of labor-saving 
machinery. 

The Missouri River bottoms are bounded by an irregular line of 
bluffs, varying in altitude from one to three hundred feet in height. 
North of St. Joseph they reach an elevation of one hundred and forty- 
five feet, and southward some of these attain an elevation of from two to 
three hundred feet above the level of the river. 

RIYERS. 

Buchanan County is so well supplied with living streams of A\-ater, 
and they are so well distributed over the county, that the people of the 
county could not possibly make an improvement upon the arrangement 
if they were allowed the privilege and endowed with the power to make 
a readjustment of the system of rivers and creeks. Some of these streams 
have fine mill-sites, and by reason of the water power thus made so 
accessible, the early settler was spared many of the hardships and incon- 
veniences experienced by the pioneers of other sections. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 89 

The Missouri River is the largest stream, and forms the western 
t)Oundary of the county. Wide, level bottoms border the Missouri, a 
great portion of which are still covered with native forests. 

The Blacksnake, Contrary, Lost, and other small streams flow west, 
into the Missouri. The Platte River runs from north to south, nearly 
through the central portion of the county, and receives the One Hun- 
dred and Two River, Bee Creek, and other small streams on the west, 
and the Third Fork of Platte, Castile and Maiden Creeks on the east. 
These streams are clear, and of course never-failing. Springs are abun- 
dant and good, and pure water can be obtained in any part of the county. 

LAKES. 

Besides the many rivers, creeks and springs which supply the best 
of living water for both man and beast, convenient to almost every 
quarter-section of land in the county, there are a number of beautiful 
lakes in the townships bordering on the Missouri River. The principal 
of these is Contrary Lake, five miles southwest of St. Joseph. It is semi- 
circular in shape, six miles in length, half a mile in width, and abounding 
in perch, black bass and other kinds of excellent fish. It is a great place 
of resort for ^he anglers and sportsmen of St. Joseph and surrounding 
country. U[ ^n the shore of this lake have been erected two or three 
hotels for the accommodation of those who frequent it during the sport- 
ing seasons of the year. These hotels are pleasantly located, and are 
supplied with all the comforts and conveniences usually found at such 
places. 

Sugar Lake contains also an abundance of fish. Horseshoe, Muskrat, 
Lost, Singleton, Prairie and Marks' Lakes are all in the county near the 
Missouri. These lakes are prized not only on account of the fish with 
which they teem, but also because of the geese and ducks which gather 
there by tens of thousands during the fall. The fish from these -lakes 
supply the St. Joseph market. 

TIMBER. 

^'Majestic woods of ev'ry vigorous green, 
Stage above stage high waving o'er the hills, 
Or to the far horizon wide diffused, 
A boundless deep immensity of shade." 

The circumstance which more than an)- other favored the earl)' and 
rapid settlement of Buchanan County was the abundance of timber. 
The presence of timber aided materially in bringing about an early set- 
tlement and it aided in two ways: first, the county had to depend on 
immigration from the older settled states of the Union for its popula- 
tion, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. These states 

6 



90 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, 

were originally almost entirely covered with dense forests, and farms 
were made by clearing off certain portions of the timber. Almost ever}- 
farm there, after it became thoroughly improved, still retained a certain 
tract of timber, commonly known as "the woods." The woods is gen- 
erally regarded as the most important part of the farm, and the average 
farmer regarded it as indispensable when he immigrated West. 

The great objection to the country was the scarcity of timber as 
compared to the Eastern States, and he did not suppose that it would 
be possible to open up a farm on the bleak prairie. To live in a region 
devoid of the familiar sight of timber seemed unendurable, and the aver- 
age Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky emigrant could not endure the idea of 
founding a home far away from the familiar sight of forest trees. Then 
again the idea entertained by the early emigrants that timber was a 
necessity, was not simply theoretical and ethical. The early settler had 
to have a house to live in, fuel for cooking and heating purposes, and 
fences to enclose his claim. At that time there were no railroads 
whereby lumber could be transported from the pineries ; no coal mines 
had yet been opened or discovered. Timber was an absolute necessity, 
without which personal existence as well as material improvement was 
an impossibility. No wonder that a gentleman from the East, who in 
early times came to the prairie region of Missouri on a-'orospecting 
tour with a view of permanent location, returned home irfMisgust and 
embodied his views of the country in the following rhyme : 

" Oh, lonesome, windy, grassy place, 

Where buftalo and snakes prevail ; 
The first with dreadful looking face. 

The last with dreadful sounding tail ! 
I'd rather live on camel hump, 

And be a Yankee Doodle beggar, 
Than where I never see a stump, 

And shake to death with fever 'n 'ager." 

As before remarked, there are two reasons why the first settlers 
refused to locate at a distance from the timber, and why the timbered 
regions bordering upon the rivers became densely populated while the 
more fertile and more easily cultivated prairies remained for many years 
unclaimed. The pioneers were in the main the descendants of those 
hardy backwoodsmen who conquered the dense forests of the South and 
East. When farms were opened up in those countries a large belt of 
timber was invariably reserved from which the farmer could draw his 
supply of logs for lumber and fence rails, and fuel for heating and cook- 
ing purposes. Even at the present day a farm without its patch of 
timber is exceedingly rare in those countries. Having from their youth 
up been accustomed to timber, the emigrant from these timbered regions 
of the East would have e\'cr felt lonesome and solitary deprived of the 



HISTOR^ OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 91 



familiar sight of the tall forest trees and shut off from the familiar sound 
of the wind passing through the branches of the venerable oaks. Then 
again, timber was an actual necessity to the early settler. In this day 
of railroads, herd laws, cheap lumber and cheap fuel, it is easy enough 
to open a farm and build up a c"omfortable home away out on the prairie, 
far from the sight of timber. But not so under the circumstances sur- 
rounding the first settlers. There was no way of shipping lumber from 
the markets of the East, coal mines were unknown, and before a parcel 
of land could be cultivated it was necessary to fence it. In order to 
settle the prairie countries it was necessary to have railroads, and in 
order to have railroads it was necessary that at least a portion of the 
country should be settled. Hence the most important resource in the 
development of this western country was the belts of timber which 
skirted the streams ; and the settlers who first hewed out homes in the 
timber, while at present not the most enterprising and progressive, were 
nevertheless an essential factor in the solution of the problem. 

Much of this primeval forest has been removed ; part of it was eco- 
nomically manufactured into lumber, which entered into the construction 
of the early dwelling houses, many of which still remain ; much of it was 
ruthlessly and recklessly destroyed. From the fact that attention was 
early given to the culture of artificial groves, Buchanan County now has 
probably about as much timber as formerly, and the state much more. 

Among the most abundant of all trees originally found was the black 
walnut, so highly prized in all countries for manufacturing purposes. 
Timber of this kind was very plentiful and of good quality originally, but 
the high prices paid for this kind of timber presented itself as a tempta- 
tion to destroy it, which the people, frequently in straightened circum- 
stances, could not resist. Red. white and black oak are still very 
plentiful, although they have for many years been extensively used as 
fuel. Crab apple, elm, maple, ash, cottonwood and wild cherry are also 
found. Some of the best timber in the state is to be found in this county. 

A line of timber follows the course of all the streams. Detached 
groves, both natural and artificial, are found at many places throughout 
the county, which are not only ornamental, in that they vary the monot- 
ony of the prairie, but likewise very useful, in that they have a ver)- 
important bearing on the climate. It is a fact fully demonstrated by the 
best of authoritv that climate varies with the surface of a countrv'. 



Cr.lMATE. 

The climate is what is generally termed a healthful one, subject, how- 
ever, to the sudden change from heat to cold. The winters, however, 
are as a general thing uniform, although tlicre seems to have been some 



92 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

modifications in the climate during the past few )-ears, resulting, doubt- 
less, from the changes which have taken place in the physiognomy of the 
country. 

The average yearly rainfall and melted snow, for twenty-five years, 
has been 36.62 inches. The average rainfall and melted snow, for each 
month respectively, for this period, has been as follows: January, 1.68 
inches; February, 1.67; March, 2. 10; April, 3.49; May, 4.39 ; June, 4.75 ; 
July, 4.69; August, 4.66; September, 3.30; October, 2.33; November, 
1.69; December, 1.89 inches. The rain and melted snow for winter, 5.25 
inches; spring, 9.25 ; summer, 14.10; autumn, 7.32 inches. 

The following article, from the pen of William I. Heddens, M. D., 
Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the College of Phy- 
sicians and Surgeons, in St. Joseph, Missouri, was published in a recent 
issue of the St. Joseph Gazette, and is applicable to the whole of North- 
west Missouri : 

"Almost the whole of the Platte Purchase is healthy and singularly 
free from consumption, asthma, bronchitis, laryngitis, and the diseases 
most dreaded by the inhabitants of the ELastern states. It is seldom that 
typhoid or other fever prevails, and it is unusual that epidemics of any 
kind exist. The climate is dry and pure. The few localities that are 
by nature unhealthy, can almost all of them be made healthy by a little 
foresight. The malarial fevers, so common in the Western and Southern 
states, are almost certain to be confined to the river bottoms, and are 
of a much milder character than those originating further south and 
west. There is scarcely any rheumatism in this climate, and what few 
cases there are, are mild in comparison with low and moist localities. 
In fact, as to climate, and to all climatic, teluric and other influences ; in 
regard to pure and cold v.ater, free from mineral and other poisons; 
drainage, wholesome vegetable and animal products, cereals and fruits, 
no country can boast of superiority in all that pertains to a man's health, 
strength and longevity, over the famous 'Platte Purchase.' 

"As 'wild' grasses are subdued, and 'tame' ones take their places — 
as the prairies are changed into wheat fields and corn fields, and swamps 
are drained, shade trees planted in some places and forests thinned in 
others — when roads are opened and dwellings modernized as is rapidly 
being done, it will then be the healthiest improved country, as it is now 
the healthiest by nature, of all the Western States. A climate that is 
never too cold in winter nor too hot in summer for health ; where neither 
drought nor wet seasons exist, but enough variet\' of temperature of 
seasons, combined with its altitude and latitude and healthy atmos- 
phere to produce the highest and best types of the lower animals, as well 
as man, my prediction is that the human beings who will in the near 
future dwell here, will be both physical!)- and mentall}- superior to those 
born and reared in either a colder or warmer climate. The\- will be 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. ,93 

freer from all zymotic and other diseases which render feeble both mind 
and body in other climates. The child born here should grow to 
healthy, vigorous maturity, with great nerve force, energy and perse- 
verance, without any sickness except of an accidental nature, and ought 
to be ashamed to die before the age of 75 years." 

SOIL. 

There is a variety of soil, as well as surface in the county, l^ortions 
along the Missouri River, in particular, are somewhat broken and uneven, 
but the soil is productive and peculiarly well adapted for the growth of 
grasses. Along the river bottoms the soil is very deep and rich, owing 
to the heavy accretions, and there corn especially is raised with success. 
As a rule, the soil of the county is better adapted to the growth of grass 
and \he cultivation of corn than to the production of the other cereals, 

PRAIRIES. 

" Lo ! they stretch 
In airy undulations, far away, 
As if an ocean in its gentlest swell 
Stood still, with all its rounded billows fixed 
And motionless forever. Motionless ? 
No, they are all unchained again. The clouds 
Sweep over with their shadows, and beneath, 
The surface rolls and fluctuates to the eye ; 
Dark hollows seem to glide along and chase 
The sunny ridges. Breezes of the South ! 
Who toss the golden and the flame like flowers, 
And pass the prairie hawk, that, poised on high, 
Flaps his broad wings, yet moves not — ye have played 
Among the palms of Mexico and vines 
Of Texas, and have crisped the limpid brooks 
That from the fountains of Sonora glide 
Into the calm Pacific — have ye fanned 
A nobler or a luvelier scene than this ? 
Man hath no part in all this glorious work ; 
The hand that built the firmament hath heaved 
And smoothed these verdant swells, and sown their hopes 
With herbage, planted them with island groves, 
And hedged them round with forests. Fitting floor 
For this magnificent temple of the sky — 
With flowers whose glory and whose multitude 
Rival the constellations ! The great heavens 
Seem to stoop down upon the scene in love — 
A nearer vault, and a tenderer hue 
Than that which bends above the eastern hills." 

About one-half of the county is prairie and mostly of a very excel- 
lent quality. Prairies, however, are not found in this county of so 
great extent as in most counties of the State and there are none 



94 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

ill which the soil is of an inferior character. On nearly all of 
the di\iclcs between the rivers and running streams, are found 
large tracts of beautiful, rolling prairie lands, well drained, easily 
cultivated, highl}' productive and conveniently located to water, timber, 
mills and markets. The character of the soil in these prairies is such 
that good crops are raised even during the very wet and very dry sea- 
sons. The soil is light and porous, so that ten hours of bright sunshine 
will dry the roads after a heavy rain and fit the plowed fields to be cul- 
tivated. The same peculiarit}' of soil which enable crops to withstand 
much moisture and thrive during a very wet season, also enables them 
to endure prolonged drouths — the soil, being very porous, is capable of 
absorbing a large aniount of water during the rainy season, and when 
the drouth sets in, the forces of nature bring back to the surface the sur- 
plus moisture from the subterraneous storehouses with as much ease as 
the neater in the first place was absorbed. This is not the case with that 
qualit)- of soil commonly known as hard-pan ; the subsoil not being 
porous, onl\- a small quantit\- of water is absorbed, after which it gathers 
on the surface in pools, and is then carried awa\- by the process of e\apo- 
ration ; drouth sets in, and as soon as the moisture is exhausted from the 
surface soil, plants wither and die. 

There is comparativeh- but little waste land from marshes in the 
county, and many years will not pass till these sloughs, b\' a proper s}-s- 
tem of draina-jfe, will be converted into corn fields. 




BUCHANAN COUNTY COURT HOUSE, ST. lOSEPH, MISSOURI. 



CHAPTER III. 

GEOLOGY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Having spoken of the area, surface, soil, prairie and timber of 
Buchanan County, we shall now proceed to speak of the different geo- 
logical formations of rocks, coal, mineral, etc. In order to present the 
geology of the county in an intelligent manner we shall here give the 
greater portion of Professor G. C. Broadhead's report, submitted in 1872, 
beginning with 

SCIENTIFIC GEOLOGY. 

Superficial Deposits — The alluvium is best developed on the Mis- 
souri bottoms. 

Bottom Prairie — The washings on flat grounds at St. Joseph expose 
about twenty feet of dark clay. Similar clays are seen on Platte River. 

The "bluff" or "loess" is well exposed on the Missouri bluffs near 
St. Joseph, where it rises in steep and often gently sloping peaks, cov- 
ered mostly with grass. It is generally a fine, comminuted brown ash- 
clay, and where a few feet from the surface, exposed by washings, is 
always perpendicularly jointed. In King Hill, below St. Joseph, it has 
at the lower part eight feet of finely comminuted brown sand resting on 
two feet of white calcareous concretions. The fossils found were Heli- 
cina occulta, Succinia and Helix. The drift occurs immediately beneath 
the bluff, but I observed no good exposure of it in the county. Boulders 
of granite and quartzite were occasionally found. 

UPPER CARBONIFEROUS. 

The rocks in this county belong to the Upper Coal Series, and 
include a total thickness of about 470 feet, from a bluff limestone, equiv- 
alent to No. 160, Gen. Sec, to No. 108 or Plattsburgh limestone, inclus- 
ive, of which there are 125 feet of limestone, eleven feet bituminous 
shales, the remainder consisting of sandstone, sandy and argillaceous 
shales. The prevailing dip of rocks is a very little north of west. 

On the headwaters of Sugar and Contrary Creeks Mr. Ulffers. 
observed the following section, which include some of the highest rocks, 
seen in this county : 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 97 

No. I — 15 feet lig^ht buff limestone shales. 
No. 2 — 17 feet argillaceous shales. 
No. 3 — 16 feet cherty limestone. 
No. 4 — 2 feet argillaceous shales.. 
No. 5 — 12 ^^^^ bituminous shales. 
No. 6 — I foot hard blue limestone. 
No. 7 — 14 feet argillaceous shales. 
No. 8 — 4 feet light buff, compact limestone. 
No. 9 — 7 feet argillaceous shales. 
No. 10 — 2 feet buff, shaly limestone. 
No. 11—36 feet red and blue argillaceous shales. 
No. 12 — 6 inches shaly bituminous coal. 
No. 13—18 feet argillaceous and sandy shales. 
No. 14 — 5 feet sandstone and sandy shales. 

No. 160 was observed in bluff's back from the river, in the southwest 
corner of the county. It occurs as a buff limestone, with 35 feet slope 
below, to No. 150. In the same vicinity No. 152 occurs as a dark gray lime- 
stone, containing a thin stratum of fine-grained, very dark green, fibrous 
Argillaceous Carbonate of lime, with probably some carbonate of iron, 
the fibres nearly perpendicular to the horizontal surface, and interlock- 
ing, forming what is called " Tutcu Mcrgel," or "cone in cone." No. 150 
occurs near the hilltops on the Missouri Bluffs, in the northern part of 
the county, that occupies that horizon on the Missouri Bluffs as far as 
the south county line ; its greatest observed thickness was 23 feet at 
Rushville. It is a buff brown near the top, with Productits, Rogcrsi, 
Chonetes, Sin'ithii, Syringapora, Ftisuliua cylindrica, AtJiyris, subtilita; 
below it is very irregularly bedded and contains chert, especially in the 
upper portion. The beds of limestone are not often over 6 inches to i 
foot in thickness, and are separated by buff clay. Beatty's quarry, near 
St. Joseph, exhibits most of the beds of No. 150. 
No. I — 23 inches limestone. 
No. 2 — 28 inches limestone. 

No. 3 — 18 inches concretionary limestone and buff shales. 
No. 4 — 5 inches concretionary limestone. 
No. 5 — ^i foot nodular limestone, chert and brown shales. 
No. 6 — 2 inches limestone. 
No. 7 — 3 inches limestone. 
No. 8 — 6 inches limestone. 

No. 9 — 6 inches brown shales and limestone nodules. 
No. 19 — 2 feet limestone ; contains some dark chert concretions in 
upper part. 

No. 1 1 — 4 inches shales and limestone nodules. 
No. 12 — 5 inches shales. 
No. 13 — 2 feet limestone. 



'98 niSTORV OF BUCHANAN' COUNTY. 

Total thickness of beds exposed here was about 14.^ feet. The rock 
is used for making lime, and curbing and macadamizing, in St. Joseph. 

Bituminous shale is found in a pit about 10 feet below the limestone. 
The lower beds of limestone abound in fossils, mainly OrtJiis corbonaria ; 
also contains Rotzia punctulificra, Rynchonclla Osogcnsis, Athyris S2ib- 
tilita, Productiis splendens, Sc/iizodits. The upper beds abound in Fiisii- 
lina cyliiidrica and Athyris S2ibtilita ; also contain Heniipronetes crassiis, 
Orthis carbonaria, Spirifcr {Marti nia) planoconvexus, and Crinoid stems. 

Section on King Hill, below St. Joseph, is as follows : 

No. I — 72 feet bluff formation, finely comminuted marl\' cla\'s. 

No. 2 — 8 feet sand. 

No. 3 — 2 feet white, calcareous, concretionary bed — bluff. 

No. 4 — 7 feet irregularly -bedded limestone; abound in Fusilnia 
cylindrica, also contains AtJiyris, Rotr:ia, Orthis carbouaria ; cherty, 
No. 150. 

No. 5 — 19 feet slope. 

No. 6 — 5 feet shales. 

No. 7 — 7 feet deep brown limestone (No. 143). upper two feet shaly, 
light drab ; below is ferruginous, and contains but few fossils. 

No. 8 — 35 feet slope ; tumbled sandstone, at lower part containing 
plants — Lepidastrobus, etc. 

No. 9 — 8 feet shales, bottom 2 feet green, with \\ feet red just above. 

No. 10 — 7 feet ferruginous limestone, upper 2 feet shelly, with iron- 
oxide crust (No. 137.) 

No. ( I — 48 feet slope, mostly shales ; in lower shales are some iron- 
stone concretions. 

No. 12 — Outcrop of shaly limestone, abounding in fossils. 

No. 13 — 5 feet shaly slope. 

No. 14 — 10 feet red and green clay shales ; at bottom we find 4 feet 
■of ochrey green clay, with occasional thin bands of yellow ochre concre- 
tions and streaks of ochre. 

No. 15 — 4 feet limestone. 

No. 16 — 30 feet shales. 

A buff limestone, equivalent to No. 145, was observed on King Hill. 

No. 137 is seen on Platte River bluffs, two miles south of the Han- 
nibal & St. Joseph railroad, cropping out ten feet in thickness. On the 
Missouri bluffs there are shales 60 to 75 feet in thickness, with some- 
times a thin seam of coal. Near the upper end of Sugar Creek Lake 
we have : 

No. I — Lop slope. 

No. 2 — 18 feet of limestone, fracture buff and drab, weathering, 
brown ; contains occasional lenticular beds of concretionary deep-blue 
•chert; has brown shal)' partings and contains Athyris subtilita Sp. 
Ji)icatus, Sp. cniiic-ratiis, Rotr.ia, etc. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 99 

Ko. 3 — T"] feet shaly slope ; shales near the lower part. 

No 4 — Outcrop of coal. 

No. 5 — 40 feet slope to railroad. 

Three miles above Rushville we ha\e 

No. I — Limestone. No. 150. 

No. 2 — 95 feet slope. 

No. 3 — 4 feet -even-bedded, shelly, dark ash colored limestone 
(128), at about 15 feet above the grade of railroad and forming a fine 
waterfall. 

Approaching St. Joseph from the south we find the last named lime- 
stone quarried near the hill, and also northwest on King Hill, and in 
the next succeeding hill it is seen 30 feet above the bottoms, with 30 
feet of shales lying below it. 

Section 31, 2\ miles below St. Joseph, is as follows. 

No. I — 72 feet bluff clay ; contains some round calcareous concre- 
tions. 

No. 2 — 6 feet sandy shale. 

No. 3 — 5 feet limestone, upper part shelly, ferruginous, lower, 3 feet 
thick, even bed ; can be cjuarried in 2-feet layers. 

No. 4 — 53 feet slope. 

No. 5—5 feet shales. 

No. 6 — 5 feet shales, good red ochre at bottom. 

No. 7 — 4 feet even bed of limestone. 

One section, one-half mile below junction of Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad, is as follows : 

No. I— Bluff.* 

No. 2 — 4 feet green shales ; paint bed. 

No. 3 — 4 feet green and yellow ochery shales. 

No. 4 — 33 inches limestone, upper part gray ; the middle abounds 
in Fusulina ; lower part deep brown ; middle is fine grained. 

No. 5 — 17 feet sand}', ochrey shales. 

No. 6 — 15 feet slope to railroad. 

One-quarter mile below the last we find : 

No. I — Outcrop of shady limestone, with Allorisma, Hcuiipronites. 

No. 2 — 15 feet slope. 

No. 3 — Red and green shales. 

No. 4 — 4 feet limestone, 128 ; very good building rock. 

No. 5 — 30 feet shales, to level of railroad grade. 

Ascending King Hill, at 63 feet above No. 128. is found 7 feet of 
thick-bedded gray and brownish limestone, with but few fossils. Its 
upper part is shelly and brownish ochery, but affords a good, strong and 
durable building rock. It has been extensiv^ely used in buildings at St. 
Joseph. We found overlying it, tumbled masses of buff and brown soft 
sandstone, and hard green sandstone, containing remains of plant-leaves 



lOO HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

and the stem of a tree, probably a Lepidostrobus. Intermingled with- 
this overlying mass was some deep red clay, apparently very suitable 
for paint ; sixteen feet still higher is found seven feet of ferruginous 
limestone, and 24 feet above the last are seen outcrops of No. 150. All 
these layers have been extensively quarried for \'arious purposes of 
building in St. Joseph. The last named is quarried in the hills north of 
St. Joseph for lime and for paving". 

One and a-half miles along tlie bluff above St. Joseph our section is- 
this : 

No. I — Slope. 

No. 2 — 10 feet gray limestone, slight!)- ferruginous, in one solid bed ; 
breaks in small angular fragments. (No. 137.) 

No. 3 — 92 feet slope to railroad, 35 degrees for halfway, then 30 
degrees ; the lower 40 feet seems to be principally sand shales. 

No 2 corresponds to No. 143 ; in its manner ofvveathering resembles 
No. 78. Three miles above St. Joseph it is 90 feet. (No. 128;) 

At bridge on Platte River, rocks were observed which I refer to those 
from 126 to 121, of which the following is a correct section : 

Section 4. 

No. 2 — 6 inches even-bedded, dark-gra)- limestone. 

No. 3 — 6 feet brownish-buft* sand\- limestone, some of it silicious,. 
and with sandy, shaly partings, thii\ bedded. 

No. 4 — 2^ feet green shales. 

No. 5 — 10 inches limestone, mottled drab and brown. 

No. 6 — I foot grayish drab and brown, irregularU* bedded, coarser 
than No. 5 ; irregularly wavy-cracked. » 

No. 7 — 2 feet gray limestone. 

No. 8 — 3 feet ashy-blue ferruginous limestone ; weathers brown. 

No. 9 — 3 feet ashy-blue limestone ; weathers buff; contains S/'c- 
Camcratus. 

From 120 to 113, the rocks are generally covered with debris, and 
include about 100 feet. In southeast of township 55, range 34, No. 112 
was observed, 12 feet in thickness, consisting of thick beds of coarse 
colored, semi-crystalline limestone. The lowest rock was observecl on 
Platte River, in the eastern part of the county ; it is a blue limestone 
equivalent to the Plattsburgh series ; 12 feet of it was observed. 

MINER.M.S.. 

Coal. — Opposite Sugar Creek Lake, coal crops out about 30 feet 
above the level of the railroad. Limestone, No. 150, is in bluff 77 feet 
above. The same bed of coal is seen a mile below. ILall's Station, oi>. 
Mr. Hinman's land. Section here is Section 19: 

No I — 104 feet slope from hill-top.. 



HISTORY OF F.UCHANAN COUNTY. lOI 

No. 2—5 feet drift. 

No. 3 — 3 feet blue, sandy .shales. 

No. 3i — 3 feet coarse, shal}-, ferruginous sandstone. 

No. 4 — I inch shaly coal. 

No. 5 — 8 inches deep-blue, shaly clay, with thin laminre of coal ; 
contains ferns. 

No. 6 — 6 inches coal. 

No. 7 — Fire clay. 

No. 8—67 feet to foot of hill. 

Opposite Hall's Station the coal has been opened at several places ; 
one on railroad land, worked by Jacob Gross, appears thus : 

3 feet rough-bedded, yellow sandstone; 8 inches sandy clay; i| 
inches shale and thin laminae of coal ; 2| inches of coal ; i^ inches blue 
■clay; 6 inches good coal; i^ inches blue clay; 3 inches good coal; fire- 
clay. 

An analysis of specimens of this coal from Niagara, Andrew County, 
gives — 

Water 8.94 

Volatile 3475 

F. carbon 45-38 

Ash 10.93 

Color of ash light red brown. 

Section No. 30. 

No. 1—93 feet, 40 to 45 degrees slope. 

No. 2 — limestone outcrop. 

No. 3 — 52 feet to bottom of coal ; some red ochre cla}- appears on 
slope 8 feet above coal. 

On South Fork of Sugar Creek, near the south county line. Section 
24:— 

No. I — 3 feet olive shales, wMth streaks of coal. 

No. 2 — 7 inches bituminous coal. 

No. 3 — 26 feet shales ; concretionary bed in lower part, with remains 
of striated plants. 

No. 4 — 15 to 20 feet slope. 

No. 5 — outcrop of ferruginous limestone ; fracture dark bluish, ash 
shelly and rough breakings. 

In the northeast of the southwest of Section (, T. 55. R. 26, six 
inches of shaly coal and shales. 

Four inches of bituminous coal was observed in Section 23. T. 45, 
R. 36, and in Section 32, coal is also said to have been found on the 
headwaters of Bee Creek, a few miles southwest of Sparta. These beds 
are thin and poor and not worth working. 

The annexed is the section of boring at St. Joseph. 

No. I — 2[ feet soil, boulders and sandy cla)-. 



I02 HISTORY OF 15UCHANAN COUN'rV.. 

No. 2 — 74 feet blue clay. 

No. 3 — 21 feet sandstone. 

No. 4 — 4 feet limestone. 

No. 5 — 2 feet soapstone. 

No. 6 — 2 feet slate. 

No. 7 — I 5-6 feet coal. 

No. 8—6 feet black slate. 

No. 9 — 7 feet limestone. 

No. 10 — 5 feet slate. 

No. II — 6 feet limestone. 

No. 12 — 2 feet slate. 

No. 13 — 4i feet limestone. 

No. 14 — 5^ feet slate. 

No. 15 — I foot limestone. 

No. 16 — 6 feet slate. 

No. 17 — 8 feet slate. 

No. 18 — 4h feet limestone. 

No. 19 — 3 feet soapstone. 

No. 20 — 2^ feet gray sandstone, 

No. 21 — 2i feet soap.stone. 

No. 22 — 4 5-6 feet gray limestone. 

No. 23 — 24 feet slate. 

No. 24 — 2 feet limestone. 

No. 25 — 10 feet limestone. 

No. 26 — 55 feet slate. 

No. 27 — i^ feet coal. 

No. 28—8 feet slate. 

No. 29 — 4 feet limestone. 

No. 30 — 20 feet shale. 

No. 31 — 6 feet limestone. 

No. 32 — 20 feet slate. 

No. 33 — 25 feet limestone. 

No. 34 — 15 feet limestone. 

No. 35 — 10 inches coal. 

No. 36 — 3 4-5 feet soapstone. 

No. 41 — 2I feet coal. 

No. 42 — 9 feet limestone. 

No. 43 — 4 feet limestone. 

No. 44 — 3 feet limestone. 

No. 45 — 2^ feet slate. 

No. 46 — 2.^ feet limestone. 

No. 47 — 15 feet blue clay. 

Total depth. 402.3 feet. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. IO3: 

From careful comparisons I find, from reports made by St. Joseph- 
Bridge Company, that the bottom of the "bore" still lacks about 440 
feet of reaching the "Lexington coal," which would be the first coal of 
any considerable thickness that would be reached. Other valuable coal 
beds would lie still lower. These remarks concerning coal beds can be 
applied, with but slight variation, to localities in the adjoining counties 
of Platte, Clinton,*DeKalb, and southern parts of Gentry County. 

In each of these counties thin surface outcrops are seen, but they 

are not valuable. 

* # * * -jf ■«- ■>«• " 

The annual rainfall in the basin, drained by the river at St. Joseph,, 
averages iQi inches, while that of the basin below is 26 inches, thus 
showing that three-fourths of the water flowing out of the Missouri 
River, at its mouth, passes St. Joseph ; at an ordinary spring flood, 170,- 
000 cubic feet pass in a second, with a mean velocity of 26-10 miles per 
hour. The fall in the low water channel, for seven miles below the city,. 
is 82-100 of a foot per mile. At low water the channel opposite the 
city is from 400 to 500 yards wide, and 15 to 30 feet deep. The differ- 
ence of high and low water is 23 feet. 

At the greatest, the narrowest channel opposite the city will be 
1,420 feet wide. Rock is found at an average of 43 feet below low water, 
and at no point deeper than 48 feet. 

The bed of the river is fine sand on top, with layers of stiff, hard 
clay, and coarse sand near the bed-rock ; resting on the bed-rock was 
found a 2 to 5 feet bed, consisting of medium sized and thoroughly 
water-worn boulders mixed with coarse sand ; the boulders composed of 
red and gray granite, quartz, gneiss, trap, conglomerate, agate, with 
some fine quartz specimens containing gold. 

The excavations were made to a depth of about 40 feet below the 
bed of the river, including the upper 30 feet of coarse and fine sand, then 5 
feet stiff, blue clay, and lastly a deposit of gravel and boulders, through 
which flows a stream of clear, pure water, entirely different from that of 
the river. While ice at the surface was tw© feet thick, and the mercury 
below zero, the water from this spring had a uniform temperature of 5-4 
degrees. 

The bed-rock is said to be a smooth, hard, whitish-gray limestone. 
I have no doubt of its being equivalent to limestone No. 121 of General 
section. 



CHAPTER IV. 
plattp: purchase. 



THE PLATTE COUNTRY-CORRESPONDENCE IN REFERENCE THERETO-MEETING AT LIB- 
ERTY, MISSOURI— ITS OBJECT— MEMORIAL-EFFORTS OF BENTON AND LINN- 
TREATY WITH THE lOWAS, SACS AND FOX INDIANS. 

Buchanan County being a portion of the territory originally included 
"in the "Platte Purchase." a history, showing how, when, and through 
whom the same was accomplished, will doubtless be of great interest to 
the citizens of the county. 

In January, 1835, the Hon. L. F. Linn, then a United States Senator 
from the State of Missouri, addressed H. Ellsworth, Esq., the following 
letter : 

Washington, January 23, 1835. 

Sir : It has long been desired by the people of Missouri to have 
annexed to the state that portion of territory lying between her western 
boundary and the great river, Missouri, for the purpose of preventing 
the location of an annoying Indian population, and for the purpose of 
having points on the river to receive their supplies and ship their pro- 
ductions, within a moderate distance from the homes of those inhabit- 
ants residing along that line of the frontier. 

The location of the Pottawatamies, by the treaty of Chicago, on this 
territory, interposes a barrier to the attainment of these objects, so 
important to the welfare and tranquility of the inhabitants of the north- 
ern and western counties. Will you be so good as to furnish me your 
opinion as to the propriety of ratifying that treat}-, and the danger of 
collision between the two races, from placing the Indians between the 
white population and the ri\'er Missouri. 

■ Very respectfullv, 
H. Ellsworth, Esq. ' L. F. LINN. 

The following is the answer of Mr. Ellsworth : 

Washington, January 27, 1835. 
Sir : Vours of the 23d instant, requesting my opinion as to the 
propriety of ratifying the Chicago treaty, and the danger of collision 
that will probably arise from placing the Indians between the white 
population and the river Missouri, at the northwest section of the state, 
was received this morning. In reply, I hasten to observe that the small 
strip of land lying between the Missouri River and the State of Missouri, 
is, compared with the country l}'ing north of the state line, an unfavor- 
able location for the Indian tribes. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 10$ 

In the fall of 1833 I held a council with the lovvays and the little 
band of Sacs and Foxes living on this strip, who complained of the great 
difficulty attending their present situation, on account of the contiguity 
and encroachments of white men in the state, and all the chiefs desired 
me to make a treaty for their removal to land lying north of the state 
line. Not being authorized to make this treaty, I did not attempt it, 
but have recommended the subject to the favorable consideration of the 
government. 

I have understood that the Pottawatamies are willing to receive 
other land, in equal amount, for that lying south of the north line of Mis- 
souri extended. If this can be done I have no doubt it would be advan- 
tageous to all the parties concerned. The government would realize 
the value of land, but more especially the Pottawatamies would have an 
excellent location, one far less likely to be interrupted by the encroach- 
ment of white neighbors. The State of Missouri might hereafter be 
accommodated with a good natural boundary, several excellent water 
privileges, and additional landings on the navigable waters of Missouri 
for one hundred and forty miles. The ratification of the Chicago treaty 
Avill prevent the future disposal of this narrow strip to Missouri. Hence 
I conceive it highly important that the Pottawatamies should make an 
exchange of part of the lands embraced within the original treaty. It 
■may be proper to state that, from the concurrent testimony of all per- 
sons residing on the Missouri, as well as from a personal view from the 
•opposite side of the river, the location of the Pottawatamies north of 
the land in question, will give them a rich and fertile tract, equal to that 
of any tribe already migrated. 

It ought to be noticed that the general expectation that the Chicago 
treaty would be modified, has emboldened many squatters to enter upon 
the lands in question, in hopes of fixing their future residence. I have, 
therefore, no hesitation in giving an opinion as to the expediency of 
altering the Chicago treaty, so as to confine the Pottawatamies north of 
the little strip now wanted by the State of Missouri. 

Having given this opinion, permit me to say that I believe it prac- 
ticable, with little expense or delay, to remove the Indians now on this 
-strip of land, and to extinguish any remaining right in the red men for 
hunting or other privileges, and this removal and extinguishment I 
would respectfully recommend before the state jurisdiction is extended 
to the waters of the Missouri. 

Yours most respectfully, 

HENRY ELLSWORTH. 
Hon. L. F. Linn, Senator. 

At the same time the Hon. L. F. Linn wrote to Maj. John Dough- 
'erty, Indian Agent, for information concerning the geography and topo- 
graphy of the country embraced in the "Platte Purchase," and in three 
days thereafter, received the following answer : 

Washinc.TON, January 26, 1835. 
Sir: Your communication of the 23d instant, containing certain 
-queries touching the slip of land lying between the western boundary 
3ine of the State of Missouri and the Missouri River has been received. 



I06 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

I assure you it will afford me great pleasure to furnish the answers 
called for, and in the order in which you have proposed the questions. 

I St. The length of the strip of land referred to is, on its east line, 
one hundred miles long ; the west line, following the meanders of the 
Missouri River, is about one hundred and fifty miles in length, to a point 
on said river due west from the northwest corner of the state, the aver- 
age breadth being about fifteen miles. 

2d. I feel no hesitation in stating (and this without the fear of 
contradiction) that the location of Indians upon this territory would be 
attended with the most ruinous effects ; it would alike be injurious to 
the Indians and whites ; take, for example, the loways, who now reside 
upon the upper end of this strip— they are a poor, drunken, miserable 
set of beings, dwindling away to nothing, quarreling among themselves, 
killing each other, and in constant broils with their white neighbors. 
Those evils would be greatly increased were the Indians located all the 
way down this strip of land, between the white settlements and the 
Missouri River to the mouth of the Kansas River, where it becomes nar- 
row, and the white population more dense. 

3d. The inconvenience to our citizens would be incalculable, if 
those along the western line of the state were compelled to transport 
their productions to the mouth of the Kansas River for shipment ; some 
of them residing within eight or ten miles of steamboats passing every 
day, would be obliged to haul everything for market over a new country 
one hundred miles. 

4th. There is a great deficiency of water power and springs in the 
northern counties of the State of Missouri, whilst the strip of land you 
have reference to abounds with numerous flush running springs and 
creeks, with great falls, well calculated for mills or other water works. 

5th. The country north of the State of Missouri, reaching from the 
Mississippi to the Missouri River, and extending north between four and 
five hundred miles, is well timbered, interspered with fine rich prairies, 
and abounds with numerous large, bold running streams, coming in from 
the high lands between these two great rivers ; in short, the whole 
country is well adapted to agricultural purposes, with a fine climate, and 
exceedingly healthy. 

In reply to your 6th question, I deem it sufficient to refer to the 
answer under the second query. The peace and tranquility of both 
whites and Indians require that this long strip of land should be attached 
to the State of Missouri ; and I cannot suppose that any gentleman as 
well acquainted with its locality as I am, would entertain a different 
opinion, or dissent from the views herein expressed. 

With great respect, I have the honor to be 
Your obedient servant, 

JNO. DOUGHERTY, 
Hon. L. F. Linn, Senate, U. S. Indian Agent. 

As early as 1834-5, two years before the removal of the Indians, the 
narrow strip of land between the western boundary of the state and the 
Missouri River began to be settled by white men. So numerous were 
these settlers that the United States Government sent a military force 
from Fort Leavenworth to remove them. What proportion of these 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 107 

daring frontiersmen had located in the territory of what is now Buchanan 
County we cannot determine, but the number must have been consider- 
able, as will be seen from the following letter from Hon. L. F. Linn, to 
Hon. John Forsyth, Secretary of State : 

Saint Genevieve, August lo, 1835. 

Sir: I take the liberty of enclosing you a copy (perhaps imperfect, 
from having mislaid the original,) of a letter dated May 14, to the Sec- 
retary of War, on a subject of much interest to the people of this State. 
To this communication no answer has been received. May I tax your 
kindness by asking that you will read the letter, and give the subject 
your friendly attention in any way you may deem advisable. I feel that 
there is a propriety in endeavoring to obtain your assistance, knowing 
the state you so long represented in Congress, with such distinguished 
credit, has been greatly annoyed by an Indian population. I hear an 
order has come from the War Department to remove the families who 
have settled on the Indian lands lying between our western boundary 
and the Missouri River, by military force. 

You know the independent and daring character of our frontier 
population, and knowing, you will easily believe that this step is not to 
be accomplished without violence and much distress, as the families are 
two or three hundred in number. The accompanying diagram will at a 
glance show you what we want, and at the same time the utter useless- 
ness of this portion of country for Indian purposes. 

The long absence of Governor Cass, and multiplicity of business 
since his return, may have caused him to lose sight of my letter. His 
order has caused much sensation in the northern part of the state, and 
for the present ought to be suspended. 

Yours truly, 

L. F. LINN. 
Hon. John Forsyth, 

Secretary of State. 

In the summer of 1835 there was held a regimental militia muster 
at Dale's farm, three miles from the town of Liberty, in Clay County. 
After the morning parade, and during the recess for dinner, a mass 
meeting of the citizens present was. addressed, among others, by Gen- 
eral Andrew S. Hughes, who came to Clay from Montgomery County, 
Kentucky, in 1828, and who soon afterward was appointed Indian agent 
by President John Quincy Adams. At this meeting he proposed the 
acquisition of the Platte country, and the measure met with such hearty 
approval that a committee was at once appointed to make an effort to 
accomplish it. The committee was composed of William T. Wood, now 
judge of the Lexington Circuit ; David R. Atchison, ex-United States 
Senator ; A. W. Doniphan, a distinguished lawyer and hero of the Mex- 
ican war ; Peter H. Burnett, afterward one of the supreme judges of Cal- 
ifornia, and PLdward M. Samuel, afterward president of the Commercial 
Bank in St. Louis — all of them at that time residents of Clay Count}-. 



ro8 HISTORY OF BUCHAXAX COUNTY. 

Subsequcntl}- an able memorial to Congress was drafted bj- Judge 
Wood, embracing the facts and considerations in behalf of the measure, 
which, after being signed by the committee, was forwarded to the Sen- 
ators and Representatives at Washington from Missouri. 

Following the prayer of this memorial, in 1836, a bill was introduced 
in Congress by Thomas H. Benton, and zealously supported by his col- 
league. Senator Linn, which provided for the extension of the then 
existing boundary of the state, so as to include the triangle between the 
existing line and the Missouri River, then a part of the Indian Territory, 
now comprising the counties of Atchison, Andrew, Buchanan, Holt, Nod- 
away and Platte. The difficulties encountered were three fold: i. To 
make still larger a state which was alread}' one of the largest in the 
Union. 2. To remove Indians from a possession which had just been 
assigned to them in perpetuity. 3. To alter the Missouri Compromise 
line in relation to slave territory, and thereby convert free soil into slave 
soil. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the two first mentioned serious 
and the last formidable, the act was passed and the treaties negotiated, 
and in 1837 the Indians removed west of the Missouri River, thus adding 
to the state a large bod\- of the richest land in the world. 

During the fall of 1835, after the meeting held at the regimental 
muster above referred to. General Andrew S. Hughes wrote to Hon. L. 
F. Linn in reference to a treat)- with the loways and Sacs of his agenc}-. 
His letter is as follows : 



lowAv Sub-agency, September 3, 1835. 

Sir : I have written a hasty scrawl to you. It might be well to pub- 
lish your letter to show to the people what you were doing. I send this 
to St. Genevieve, not exactly knowing where to find you. I give you 
liberty to do just as you may think proper with m\- letter. 

All letters addressed to me, I wish ciirected to the " Elm Grove Post- 
office, Clay County, Missouri." This is most convenient to me. \\ hen I 
hear from you I will write again. I desire to see you before you go on 
East. 

A treat}" can be made with the loways of my agency and Sacs, with- 
out expense to the Go\ernment, or any other unnecessary pomp and 
parade, as has heretofore been the case. Colonel Dodge could make 
treat}- with the Indians as a part of his official duty. They are near his 
post, and I should have no objections to render any assistance that might 
be asked of me. 

Beliexe me. }-our sincere friend, 

AND. S. HUGHES. 

To Hon. Lewis F. Ltnn. 



The treaty which was negotiated with the Sac and P^o.x Indians, 
whereb\- Missouri extended her \\-estern boundar\- line, is as follows : 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. IO9 

ARTICLES OF A TREATY 

made and concluded at Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri River, between 
William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, on the part of the 
United States, of the one part, and the undersigned chiefs, warriors and 
counsellors of the loway tribe, and the band of Sacs and Foxes of the 
Missouri (residing w-est of the State of Missouri) in behalf of their 
respective tribes, of the other part. 

Article i. By the first article of the treaty of Prairie du Chien, 
held the 15th of July, 1830, with the confederated tribes of the Sacs and 
Foxes, loways, Omahaws, Missourias, Ottoes and Sioux, the country 
ceded to the United States by that treaty, is to be "assigned and allotted, 
under the President of the United States, to the tribes living thereon, or 
to such other tribes as the President may locate thereon for hunting and 
and other purpose." And whereas, it is further represented to us, the 
chiefs, warriors and counsellors of the loways and Sacs and Fox band 
aforesaid to be desirable that the lands lying between the State of Mis- 
souri and the Missouri River should be attached to and become a part of 
the said state, and the Indian title thereto should be extinguished ; but 
that, notwithstanding, as these lands compose a part of the country 
embraced by the provision of said first article of the treaty aforesaid, the 
stipulations thereof will be strictly observed, until the assent of the 
Indians interested is given to the proposed measure. 

Now we, the chiefs, warriors and counsellors of the loways and Mis- 
souri band of Sacs and Foxes, fully understanding the subject, and well 
satisfied from the local position of the lands in question, that they can 
never be made available for Indian purposes, and that an attempt to 
place an Indian population on them must inevitably lead to collision 
with the citizens of the United States, and further believing that the exten- 
sion of the state line in the direction indicated, would have a happy effect, 
by presenting a natural boundary between the whites and the Indians; 
and willing, moreover, to give the United States a renewed evidence of 
our attachment and friendship, do hereby, for ourselves and on behalf of 
our respective tribes fhaving full power and authority to this effect) for- 
ever cede, relinquish and quit claim to the United States, all our right, 
title and interest, of whatever nature, in and to the land lying between 
the State of Missouri and the Missouri River, and do freely and fully 
exonerate the United States from any guarantee, condition or limitation, 
expressed or implied, under the treaty of Prairie du Chien aforesaid or 
otherwise, as to the entire and absolute disposition of the said lands ; 
fully authorizing the United States to do with the same whatever shall 
seem expedient or necessary. 

As a proof of the continued friendship and liberality of the United 
States towards the loways and band of Sacs and Foxes of the Mis- 
sourias, and as an evidence of the same entertained for the good will 
manifested by said tribes to the citizens and Government of the United 
States, as evinced in the preceding cession or relinquishment, the under- 
signed, William Clark, agrees, on behalf of the United States, to pay 'as 
a present to the said loways and band of Sacs and Foxes $7,500 in 
money, the receipt of which they hereby acknowledge. 

Article 2. As the said tribes of loways, and Sacs and*Foxes, have 
applied for a small piece of land south of the Missouri for a permanent 



no HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

home, on which the}' can settle, and request the assistance of the Gov- 
ernment of the United States to place them on the land, in a situation 
at least equal to that they now enjoy on the lands ceded by them. 
Therefore, I, William Clark, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, do further 
agree on behalf of the United States, to assign to the loway tribes and 
Missouri band of Sacs and Foxes, the small strip of land on the south 
side of the Missouri River, lying between the Kickapoo northern boun- 
dary line and the Grand Nemaha River, and extending from the Mis- 
souri back and westwardly with the said Kickapoo line and the Grand 
Nemaha, making four hundred sections, to be divided between the said 
lovvays, and Missouri band of Sacs and Foxes, the lower half to the 
Sacs and Foxes, the upper half to the loways. 

Article 3. The loways and Missouri band of Sacs and Foxes, 
further agree that they will move and settle on the lands assigned them 
in the above article as soon as arrangements can be made, and the 
undersigned William Clark, in behalf of the United States, agrees that, 
as soon as the above tribes have selected a site for their villages, and 
places for their fields, and moved to them, to erect for the loways five 
comfortable houses ; to enclose and break up for them two hundred acres 
of ground ; to furnish them with a farmer, blacksmith, schoolmaster and 
interpreter, as long as the President of the United States deems proper; 
to furnish them with such agricultural implements as may be necessary, 
for five years ; to furnish them with rations for one year, commencing 
at the time of their arrival at their new home ; to furnish them with one 
ferry boat ; to furnish them with one hundred cows and calves, and five 
bulls, and one hundred stock hogs, when they require them ; to furnish 
them with a mill, and assist in removing them, to the extent of five 
hundred dollars. 

And to erect for the Sacs and Foxes, three comfortable houses ; 
to enclose and break up for them two hundred acres of land ;- to furnish 
them with a farmer, blacksmith, schoolmaster, and interpreter, as long 
as the President of the United States shall deem proper ; to furnish them 
with such agricultural implements as may be necessary, for five years ; 
to furnish them with rations for one year, commencing at the time of 
their arrival at their new home ; to furnish them with one ferry boat ; 
to furnish them with one hundred cows and calves, and five bulls ; one 
hundred stock hogs, when they require them ; to furnish them with a 
mill, and to assist in removing them to the extent of four hundred dollars. 

Article 4. This treaty shall be obligatory on the tribes, parties 
hereto, from and after the date hereof, and on the United States, from 
and after its ratification by the Government thereof. 

Done, and signed and sealed at Fort Leavenworth, on the Missouri, 
this seventeenth day of September, eighteen hundred and thirty-six, and 
of the Independence of the United States the sixty-first. 

WILLIAM CLARK, 
Superintendent Indian Affairs. 

lOWAYS : 

MO-HOS-CA (or White CLoud), NE - WAN - THAW - CHU ( Hair 
NAU-CHE-NING (or No Heart), Shedder). 

WA-CHE-MO-NE (or the Orator\ MAN-HAW-KA (Bunch of Arrows), 
NE-O-MO-NE (or Raining Cloud), CHA-TAU-THE-NE (Big Bull), 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



I I I 



MAN-O-MO-NE (or Pumpkin), CHA-TEA-THAU (Buffalo Bull), 
CON-GU (or Plumb), CH A - TA - HA - RA-WA- RE (For- 

WAU-THAW-CA-BE-CHU(one eign Buffalo), 
that eats rats). 



SACS AND foxes: 



CA-HA-QUA (Red Fox), 
PE-SHAW-CA (Bear). 
PE-CAU-MA (Deer), 
NE-BOSH-CA-NA (Wolf), 
NE-SQUI-IN-A (Deer), 
NE-SAW-AU-OUA (Bear), 
OUA-CO-OUSI^SI (Wolf), 
SUQUIL-LA (Deer), 
AS-KE-PA-KE-KA-AS-A (Green 
Lake), 



WA-PA-SE (Swan), 
NO-CHA-TAUAVA-TA-SA (Star). 
C AN-CA-CAR-MACK (Rock Bass), 
SEA-SA-HO (Sturgeon), 
PE-A-CHIM-A-CAR-MACK (Bald 

Headed Eagle), 
PE-A-CHIM-A-CAR-MACK. Jr., 

(Bald Headed Eagle). 



WITNESSES 



S. W. KEARNY, 
JNO. DOUGHERTY, 
A. S. HUGHES, 
GEO. R. H. CLARK, 
WILLIAM DUNCAN, 
JOS. V. HAMILTON. 



H. ROBIDOU, Jr.. 
WILLIAM BOWMAN. 
JEFFRY DORION, 
PETER CONSTINE, 
JACQUES METTE, 
LOUIS M. DAVIDSON. 



CHAPTER V. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 

IMPORTANCE OF FIRST SETTLEMETN3— WHEN SETTLEMENTS FIRST COMMENCED-SET- 
TLEMENT OF PLATTE TOWNSHIP-JACKSON TOWNSHIP— CRAWFORD -BLOOMING- 
TON-CENTRE— RUSH-AGENCV -MARION— WAYNE-LAKE— WASHINGTON. 

Every nation does not possess an authentic account of its origin, 
neither do all communities have the correct data whereby it is possible 
to accurately predicate the condition of their first beginnings. Never- 
theless, to be intensely interested in such things is characteristic of the 
race, and it is particularly the province of the historian to deal with 
first causes. Should these facts, as is often the case, be lost in the myth- 
ical tradition of the past, the chronicler invades the realm of the ideal 
and compels his imagination to paint the missing picture. The patriotic 
Roman was not content till he had found the "First Settlers," and then 
he was satisfied, although they were found in the very undesirable com- 
pany of a wolf, and located on a drift, which the receding waters of the 
Tiber had permitted them to prc-onpt. 

One of the advantages pertaining to a residence in a new countr}- 
and one seldom appreciated, is the fact that we can go back to the first 
beginnings. We are' thus enabled, not only to trace results to their 
causes, but also to grasp the facts which have contributed to form and 
mold these causes. We observe that a state or county has attained a 
certain position, and we at once try to trace out the reasons for this 
position in its early settlement and surroundings, in the class of men 
by whom it was peopled, and in the many chances and changes which 
have wrought out results in all the recorded deeds of mankind. In the 
history of Buchanan County we may trace its early settlers to their 
homes in the Eastern States and in the countries of the Old World. 
We. may follow the course of the hardy woodman of the "Buckeye" or 
the "Hoosier" state, or from Kentucky and Virginia on his way west to 
"grow up with the country," trusting only to his strong arm and his wil- 
ling heart to work out his ambition of a home for himself and wife and a 
competence for his children. Again, we will see that others have been 
animated with the impulse to "move on," after making themselves a part 
of the community, and have sought the newer parts of the extreme 
West, where civilization had not penetrated, or returned to their native 
soil. We shall find much of that distinctive New England character 



HISTORY OF BUCHAXAN COUNTY. II5 

which has contributed so many men and women to other portions of our 
state and the west ; also we shall find many an industrious native of 
Germany or the British Isles, and a few of the industrious and econom- 
ical French — all of whom have contributed to modify types of men 
already existing here. 

Those who have noted the career of the descendants of these 
brave, strong men, in subduing the wilds and overcoming the obstacles 
and withstanding the hardships of this country in early times, can but 
admit they are worthy sons of illustrious sires. 

The "Platte Purchase" was, until 1837, forbidden ground, and meas- 
ures were taken by the government to prevent settlement, consequently 
the settlement of the county properly began when it was thrown open 
and immigration was invited and encouraged. 

From this time the population increased rapidly, and the develop- 
ment of the material resources of the county was so speedy as to be 
almost unprecedented. In treating of the settlement of the county 
during this period, we shall strive to be somewhat analytical in our 
style, as by this course we hope to be able to give a more accurate and 
lucid account than could otherwise be done ; to this end we shall sub- 
divide the county into districts, and speak of the first settlements in each, 
and so continue until the distinctive neighborhoods grew together, and 
practically constituted one settlement — Buchanan County. 

Those who are any way familiar with the early settlement of 
Buchanan County, or in fact any of the Missouri counties, are aware that 
the first improvements were made along the various streams of water, 
not on the banks of these streams, as a general thing, but in or near the 
timber which grew in their vicinity. 

We fully realize that the task of tracing out these first settlements 
so as to accurately and fully give a history of each individual making 
them, is a difficult one ; in proportion as the reader understands the 
magnitude and difficulty of the- work, to that extent will we have his 
sympathy and forbearance. The data upon which we found our sup- 
posed facts consist mainly of notes taken by our agents, who have visited 
every part of the county, and if the narrative should, in some particulars, 
seem to the reader to be incorrect, we wish to remind him that the par- 
ticular fact which he may question is founded on the statement of some 
one individual who resides in the immediate neighborhood, and, in all 
probability, substantiated by the best evidence obtainable. Such persons 
should remember that they are as liable to be mistaken as their neigh- 
bors, and that in the little circumscribed realm of their own neighbor- 
hood, even as in the boundless realm of the universe, " truth is stranger 
than fiction." 

We have stated elsewhere in this history, that as early as 1834-5 the 
adventurous pioneer had pitched his tent within the borders of the 



114 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Platte country. Its timber, its water courses, its salubrious climate and 
prolific soil constituted attractions which were to him irrisistible. and 
believing that this land, " flowing with milk and honey." would soon be 
given over to the possession of the white man, he accordingly braved 
the opposition of the Indian, and incursions of the military forces at 
Fort Leavenworth, by moving in and effecting, if nothing more, a tem- 
porary settlement. 

As soon, however, as the treaty was made, and in fact before the 
red man had taken up his line of march to other hunting grounds, 
towards the setting sun, the tide of anxious, restless emigration, like the 
ancient Scythians who poured into Hungary, soon overspread the Platte 
Purchase, bringing with them weapons of peace and industry, wherewith 
to conquer its wildernesses and waste places. 

The early emigrants who came to Buchanan County, erected their 
rude cabins in what were afterwards known as Platte, Jackson, Crawford, 
Bloomington and Centre townships, this portion of the county not only 
lying more contiguous to Clinton County, which had been settled for 
years, but it posessed an abundance of timber, which was to the old 
settler, one of the economic and indispensable surroundings of his new 
home. 

SETTLEMENT OF PLATTE TO\VNSHn'. 

We shall here begin the history of the early settlements, as to loca- 
tion, with what is now known as Platte Township. 

The most authentic accounts all point to Judge Weston J. Everett, 
of Clay County, but originally from Tennessee, as being the first perma- 
nent settler. He had visited the Platte country in the fall of 1836, with 
the view of selecting a location for his future home. Having found the 
country all that he desired, he returned in February, 1837, and made a 
settlement on section 13, township 55, range 34, which had been occu- 
pied a short time by Absalom Enyard. of Clay County, Missouri. Mr. 
Enyard had already put up a small hut on the land, but having done so 
before the country was open for settlement, he was dispossessed and 
driven out by United States forces. His fence surrounding his premises 
was burned by the military, but his cabin was such an insignificant struc- 
ture, that it was left standing. This was purchased by Judge Everett, 
and was for a time his home. At the time of his arrival a fierce snow- 
storm was prevailing over this portion of the country, and the snow con- 
tinued to fall until it exceeded a depth of six inches. 

Judge Everett has been one of the prominent citizens of this portion 
of the county, filling various offices, from that of road overseer, to Judge 
of the County Court. He now resides on the farm where he first located. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. II5 

Absalom Munkers, a brother-in-law of Judge Everett, and a native 
of Tennessee, came to the same neighborhood where Judge Everett 
settled, in February, 1837, and located on section 18, township 55, range 
33. They left Clay County together, but Mr. Munkers falling in com- 
pany with a family in Clinton County, was detained on the road for about 
a week. Mr. Munkers, not being so fortunate as Judge Everett, had to 
build his own cabin in the woods. It is claimed that the wagons of these 
two gentlemen were the first to make tracks on the soil of Platte Town- 
ship. Mr. Munkers still lives, at an advanced age, on the land which he 
first pre-empted. His son David was the first white child born in the 
township, the date of his birth being April, 1837. 

Jackson Erickson was also a native of Tennessee, but came to 
Buchanan County from Ray County, Missouri, in 1837, and located on 
section 7, township 55, range 33. 

James Williams came also late in the year 1837, and located where 
Judge John Rohan now resides, on section 18. Mr. Williams removed 
to California, and died there. 

Old "Uncle Jack Huntsucker," as he was familiarly called, came from 
Tennessee, and settled on Castile Creek in 1837. 

Peter Bledsoe came also in 1837, and settled in the northern part of 
the township. He is still living. 

William Cobb was one of the early settlers, from Tennessee, and 
located on section 11, where he still lives. 

Jesse Fletcher began to improve a farm in thq^northwestern part of 
the township in 1837, but moved to the Grand River country, in Caldwell 
County, and died there. 

John Fletcher, a son of Jesse Fletcher, came with his brother-in- 
law, Asa Rockhold, in March or April, 1837. Mr. Fletcher settled the 
place where the widow of Richard Deacon now lives, and Rockhold 
where Mrs. Head now lives. 

John Tobin, from Kentucky, was the only settler between the Fletcher 
and Rockhold places and Matney's Mill. He arrived in 1838, and located 
on the hill half a mile east of the mill. 

John Dryden settled the same year, about one mile north of the 
Platte County line. 

Thompson Burnham made a settlement in the southeast corner of 
the township in 1837. 

Charles Kennaird came in 1838. 

Morris Pile came in 1838, and settled on section 13, township 55, 
range 34, and is still living there. 

James Anderson came also about this time. 

Dr. Samuel Trower, from Kentucky, arrived in 1838, settled on sec- 
tion 12, township 55, range 34, and was the first physician to practice 



Il6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

medicine in Platte Township. He practiced his profession for many years, 
and died in Kansas. 

Nelson Witt came early in the spring of 1838, and located where his 
son, Jackson Witt, now lives. He was also from Kentucky, and is now 
dead. He was the first Justice of the Peace (1839) in Platte Township,, 
and was at one time County Judge. 

Daniel Clark came in 1838, and his children now reside in the vicin- 
ity where he settled. 

John Berryhill settled in the forks of Maiden Creek in the early part 
of 1838. 

James Courtney bought the place which Jackson Erickson originally 
settled, on the latter s death, and lived in the township till his death, 
which occurred in 1876, at the age of seventy-seven years, the oldest 
man in the township when he died. 

James Fidler came into the township in 1838, and that year raised a 
crop on the place where the widow of his son James, now lives. He was 
from Tennessee and died on the place he settled. 

John G. Elliott, who now resides in Platte Township, says that his 
father, John Elliott, came from Kentucky in 1833 or '34, and settled in 
the Platte Purchase, next to the Clinton County line. The country was, 
of course, at that date, in the possession of the Indians, and the white 
settlers were soon driven off by the soldiers. Mr. Elliott moved over 
the line into Clinton County, but still continued to carry on the farm in 
Platte Township. 

John Commins, the father of Eli Commins, was also one of the early 
settlers of the township, and is said to have lived in Buchanan County 
several years before the Indians were removed. 

The first mill built in the township was Platte River, or, as it is 
now generally called, Matney's Mill. It Avas commenced in 1838 by 
Harrison Whitson, an old settler, and was completed at the Platte Town- 
ship end of the dam, exactly opposite to its present site in Jackson 
Township. Mr. Whitson operated it till 1843, when John Bretz, after- 
wards County Judge, became its owner. It remained in his hands till 
February 28th, 1845, when it was destroyed by fire. It was immediately 
rebuilt, across the river just opposite to its present site, in Jackson 
Township. 

Judge John Rohan, who was at one time a member of the County 
Court, was the only merchant who sold goods in Platte Township. His 
store was on his farm. He commenced business here after the war and 
removed his goods about 1876. 

The first school-house in the. township stood on the Rockhold place, 
less than a quarter of a mile from the house of Asa Rockhold, on a little 
branch that flows into Castile Creek. It was known as the Rockhold 
school-house, and the first school was taught by a man named Jackman. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 11/ 

There are now five good school buildings in Platte Township. 

The first meeting house in the township was built by the Calvanistic 
Baptists, on land belonging to Judge Nelson Witt, and within a 
hundred yards of his dwelling. It was known as the "Witt Meeting 
House." It was a large structure, built of hewn logs, with eight corners, 
and held a considerable number of people. The first minister who 
preached in this church, and in Platte Township, was John Evans, a Cal- 
vanistic Baptist from Kentucky. 

The Missionary Baptist subsequently erected a frame meeting house, 
called "Hebron," which was standing in 1876, not used, however, for 
church purposes. 

Another house of worship was erected in the northern part of the 
township, called "Jones' Chapel," which was burned down during the 
war. 

Rev. Wm. Bledsoe, of the Hardshell Baptist denomination, a 
pioneer and Christian gentleman, ministered with the earliest expound- 
ers of the Word in these regions. 

Henry Wetmore was the first and last postmaster in the township. 
The office was continued for about two years. 

The first bridge at Platte River, connecting Platte and Jackson 
Townships, was erected about 1854. Calvert and Hodges were the con- 
tractors at $3,700. W. C. Maddox built the approaches at $1,050. 

The second bridge in the township was built in 1870. C. Baker & 
Co., contractors, at $7,500, all complete. It broke down in 1878, and 
was rebuilt in a more substantial manner. 



SETTLEMENT OF JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 

Among the early settlers of this township was Pleasant Yates, who 
came in the spring of 1837, and settled in the vicinity of where he now 
lives. At the time of his arrival there were no white settlers within a dis- 
tance of seven miles. 

Isaac Farris settled in the northern part of the township in 1837. 
He was a native of Lincoln County, Kentucky, removed to Indiana, and 
emigrated from that state to Missouri. He came directly to the Platte 
Purchase, and in the fall of the year settled on section 6. township 55, 
range 34. 

The father of Isaac P'arris, (Johnson Farris,) had previously been one 
of the pioneers of Kentucky, and is said to have built the first house 
erected in Warrensburg in that state. 

The father of George W. Ray, who is now one of the leading resi- 
dents of the township, settled about halfway between Matney's Mill and 
Arnoldsville. 



Il8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Several families by the name of Holland made settlements at an 
early period to the south of Matney's Mill, and their descendants formed 
a considerable part of the early population in that locality. 

Levi Jackson, from Kentucky, located on Platte River, above 
Matney's mill, and was one of the early settlers of the township. 

Judge Blevins was one of the pioneers. He came in 1837 or 1838, 
and settled on the river bluff, south of Matney's mill. 

John Johnson came from North Carolina in 1838. 

Robert Prather came the same year from Kentucky, and is now 
living in Atchison County, Kansas. 

Phillip Walker came about the same time, and is now living near 
the site of Old Sparta, at the advanced age of over eighty years. 

Robert Wilson, of Ohio, came also at the same time with the above, 
and died in 1865. 

There is but one church building within the limits of Jackson Town- 
ship. This is located about one and three-quarters miles north by east 
of Arnoldsville. It is styled Mount Pleasant Church, and is the property 
of the Missionary Baptists, by whom it was built some thirty-five or 
thirty-six years ago. The structure is a time-worn and weather-stained 
frame building, of contracted proportions ; the rude, unpretending style, 
proper to the day and generation when it was built. The surroundings 
are in harmony with the general aspect of this primitive edifice, which 
doubtless in the day of its erection was something of which that then 
sparsely settled neighborhoood had some cause to be proud. 

Between the heavy body of timber to the southward of the road 
and the building, on a slight elevation to the northward, is a graveyard, 
thickly studded with mounds, in which many of the "rude forefathers of 
the hamlet sleep." Some of them are surrounded by fences, and dis- 
tinguished with monuments suggestive of a cultured taste, and more 
modern period of construction. Others again are of an exceedingh' 
primitive character, while the general mass of unmarked graves have 
little to distinguish them from the fenceless and uncared for space which 
they seem to occupy, with little if any regard to order of arrangement. 

The first to preach in this antique church was Rev. Mathias Cline, 
who came to that vicinity about the year 1844 or '45. Rev. Delany 
Woods is the present minister in charge. 

John Ray came from North Carolina in 1838, settling first between 
Arnoldsville and Matney's Mill. He died in 1857. 

G. W. Ray, his son, is the present merchant of Arnoldsville. 

In the same year came Christopher Cunningham (since dead) and 
his two sons, William and John, who now live in Kansas. 

Benjamin McCrary settled in the township in 1838, and died soon 
after, the war. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. II9- 

Charles Grable, a prominent citizen of the township, now living one 
mile from Arnoldsville, came to the township in 1840. 

Anthony Grable, his brother (now dead), who came with him, sold 
goods in Arnoldsville with John Chesnut for a period of two years, soon 
after the close of the war. 

Eli Arnold came at an early day, and died since the war. 

Platte River Mills, also called Matney's Mills, was one of the earliest 
settled neighborhoods of the township. 

The postoffice at this period, called " Platte River," was established 
in 1848, and John Bretz appointed postmaster. This was the first post- 
office established in Jackson Township. Bretz was succeeded in the 
office by Wm. Matney, the present owner of the mills. 

Joel Grable started a general store in i85i,and sold goods about 
one year. 

In August, 1852, Wm. M. Matney opened, in partnership with E. 
Cody, a stock of goods. They continued in business together till April 
1853, when Matney bought out his partner, and continued to sell goods 
till 1854, when he sold out to Isaac Brooks. 

In 1857, Brooks moved his goods to Plattsburg. Wm. M. Matney 
opened another store at the mills, and did business till 1861, when he 
closed out. There was no store kept at the mills during the period of 
the civil war, and the postoffice, as above stated, was moved across the 
the river into Platte Township, one mile north of the mills to the house 
of Henry Weltner, with whom it remained until after the close of the 
war, when it was moved back to its original and present site in Jackson 
Township. 

The present postmaster of Platte River, is O. D. Grable, son of 
Joel Grable, an old citizen of the township, and the merchant in whose 
store the postoffice is now kept. 

William M. Matney became the sole proprietor of what is now 
known as Matney's Mill in April, 1857. This mill is located in Jackson- 
Township, on Platte River, just opposite to the point in Platte Town- 
ship, where it was first erected in 1838. 

In August, 1867, the mill was consumed by fire. Mr. Matney rebuilt 
a frame building, 46x66 feet, three stories above basement. The base- 
ment wall is stone, twenty feet high, containing more than seven hundred 
perch. The mill contains two run of burrs, four and four and a half 
feet in diameter. There is an addition to the main building two stories 
high. First story is used for saw mill, and contains one circular saw ; 
the second story contains two double custom roll carding machines, all 
driven by four Leffel turbine wheels, which cost about $2,[O0. The mill 
is now in successful operation, except during very high or low water. 



I20 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

SETTLEMENT OF CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. 

William Fowler, (deceased), settled in Crawford Township, 1837. 

William Harrington, (deceased), 1837. • 

Edward Davidson, from Illinois, (deceased), 1837. 

Caleb Bailey, (deceased), 1837. 

William Guinn, from Illinois in 1837, went to California in 1846. 

William Lockhart, from Illinois, (deceased), 1837. 

Bartlett Curl, from Kentucky in 1837, living in Oregon. 

James B. OToole, from Illinois, (deceased), 1837. 

Harvey Jones, from North Carolina, (deceased), 1837. 

O. M. Spencer, from Kentucky in 1837, living in Kansas. 

Widdy Henderson, (deceased). 

James Curl, (deceased). 

William Payne, (deceased). 

Guian Brown, (deceased). 

Turpin Thomas, (deceased). 

Matt Ferrell, (deceased). 

Judge Thomas A. Brown, living ; present County Judge. Judge 
Brown came to Crawford Township in 1838, from Tennessee. 

H. W. Baker came in 1837, from Virginia; living. 

John Hickman came in 1837, from St. Louis; living. 

Levi J. Judah came in 1839, from Indiana; living. 

Columbus H. Roundtree came in 1837, from Kentucky; living. 

John, James and Cornelius McGuire, (deceased). 

Captain William Fowler located here in 1837, from Delaware, on the 
quarter section of land now occupied by the town of Wallace. He had 
the honor of being the first Circuit and County Clerks of Buchanan 
County, having been appointed to those positions in 1839. He died in 
St. Joseph, in November, 1880, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 

Dr. Silas McDonald came from Kentucky in the spring of 1838, and 
located in Crawford Township. He was the first physician in the county. 
Now a resident of St. Joseph. 

Major Sandford Feland came to this township in 1839, purchased a 
claim east of the town of Wallace, where he has continued to reside ever 
since. His apple orchard, one of the finest in the state, contains five 
thousand trees. Major Feland states when he came to his present home 
the bark wigwams, which had just been vacated by the Sac Indians, were 
still standing on the banks of Bee Creek. The Major is a native of Ken- 
tucky, and was an officer in the Kentucky militia. 

Guilford Moultrie, who built the first log Court House at Sparta, was 
a resident of Crawford Township, and died at his home some years 
before the war. one mile east of Wallace. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 121 

The oldest business center in Crawford Township was known as 
West Point. It was a single store, kept by Joel Pennick, on a farm now 
owned by Milton Murphy, one and a half miles west of the present town 
of Halleck. Mr. Pennick came to the township with his family in 1838, 
and afterwards removed to St. Joseph. Here was kept one among the 
first postofifices established in the county. 

Henry Fansher ran the first blacksmith shop in the township. This 
was on the present site of Faucett's mill. 

The first camp meeting in Crawford Township was held by the 
Presbyterians, on Sparta camp ground, in the southwest part of the 
township, in 1848. Rev. Jesse Allen was the first Presbyterian minister. 
It is generally conceded that the first mill erected in the township was 
dowser's mill, a water power built by Jones, and operated by John 
Clowser. The site of this mill was two and a half miles east of Halleck. 
Daniel Clowser destroyed and rebuilt the mill in 1849. ^^'^ the great 
freshet of 1858 this was entirely swept away. 

The first steam mill erected in the township was by Dr. Silas 
McDonald, now of St. Joseph. 

Edward Davidson also built a steam mill, which was destroyed by 
fire in 1868. 

Brown & McClanahan built, in 1856-7, a steam saw mill north of 
Halleck. In 1861, Daniel Clowser bought it from Brown & McClanahan 
and converted it into a grist mill and carding machine. The latter 
feature has ceased to exist. In 1865 this was sold to Faucett & Ferril, 
who enlarged it and made it one of the best flouring mills in the country. 
It operates five run of burrs and has capacity for making one hundred 
barrels of flour per day and night. The present owners are Faucett, 
Robinson & Baker. Faucett's flour is widely and favorably known 
throughout the Missouri valley. 

Nathan Turner built a mill in the fall of 1838, and when he had a 
head of water would start the mill and go to clearing ground. Mr. 
Turner says that his neighbor, Sneed, had a dog, which was good to 
hunt "coons." One day, when his mill was running (he being in the 
new ground at work) he heard Sneed's dog barking, and thinking he had 
found a "coon" in the mill, quit his work and went to him. To his aston- 
ishment he saw the dog was barking, not at the supposed "coon," but at 
the grist as it came out. The grist came out at irregular intervals and 
in lumps, and when it appeared the dog would snatch and eat it, and 
then watch and bark and wait for the next batch. 

The first school in the township was kept by Francis Ferguson, on 
the southwest corner of section sixteen, in 1839. This was a log school 
house with puncheon floor ; one log cut out for a window, and paper 
pasted over it punctured with pin-holes, to admit the light. 



122 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

For teaching, she charged fifty cents per pupil, for a term of six- 
months. Money, however, being very scarce in those days, she took 
what her patrons could give her. Mr. Curl paid her for teaching his 
children, in flannel, cloth, stockings and two small pigs. The house in 
which she taught was erected by Dr. McDonald, Wash Taylor, James 
Curl, Singleton Asher, Robert Taylor, J. J. Pennick and others. It was 
sixteen feet square ; the chimney was six feet in width and made of 
sticks and dirt. A paddle hung at the door, marked on one side "out,"' 
and on the other side "in," which was turned by the pupils as they came 
in or went out during school hours. 

SETTLEMENT OF BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 

Among the earliest settlers of what is now Bloomington Township, 
was Hiram Roberts. He came to the vicinity of DeKalb in 1836, a year 
before the county was opened for settlement. 

As soon as it was known that squatters had invaded the county. 
United States troops from Fort Leavenworth were sent to dispossess 
them. Perhaps, the only man who escaped the vigilance of the military, 
was Hiram Roberts, who happened to be overlooked, from the secluded 
location he then occupied. 

He lived many years after in DeKalb ; was a Justice of the Peace ; 
kept the hotel of the town for several years, and was a popular and 
highly respected citizen. He died in DeKalb, April 25, 1881, at the 
ripe age of seventy-nine years. Five days after, his wife of nearly equal 
age with himself, was buried. The inscription on their monument in 
the cemetery at DeKalb reads as follows : 

"Hiram Roberts, born December 6, 1801 ; died April 25, 1881, aged 
79 years, 4 months and 19 days. Rachael Roberts, born March 18, 1802 ; 
died April 27, 1881, aged 79 years, i month and 9 days." 

Isom Gardner, Amos Horn, a native of Lafayette County, Missouri, 
John Underwood, Holland Jones, Thomas Hickman. William Hickman, 
and William Ballow, Matt Geer, Hardin Hamilton, Mrs. Sally Davis, 
(now deceased) F. D. Davis, her son, Thomas Hill, Major F. D. Bowen, 
(died 1867) Stephen F'ield, who built the first mill in the township, 
James Hamilton, and Isaac Van Hoosier, who died 1879, were all here 
in 1837. 

The Gartens (Zachariah, who died in 1852) with his sons Uriah and 
John, have lived in Nodaway County since 1842. William lives just 
south of DeKalb and Stephen, now the oldest original settler of the 
town, came to Bloomington Township in 1839. Lewis Garten came to 
the township also in 1839, now lives in California. In 1841, Major 
Francis Drake Bowen, a native of Fairfax County, Virginia, settled near 
DeKalb. He bought from James Linville, a claim which he afterwards 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 23 

entered, about two miles from DeKalb. He then went to Kentucky, 
where he taught a school five months, returning the same year to 
Bloomington Township, and their resided until his death, which occurred 
November 13, 1867, aged seventy-three years. His estate included some 
of the finest farms in the county, which descended to his two nephews, 
Peter and William A. Bowen. Major Bowen was at one time an officer 
in the war of 181 2. He was a man of stately presence, and of superior 
scholastic attainments. He was never married. John Bowen, a brother 
of the Major, came from Virginia in 1832, with his wife and three sons: 
William A. Bowen, now, 1881, is Commissioner of Public Instruction in 
Platte County, Missouri ; Lovell, who was killed in the battle of Pea 
Ridge, fighting for the Southern cause, and Peter O. Bowen, now living 
in DeKalb. John Bowen died July 5, 1862, at the age of seventy-one 
years. His wife died in July, 1879. Francis Drake Davis, a cousin of 
Major F. D. Bowen, and now a wealthy citizen of the township, located 
here in 1837, coming from P'airfax County, Virginia. He now resides in 
the township, in the seventy-ninth year of his age. His mother, Mrs. 
Sally Davis, soon after came out with another son, John, who died on 
his way to California, in 1849. About twelve years after, Thomas Daxis, 
a third son, came to Bloomington Township. Mrs. Davis died at the 
residence of her son, F. D. Davis, at the advanced age of one hundred 
years, having been born in Virginia, in December, 1773. Thomas Davis 
died in 1880, at the age of eighty years. Both this family and the 
Bowens were lineal descendants of. Sir Francis Drake. Mrs. Davis had 
two daughters, Mrs. Bryant and Mrs. Peoples, both dead. The former 
died in Bloomington Township, and the latter in Lexington, Missouri. 

Michael Gabbard, at one time a representative farmer, settled his 
present home on Contrary Creek, two and-a-half miles east of DeKalb, 
in 1838. He died in December, 1878, aged seventy-nine years. His 
widow survives. Benjamin Yocum, a farmer from Kentucky, settled in 
this township in February, 1839, where he still resides. 

In 1839, Captain Richard Murphy, of Weston, Platte County, opened 
a saloon in Bloomington, which was attended by George W. Belt, pres- 
ent Recorder in St. Joseph. The sign read " Kaughphy House," and 
because of the originality of the orthography, it attracted universal 
attention. 

Captain Belt has since that date filled many important offices in 
Platte County ; was successively Sheriff, Circuit Clerk, etc. 

The first to open a store within the limits of the town was the firm 
or O. H. P. Lucas & Thornburg. During the same year Sandy Cun- 
ningham became a member of this firm. They continued in business 
for about three years. The store of Lucas & Co.. in 1840. was robbed 
of $500, by James Mitchel, who kept a saloon in the place. Mitchel 
was arrested but one of the important witnesses failing to appear at the 



124 HISTORY OK BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

trial, he was discharged, and soon left the county on account of his 
unpopularity. 

Governor Robert M. Stewart immigrated to Bloomington Township 
in 1839, from New York, where he entered a claim and continued to 
reside until the breaking out of the Mexican war. He was a lawyer by 
profession and boarded a portion of the time while in DeKalb, with Joel 
Hedgpeth. Justice of the Peace. In 1845 he moved to St. Joseph, where 
he continued to reside until his death. Governor Stewart will be 
noticed at greater length further on, in chapter entitled "Bench and 

Bar." 

James Ellison was also an early settler in the township, and died 
some years after the war. He was long a prominent pioneer, as was also 
Judge Curl, who at one time represented Carroll County. Missouri, in the 
Legislature. 

William Moore, a son-in-law of James Ellison, came in 1839. He 
was Deputy Sheriff and Constable for several years. He died in 1847. 

Captain William Moore, who lives near DeKalb, at an advanced 
age, came to the township at an early day, and was long regarded as a 
representative citizen. 

David Brown came in 1839, and located where his widow now resides, 
below DeKalb. He was an enterprising farmer, and a native of Ten- 
nessee. 

William Clasby immigrated from Calloway County, Missouri, to 
Buchanan County in 1838. and settled on a farm just west of DeKalb. 
He died some years before the war. Some of his descendants still live 
in the count}'. 

Benjamin Sampson and his brother. John, came to Bloomington 
Township in 1838. Sampson's Mill is now owned by Henry, a son of John 
Sampson. 

Abraham and William Womack settled here in 1838, on the farm 
now owned by Thomas Hill and Ennis Burns, in 1840. 

William Fountaine and Rice McCubbin were also early settlers. Rice 
McCubbin now resides in Kansas. Fountaine died before the war. His 
widow still survives, and- is the wife of P. R. King. 

The first store within the limits of the township was opened by Hol- 
land Jones and Joel Hedgpeth, on the quarter section now owned and 
occupied by J. H. Piles, and adjoining on the east, in 1837. It was. as 
may be supposed, a small affair, at that early day. The second store was 
kept by James G. Finch. 

John Dairs, a native of Virginia, was the first man to distill whisky 
in the township, prior to 1843. He died on his way to California, and his 
remains were brought back and buried in DeKalb. 

Archibald Stewart is believed to have been the first preacher to 
exercise his calling in the township. He preached his first sermon under 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 25 

a buckeye tree, on Sugar Creek, three miles south of DeKalb, thus liter- 
ally bearing testimony to the truth of the lines : 

' The groves were God's first temples," 

This was in 1839. His church was called the New Light, now the Chris- 
tian Church. 

The first building erected and used in the township exclusively for 
church purposes was a log house, near the above mentioned tree, on 
Sugar Creek. It was built in 1839, by the Hard-Shell Baptists. This 
has long since disappeared. 

The first camp-meeting held in the township was in 1842, near the 
site of Valley Chapel school house. The second was held in 1847, ^ half 
a mile below Martin's old mill. 

The last camp meeting was held in 1855, near the same spot. 

The first mill was built in Bloomington Township, in 1838, by 
Stephen Field, who came in 1837. It was a horse mill, three miles from 
DeKalb, and took all night to grind two bushels of meal. The second 
mill erected in the township was a water power, owned by General John 
T. Martin, who afterwards converted it into a steam mill. It was located 
on Sugar Creek and has long since disappeared. 

In 1865-66 J. H. and B. Sampson erected a flouring mill on Contrary 
Creek, two miles northeast of DeKalb. It turned two runs of burrs ; 
attached to this was a small saw mill. J. H. Sampson, Sr., also owns 
and operates a steam saw mill one and a half miles northeast of DeKalb. 

The first marriage in Bloomington Township occurred July, 1839. 
The parties were James Bryant and Rosa Davis, a daughter of Mrs. Sally 
Davis, who died, as before stated, in 1873. The ceremony was per- 
formed by Hiram Roberts, Esq. It was a runaway match. 

Judge Cornelius Roberts, brother of Hiram Roberts, Esq., settled 
in Bloomington Township at a very early day, in 1837, and still resides 
within three miles of DeKalb. Judge Roberts was fourteen years on 
the county bench, twice by appointment and twice by election, and was 
legislated out of office by the adoption of the Drake constitution. He is 
the second person who received the contract for keeping the county 
poor, his bid being the lowest. 

Major Thomas Christopher, formerly a prominent citizen of Bloom- 
ington Township, now resides in St. Joseph. 

Judge J. P. Pettigrew, now operating Sampson's mill, near DeKalb, 
came from Mercer County, Pennsylvania, and settled in the southwest 
corner of the county in 1839. He first worked at the carpenter's trade 
twelve years, and then, with John T. Martin, operated a grist mill on 
Sugar Creek. He was elected captain of militia in 1840, was justice of 
the peace of the township, holding the position for twelve years, was 



126 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

appointed county judge in 1864, and elected probate judge in 1870. He 
was at one time postmaster of DeKalb. 

P. R. King, another old citizen of this township, came, in 1840, from 
Montgomery County, Missouri. He worked at the tailor business in 
1848, when he put up a saw and carding machine which was run by 
horse and ox power. He was afterwards a merchant in DeKalb, Atch- 
ison, Kansas, and some years after the war returned again to DeKalb, 
where he now resides. 

SETTLEMENT OF CENTRE TOWNSHIP. 

Among the first settlers of Centre Township was Richard Hill, who, 
in the fall of 1837, settled in the immediate vicinity of the subsequent 
town of Sparta. By act of the General Assembh" of Missouri, his 
house was designated as the place where the first courts of the county 
should be held, until otherwise ordered by the county court. The county 
court was held at his residence until after April, 1841. At their July term, 
1840, the county court made the following order for Mr. Hill's benefit : 

"Ordered, that Richard Hill be allowed sixteen dollars out of any 
money in the county treasury, appropriated for county expenditures, for 
room furnished the county court, including this term of the court." 

At the same term we also find the following : 

"Ordered, that the house of Richard Hill be the place of holding 
elections in Centre Township." 

Robert Duncan settled east of Sparta in 1839. 

William Hunter settled east of Sparta in 1839. 

Andrew J. Hunter located in the same neighborhood in 1839. 

John Richey came to Centre Township also in 1839, and was shortly 
after his coming made a justice of the peace. Mr. Richey was 
appointed allotting justice, by the county court, in 1840, of Noble Town- 
ship, which included a portion of Centre Township at that date. 

About the same time (1839) came James Donovan, of Augusta, Ken- 
tucky, John Hill, Samuel Hill and Joseph Hill, and settled near the 
town of Sparta. 

Captain William Fowler moved to Sparta from Crawford Township, 
after the location there of the county seat, and afterwards removed with 
county seat again to St. Joseph. 

General B. F. Loan, Governor W. P. Hall, General James B. Gar- 
denhire, Judge Henry M. Vories, Judge Wm. B. Almond and General J. 
M. Bassett (whom we have mentioned elsewhere in this history) located 
in Sparta, between 1840 and 1845, and came to St. Joseph, after the 
removal of the county seat, in 1846. 

Among the early settlers in this township were : Jesse Reames, 
Zachariah Waller, P^lijah W. Smith, Lucas Dawson, John Croy. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN' COUNTY. 12/ 

Along the line of bluffs in the western part of the township, John 
Martin settled in 1837, seven miles south of St. Joseph. When he first 
came to that locality his log house was the first south of Robidoux's, in 
following the line of the bluffs. 

Thomas Moore made a settlement in 1837, one mile south of Mar- 
tin's. 

Wm. Farris settled in the southeast part of the township in 1840, on 
the farm where his son, N. B. Farris now lives. He came from Indiana. 

George Raney came to the township from Indiana. 

H. G. Gordan settled in the township in 1842. 

James Woodward and Robert Donnell, now a banker, of New York, 
came at an early day. 

Evan Jordan located in the southern part of the township. 

Ransom Ridge was an early settler. 

Martin Hiroch is an old settler, living in the same neighborhood 
with Moore. 

Coates settled in 1840, the place where George Hirsch now resides. 

Joseph Mathers and his brother-in-law, Oman Miller, were the first 
settlers to improve section 35, who settled there in 1842. 

On section 23, a man named Spratt had a farm at an early day, and 
a man by the name of Pell a wagon shop. 

Samuel McCauley, one of the leading men of the township, settled 
here in 1840, improving section 34. He was from Lancaster County, 
Pennsylvania. 

The Ganns are also early settlers of the township. 

William C. Connett, father of William C, Squire S. and Horace F. 
Connett, settled here in March, 1839, where the residence of the sons 
now is. He came from Lexington, Kentucky. The Connetts have been 
engaged in pork packing since 1850. Steam was brought into requisi- 
tion in their establishment in 1870; the works have been enlarged from 
that date and a large business is now carried on. 

John Copeland settled on section 22 in 1840. Mr. Copeland died in 

1873- 

The Gazette, in noticing his death, says : 

"On last Saturday morning, December 13, 1873. at 9 o'clock, at 
Agency, departed this life, Mr. John Copeland, at the wonderful age of 
one hundred and five years. A life begun before the American revolu- 
tion and extending over a century, the most important and eventful in 
the world's history, is something so remarkable as to arrest our atten- 
tion. John Copeland was born in North Carolina, in 1768. In 1829 he 
moved from the place of his birth, then at the age of sixty years, to Ten- 
nessee, where he lived till 1840. In 1840 he moved to Missouri, and 
settled at Old Sparta, in Buchanan County, then the county-seat. For 
the last thirty years he has made his home in this county. 

"Mr. Copeland, as would be inferred, had a remarkable constitution. 
For three-quarters of a century he was a man of splendid physical powers ; 



128 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

and, indeed, remained in excellent health, in possession of all his facul- 
ties, mental and physical — except only his eye-sight — till the day of his 
death. He complained of no pain, and fell from no disease. His was lit- 
erally a death from old age. 

"In 1868, in the hundredth year of his age, Mr. Copeland professed 
religion, and united with the Baptist Church at Sparta, and was baptized 
by Elder J. W. Waller, of Agency, since which time he has been a 
devoted Christian. Mr. Copeland had ten children, and his descendants 
are very numerous. His sons have been among the best known of the 
citizens of the Northwest for a quarter of a century. Mr. Abner Cope- 
land, one of the most respected and useful citizens of this county, is a. 
son of the deceased patriarch, and watched with deep affection the clos- 
ing years of his father's life. 

"Mr. Copeland's remains were followed to the grave by a numerous 
concourse of friends, and the last sad rites were touchingly and affection- 
ately performed by those among whom his long life had closed in peace 
and hope." 

The old county-seat of Buchanan County — Sparta — stood on the 
present farm of Samuel McCauley. The county-seat was located there 
in 1840, and six years afterward removed to St. Joseph. It was only a 
small town when at the zenith of its prosperity, and after the removal of 
the seat of justice, it died a natural death, and the site has since been 
abandoned. The plat of the town was recorded in December, 1840, and 
the place was doubtless intended by those interested in it to become a 
populous and important town. Its streets were named Harrison, Main, 
Walnut, Cherry, Cedar, Chesnut, Market, Vine, Olive, Prune and HazeU 
and ample provision made for its prosperous growth. 

Sparta had a brief existence, a short life of six years, during which 
time it was the county-seat of Buchanan County. 

Judge Robert Duncan was also an early settler, locating in Sparta 
after the location of the county-seat. He built in the town a hotel, a 
frame building, which is now occupied by Samuel McCauley. Judge 
Duncan was one of the county judges of Buchanan County, and removed 
to St. Joseph, where he died in 185-. 

The old Sparta graveyard was started in 1842, and the first perso!i 
to be buried in it was a man named Whittle. Whittle was an overbear- 
ing, vindictive ruffian, and was a terror to the community where he 
lived. He was killed in 1842 by one Gillett, a peaceable and quiet 
citizen. 

Gillett happened to come into Sparta one day, riding a good hoi-se, 
when Whittle, who was sitting in front of a dry-goods store, got up, 
went to Gillett's horse, cut off his tail and threw it in Gillett's face. 
Gillett borrowed a pistol from one of the citizens and shot W^iittle, v/ho 
fell in the street, while pursuing Gillett, after he had been shot. 
The demise of Whittle was the occasion of great rejoicing among his 
acquaintances. Gillett left the country and was never seen afterward. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 29 

SETTLENfENT OF RUSH TOWNSHIP. 

Among the early settlers of Rush Township, now living, is William 
Allison, who came and located in the township before the county was 
surveyed, in 1837. 

John H. Allison came in 1837. 

James Canter also located here in 1837. 

John Seips came in 1839. 

Eli Seips in 1839. 

Mitchell Owen in 1839. 

In the same year John Utt and Black Hawk Smith, an officer in the 
Black Hawk war, settled in the bottom opposite to Doniphan, Kansas. 
Colonel Wells immigrated at an early day to this township and died a 
few years since at the advanced age of eighty years. Colonel Wells 
raised a company and served in the Confederate army during the war. 

Henry Hays and Sylvester Hays settled here in 1839, also Morris 
Baker and James Carpenter, who sold his farm to Burgess Elliott about 
the year 1841. 

The first settler on the quarter section including the town site of 
the town of Rushville, was John Flannery, who came in 1839. He after- 
wards sold out to Perman Hudson and James Leachman, who laid out the 
town of Rushville, in 1847. The first man who distilled whiskey in Rush 
Township was Anthony Graves. This was in 1839. His distillery was 
near the present site of Rushville. He is now living in Nodaway 
County, at the age of eighty years. 

The first mill in the township was put up by Flannery & Son. It 
was a log house on the waters of Lost Creek, which supplied the power 
for one small run of burrs. This was in 1840. This has long been num- 
bered with the things of the past. 

About the same period (1840) Sylvester Hays, commonly known as 
" Boss Hays." before Rushville was laid out, and when Flannery & Son 
had their mill, also operated a small corn mill and distillery. 

The first sermon preached in Rush Township was by Rev. J. R. 
Lowe, a Hard-Shell Baptist, in 1843. 

In the same year the first marriage was performed in the township 
by the same minister. The contracting parties were James D. Buntin 
and Ursula Flannery, daughter of John Flannery, above referred to. 
The groom has long since been dead, but the bride still lives in the 
neighborhood of Rushville. 

James Leachman was the first postmaster, in 185 1, of the township, 
his office being known as Leachman's postoffice. He was succeeded by 
William Green, who in turn was succeeded by Alexander McPherson, 
who served till 1854, when James R. Dickson received the appointment. 
Mr. Dickson has been a prominent merchant of Rushville. He is one of 



I30 HISTORY OV r.lCHANAN COINTV. 

the old citizens. In 1855 Esquire P21iiah W'.itson. from Kentuck)-, suc- 
ceeded Mr. Dickson as postmister. He has held the office vniinterrupt- 
edly ever since. 

Rush Township has been, at different tinus, the seat of some excel- 
lent flouring' mills. 

In 1S68-69. M. H. and S. F Flo}'d put up a spacious and well- 
appointed mill ; a strong framj on stone foundations ; two runs of burrs 
and superior machiner}-. It burnt down in 1S73. A. Fenton and James 
H. Canter own at present the steam flouring mill, built in 1875 by 
Esquire McFarland. It is furnished with two runs of burrs. The mill 
is leased b\" J. H. Rankin, who now .1881^ operates it. 

SETTLEMENT OF AGENCY TO\VNSinr. 

About the first settlements in what is now known as Agenc\- Town- 
ship were James Gilmore and his brother Robert, who located here in 
1837. They were natives of East Tennessee, and settled first in Cla}' 
Count\-, Missouri. Robert Gilmore, when coming to Buchanan Count)", 
located on section 29. township 36. range 34. He was the father of 
James J. Gilmore. now living at Agency, and brother of James Gilmore, 
who li\ed in the Piatte countr}". as blacksmith for the Iowa and Sac 
Indians, long before it was settled by the whites. James Gilmore com- 
pleted what was known as Dixon's Mill, two and a half miles above 
Agency, on the Platte Ri\-er. Of this mill scarce!}- a \-estige now 
remains. Its builder, Mr. Dixon, was from Mar\-land. James Gilmore 
died in Oregon ; was the father of James J. Gilmore, who is now a prom- 
inent farmer of the township. 

James J. Reynolds cam:: from Cla}- Count}- in 1838, and settled near 
the Agenc}-. 

Samuel Poteete settled the farm where James J. Gilmore now lives. 
He was originally from Tennessee, and located here in 1837. 

Wm. McDowell, from Clay Countv. came in the spring of 1837, and 
lived near Agency till his death, which occurred in 1874. 

Jacob Reese, a native o( Xorth Carolina, reached the county about 
the }-ear 1838, and settled on Pigeon Creek. The farm which Mr. 
Reese occupies is the oldest farm in the count}-, being opened up ten or 
twelve years before the settlement of the count}- by the whites. 

Benjamin Moore, from Virginia, settled on Pigeon Creek. 

Littleberry Estes settled on Pigeon Creek. 

Moore was the first postmaster in that part of the count}- and kept 
the post office, which was called Walnut Hill. 

John McGanhe}- came from Indiana, in the summer of 1839. and 
located one and a half miles south of Agenc}-. 

Briiiht Martin first settled the farm of M. W. Farris, on section ;i. 



HISTOKN OK HUCMANAN COUNTY. I3I 

John Lamb settled on the Platte, just north of the Jackson County 
line, in 1839. He died en route to California. 

The first mill on Platte River, in Buchanan County, was Dickson's 
Mill, which stood two and a half miles above Agency. It was built by 
Benjamin and James Dickson, and James Gilmore, and was constructed 
in 1838. 

Richard Fulton was one of the early settlers. 

The loCjition on which the town of Agenc}' now stands was from the 
earliest settlement of the county known as Agency Ford. In 1838 or 
'39, Robert Gilmore established a ferry, which he operated till the year 
1865, when Williarn B. Smith, the founder of the town, purchased a large 
flat boat, which he hauled from the Missouri River at St. Joseph, by 
means of ox-teams, and established his ferry across the Platte at Agency. 
The building of a wagon bridge across the river at this point in 1868, 
ended the necessity for a ferry, which was then discontinued. .There is 
at present an iron wagon bridge at this point, built on the abutments 
of the old bridge which had been condemned. A few hundred yards 
above this is the bridge across the Platte, of what is now a branch of the 
Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad, built in 1869. 

At this time (1881), a substantial wagon bridge is being constructed 
across Pigeon Creek, half a mile north of the town of Agency, on the old 
State road. David Yates, a prominent merchant of the town, was 
drowned here in 1879. 

The town of Agency was founded in 1865 by William B. Smith, and 
during the following year his father, Hugh Smith, sold his farm, on which 
was the town site of the original town of Sparta, and established himself 
also here. 

The town, after being laid out by Mr. Smith, continued to grow 
until 1869, when the completion of the branch of the Wabash, St. Louis 
and Pacific Railroad, gave a new impetus to business of all kinds. In 
1864, Smith Bros, completed the building of a mill at Agency. In 1868 
and '69, R. R. Boone became the sole proprietor. In 1878, he sold a half 
interest to his son-in-law, K. M. Yates. Since that date several 
improvements have been added to the mill, which now has a grinding 
capacity of three hundred bushels of wheat per day, producing an excel- 
lent quality of flour. 

V. C. Cooley's mill is located on Platte River, three miles southeast 
of Agency. It has three runs of burrs, is supplied with Anderson's 
steam heater, and has a capacity for grinding six thousand pounds of 
flour dail}-. 

One of the first sermons preached within the liniits of the township 
was delivered by Bishop Marvin, in a log cabin called the "Wood" 
.school house. 

One of the earliest postmasters of Agenc)- was Benjamin Moore. 



132 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

J. B. Hollingsworth, a justice of the peace of the attached part of 
Centre Township, by the erection of Agency Township, became the first 
justice of the peace of the new township. W. H. Ritchie was the first 
constable, and Susan M. Holland was commissioned the first notary 
public. 

General Andrew S. Hughes, of whom we have spoken elsewhere, was 
Indian Agent, stationed at Agency Ford for several years. 

SETTLEMENT OF MARION TOWNSHIP. 

Marion Township, from the fact that the territory embraced within 
its limits occupied the northeastern part of the county, w as not so rap- 
idly or thickly settled as the southern portion. 

The first settlers generally occupied that portion of the county 
lying contiguous to the line of Clinton County. 

Calvin James was one of the earliest settlers of Marion Township. 
He came from some one of the older settled counties of Missouri, and 
located near the town of Easton in 1837. and still resides in the town- 
ship. 

Benjamin Cornelius, from Clay, came in 1837 '^'icl settled on section 
15, township 57, range 34. When he located here his nearest neighbor 
was four miles distant. 

Peter Boyer, the father of Jacob and Henry Boyer, who lived on 
Third Fork, settled the place now owned by Isaac Gibson. Mr. Boyer 
was from Pennsylvania. 

James Blakely settled on section 22, township 57, range 34, and 
came to the county from Kentucky, in 1838. 

Thomas McGowan came in 1838 and settled south of Mr. Blakely. 

Jesse Clark arrived in 1838, originally from Tennessee, but came 
from Clay County to Buchanan. 

Barnes Clark came the same year, being also from Tennessee, and 
at the time of his location here from Clay. The Clarks are still living 
in the township. 

The Markers, from Ohio, settled about a mile and a half west of the 
Third Fork, at an early date. 

Caleb Hasenmeyer, who was also from Ohio, was among the early 
German settlers in the township, coming about the same time that the 
Markers came. 

John Ledgerwood came from Clay County in 1839, and made a set- 
tlement on the east side of Platte River. 

Nicholas Roberts located in the township in the spring of 1838, on ^ 
land now owned by E. V. Kelly. 

James Roberts settled here also in 1838, on the place now occupied 
by Monroe McCorkle. They were from Clay County. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 133 

James McCorkle, from Clay County, settled in the forks of Platte 
and Third Fork, in the spring of 1838, on land now owned by Jesse A. 
Clark. 

George Rapp was also an early settler. 

Dougherty was the first settler of the school section (16) of 

township 57, range 34. He left the country soon afterward. 

Joseph Kessler, who lives in the vicinity of Easton, was one of the 
first German settlers. 

Among others who came at an early day, we have the names of John 
Wunderlich ; Wolfgang Beck ; John Slaybaugh, from Pennsylvania ; 
David Davis, from Ohio ; Dr. John Minor, from Kentucky ; John Davis, 
brother of David, from Ohio; Isaac Gibson, from Missouri; Isaac Voo- 
hies; William P. Shortridge, from Kentucky; Augustus Wiley and 
James Wiley. 

SETTLEMENT OF WAYNE TOWNSHH'. 

Peter Price was one of the earliest settlers in Wayne Township. He 
came in 1837, and located where Thomas Leisure now lives. 

James M. Hawley, from Indiana, settled here in 1839.. 

Stephen Hawley, also from Indiana, came in 1839. 

Isaac Lower, from Tennessee, came in 1837. 

William Jones settled where his sons, Levi and Frank Jones, now 
reside. 

William Dunning settled in the township in 1839, ten miles south of 
St. Joseph. He was born in Guilford, North Carolina, in 1794; served 
through the war of 1812; married in Tennessee in 1821, and moved to 
Bloomington, Indiana, where he filled several important offices, among 
which was that of Associate Justice for the period of eight years. He 
was appointed Judge of the County Court of Buchanan County in 1842, 
and continued thereafter to fill the position by election for fourteen 
years. He resigned in 1862, and died in 1879, ^t the advanced age of 
eighty years. 

Daniel Devorss, a native of Ohio, but who came to Missouri from 
Indiana, was an early settler of the township. 

Henson Devorss became a resident of the northeast corner of the 
township in 1846, and for three years previously had lived in Washing- 
ton Township. 

SETTLEMENT OF LAKE TOWNSHH'. 

Lake is the smallest township in the county. The early settlers 
were mostly from Bartholomew^ County, Indiana. 

William McHammer came to this township in the spring of 1841. 

Henry Sibert, father of the wife of Isaac L. Peck, arrived in the fall 
of 1 84 1. 



134 HISTORY OF HUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Nathaniel Wilson, father of John Wilson, came the same year. 

William McGalliard came in 1841. 

James McKinney in 1841. 

John McGalliard in 1841. 

James McGalliard in 1841. 

Thomas McGalliard in 1841. 

James Wilson in 1841. 

Eli Gabbert in 1841. 

The above named settlers came from Indiana, Bartholomew County. 

In 1844 the township was flooded, and also in 1881, the population 
having to move to the bluffs. 

James L. Peck, one of the prominent citizens of the township, is a 
native of New York, and has been a resident of the township since 1851. 

SETTLEMENT OF TREMONT TO^VNSHI^. 

The Rock House Prairie, in the southern part of this township, was 
so named from the following circumstances: While the Indians still 
occupied the county, the route traveled between Clay County and the 
Indian Agency, near Agency Ford, after crossing the Platte River, led 
across the prairie. On a rocky point of ground, near the residence of 
Ransom Ridge, the Indians had erected a huge pile of stones, shaped as 
much as possible in the form of a house. This was known as the Rock 
House. It stood directly on the road traveled from Agency Ford to 
Liberty, Clay County, and attracted the attention of cver\- white man 
who traversed that region, and from this fact, at an earl\- date, the 
prairie came to be called the Rock House Prairie. 

One of the first settlers of Tremont Township was Ishmael Davis, 
from Kentucky, but a native of Maryland, who in the spring of 1837 
settled on the edge of Rock House Prairie. His son. R. T. Davis, now 
a resident of St. Joseph, born here in April. 1837, is said to have been 
the first white child born in the county. Ambrose D. McDaniel came from 
Kentucky in 1837, and also settled on the Rock House Prairie. He was 
killed at his home, in the township, during the war of the rebellion. 
George Jeffers, a native of Tennessee, came from Clay County to 
Buchanan in 1838, and located on section 34, township 56. range 34. 
He pre-empted his claim, broke twenty acres, planted with corn, fenced 
it, and moved in with his family the February of the following }ear. He 
pre-empted the place now owned by his son, James M. Jeffers. 

James Gibson, in 1838, settled on the east side of Platte, about a mile 
from Dixon's Mill. He died there. 

Harold Miller came with Gibson and settled in the same neighbor- 
hood with him, joining him on the east. He was from V^irginia. 

Robert Irwin, in 1838, settled about a mile northeast of Dixon's 
Mill. He was born in Tennessee, but came to this count)' from Clay. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 35 

He was a prominent citizen of the county, and a member, at one time, 
of the County Court. He emigrated to Oregon and died there in 1876. 

Samuel D. Gihnore, the son of James Gilmore, who lived in the 
Platte Purchase long before its settlement by the whites, as a black- 
smith to the Sac and Fox Indians, opened up a farm on the east side of 
Platte River, half a mile above Dixon's Mill. 

Samuel D. Gilmore was appointed, by the Governor, the first sheriff 
of Buchanan County. He emigrated to Oregon and is still living there. 

Stephen Bedford settled on Maiden Creek, in the east part of the 
township. He was from Kentucky, but had lived in Clinton County 
before coming to Buchanan. 

Daniel McCreay, a Tennesseean, settled on the waters of the Maiden, 
in 1838. 

Joabs Schultz, who was also from Tennesse, arrived in the spring of 
1838, and settled on the east side of Platte River, near Dixon's Mill. He 
was one of the first justices of the peace elected in this part of the 
county. He served a number of years in that office, and is still living on 
the tract where he originally settled. 

Henry Jones came to Buchanan from Clay, early in the settlement 
of the county and located on section 27, township 56, range 34. He 
died in 1848, being murdered by a man named Gibson. 

Creed Herring is now one of the oldest settlers of the township. He 
is a native of Shelby County, Kentucky, and settled where he now lives 
in the fall of 1843. 

Edward M. Trotter, now residing near Frazer, came to the township 
in 1 84 1. 

M. D. Finch settled on the Rock House Prairie in 1842, and has since 
lived in the vicinity of where he settled. 

Wilson P. Mudgett and P. P. Mudgett, settled on Rock House Prai- 
rie in 1839. Wilson P. was the first postmaster of the settlement. He 
is dead. P. P. is now living in Iowa. 

SETTLEMENT OF WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 

Joseph Robidoux was the first white man to locate within the lim- 
its of what is now known as Washington Township, and indeed, within 
the territory of the Platte country. His name is so inseparably associ- 
ated with the history of St. Joseph, from its foundation to 1868, the date 
of his death, that we shall speak of him only in connection with what 
we shall say of the city ; giving then a brief biographical sketch of the 
Robidoux 'family, and such other facts and reminiscences concerning 
Mr. Robidoux as we have at our disposal. 

In speaking of the settlement of Washington Township, we shall 
confine ourselves to a reference only to the settlements made outside of 



136 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

the city of St. Joseph, preferring for convenience sake to treat of the 
pioneers of the city in the history of the city proper. 

Among the early settlers of this township was John H. Whitehead, 
who originally came from Virginia to Clay County, Missouri, and thence 
to Buchanan County, in 1837, locating two miles southeast of St. Joseph. 

William Whitehead came at the same time, and located with his 
brother John H. Whitehead above referred to. 

Henry W. Hanson emigrated from Kentucky in 1837, and settled on 
the edge of the bluffs, about a mile south of St. Joseph. He was one of 
the judges of the first election held in the township. 

James Cochran settled at an early day in the southwest part of the 
township, in the bottom near Contrary Creek. 

Frederick Waymire was also an early settler and located near Con- 
trary Creek. He was appointed overseer of district number six, Wash- 
ington Township, in 1841. He took the contract and built the first court 
house in the county, at Sparta, and was paid out of moneys arising from 
the sale of lots in that whilom seat of justice. 

Waymire & Gilmore operated a mill in 1840, on Contrary Creek. 

James H. Whitehead was a citizen of Washington Township, and, as 
early as 1840, was an inspector of tobacco in Robidoux's warehouse, at 
the Blacksnakc Hills. 

William Pough, a Kentuckian, came from Clinton County in 1837, 
and made a settlement on the southeast quarter of section 33, township 
57, range 35. 

Claiborne F. Palmer arrived from Ray County in 1838, and settled 
at the foot of the bluffs south of St. Joseph. He was in 1840 appointed 
one of the alloting justices of the township. 

A. C. Hyde is one of the old residents. He came from Kentucky 
in 1840, and located where he now lives, on section 32, township 57. 
range 35. 

Thomas, John and Elisha Sollers were among the earliest pioneers, 
and settled north of St. Joseph. 

James Highly was an old settler. 

Stephen Parker made a settlement about two miles northeast of St. 
Joseph, and Isaac and Michael Miller located on lands adjoining Parker. 

James G. Karnes came from Monroe County, West Virginia, in the 
fall of 1839, and settled north of St. Joseph, on section 34, township 58, 
range 35. Shortly afterward he mo\ed to the place where his family 
still reside. 

Alexander Fudge, from Covington, Virginia, arrived from Clay 
County in the spring of 1839, and located on section 34, township 58, 
range 35, where he lived till his death, in January, 1875. 

Sabert Sollers settled in the fall of 1839, on section 27 of the same 
Congressional township. 



t HISTORY OF BUCFIANAN COUNTY. 1 3/ 

Leroy Kaufman, in 1839. settled the place now owned by Wallace 
Asher. 

Benjamin Williams was one of the early settlers north of St. Joseph > 
as was also Jacob Groshon. 

Logan James and Edward Maxwell made settlements in the town- 
ship in 1837, where they now reside, near the north line of the county. 
Logan split twenty-five hundred rails in 1838 for the first cow he bought 
after coming here. 

On the One Hundred and Two River, Isaac Waymire, at an early 
day, owned a mill and bridge, which occupied the present site of Corb)''s 
Mill. 

John H. Cox was an early settler on the same stream, below the 
mill. 

The McCorkles located between the One Hundred and Two and 
Platte Rivers, but that vicinity was then sparsely settled. 

David Ewing lived near Saxton Station, and was, in 1840, a road 
overseer. 

William Sally and a man named Keaton were early settlers. 

Joseph Davis located north of St. Joseph. 

George Coughern was one of the allotting justices of the township 
in 1840. 

Michael Bailew and F. B. Kercheval were old settlers. 

Michael Rodgers and John C. Mansfield came early. 

Simeon Kemper came out in 1839, fi'om Kentucky, but did not bring 
his family till 1840. He located on section 9, township 57, range 35. 
Mr. Kemper resides in St. Joseph at the advanced age of 82 years. 

Frederick W. Smith, in 1838, settled on section 8, township 59, 
range 35, where he now lives, his land, as well as that of Kemper, being 
now within the corporate limits of St. Joseph. Mr. Smith was the first 
postmaster at St. Joseph after the town w^as laid out. 

Dr. Daniel G. Keedy was the second physician to locate in Buchanan 
County. He settled in the bottom below the city, west of the round 
house. Joseph P. Grubb, at one time Judge of the Circuit Court in this 
district ; Col. J. H. R. Cundiff, formerly one of the editors of the Gazette, 
and S. W. Campbell, at present a banker in Kansas, married daughters 
of Dr. Keedy. 

Dr. Keedy was a prominent and successful physician. His widow 
is still living. 

General Bela M. Hughes, now of Denver, Colorado, settled just 
•north of where Col. James N. Burnes now lives, and just below the fair 
grounds. 

Robert I. Boyd settled just below King Hill, on the bluffs. His 
widow is still livinsf. 



138 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. ^ 

Wm. T. Harris located on section 9, township 57, range 35, just 
outside the city limits. 

Joseph Gladden settled north of St. Joseph, in 1837. 

John R. Carter was another old settler, who located near the State 
Asylum. He is dead. 

Colonel Samuel C. Hall located on the northeast quarter of section 
8, township 57, range 35, and was the first justice of the peace in St. 
Joseph. 

Richard Gilmore, who is still living, settled near the northeastern 
limits of St. Joseph, in 1838. 

John B. Hundley is an old settler of the township, who resides in 
St. Joseph. 

William P. Richardson, also located at an early day near the city 
limits. His daughter married General W. P. Hall, of St. Joseph. 

Isadore Pouline was an early settler, and clerked for many years for 
Joseph Robidoux. He sold his claim to W. K. Richardson. 

The township contains a considerable German settlement. 

Nicholas Ozenberger was the first German settler. He came from 
Wayne County, Ohio, in 1847, and located where he now lives, in the 
northeastern part of the township, between the One Hundred and Two 
River and the Platte. 

The singular name of the One Hundred and Two was given to that 
stream, according to common belief, by the men employed in making 
the United States survey, from the fact that it is just 102 miles in length. 

ADDITIONAL NAMES. 

Having spoken of the old settlers somewhat at length, we shall con- 
clude this chapter with an additional list of the names of men who came 
to the county between 1837 and 1840. This list, of course, will embrace 
the names of many who have died or moved away, yet if we are not mis- 
taken it will be read and examined with interest by not only the citizens 
who constitute the present population of the county, but with far more 
interest by future generations : 

Anthony, J. A. Argyle, A. A. Anno, William. 

Asher, Singleton. Anderson, Joshua. Allison, H. P. 

Allen, Wright. Agee, James. Agee, Samuel. 

Austin, Thos. H. Briton, John. Beckett, Benjamin. 

Bevens, Walter. Beauchamp, E. A. Baker, Morris, 

Brown, David. Brown, Alexander. Burgess, C. M. 

Bonham, Joel. Bond, John. Becraft, Wm. 

Burns, Jeremiah. Blankenship, Geo. W. Beck, James. 

Britton, George. Burgess, Stephen. Belliew, M. B 

Boyd, Robert. Bohanan, John. Buford, Thomas. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



139 



Brown, Elisha. 
Brinton, Thomas. 
Brooks, George. 
Butler, John. 
Castle, Ozro. 
Cogdale, Wm. 
Chilton, Robert. 
Chapman, Wm. 
Dunn, James. 
Ditimore, George. 
Davidson, E. M. 
Emory, James M. 
Edgar, J. A. 
Eanickson, John. 
Ealkner, James. 
Fesher, Henry. 
Flannery, Wm. 
Gillem, Mitchel. 
Gabbert, Jefferson. 
Gilmore, Jas. G. 
Hardin, Robert. 
Holman, Jas. R. 
Hall, Joseph. 
Harris, Betsey. 
Hickman, Thomas 
Horton, Thomas. 
Hurness, Lewis. 
Jenkins, Joseph. 
Jeffers, George. 
Jones, Harvey. 
Kinney, George. 
Kessler, Sebastian. 
Linville, Byram. 
Lewis, Luke. 
Madden, Gabriel. 
McGuire, A. 
Meville, Nicholas. 
Modrel, John. 
Moss, Henry. 
Michael, Michael. 
Owens, Nicholas. 
Pierce, James C. 
Parmer, C. F. 
Potter, Abraham. 



Barnett, Jesse. 
Bonner, John W. 
Bragg, Wm. 
Cameron, James. 
Clarby, Wm. H. 
Carpenter, Whipple. 
Conner, Phebe. 
Coyl, Simeon. 
Dixon, James. 
Dillon, L. H. 
Deppen, Isaac. 
Eager John. 
Ellison, John. 
Elliott, Willis. 
Fulks, Henry. 
Fulton, James. 
Fields, Wm. 
Gaver, James. 
Gilmore, Robert. 
Gibson, Isaac. 
Holladay, Joseph. 
Hunter, A. J. 
Hancock, Richard. 
Henderson, Guilford. 
Hainlino, Jeremiah, 
Hurst, Daniel. 
Haines, Isaac. 
Jackson, Samuel. 
Jones, P^dward. 
Jones, Ambrose. 
Kirk, Peter. 
Lilly, David R. 
Lower, Henry. 
McDaniel, Wm. 
Morris, John. 
Monroe, Wm. 
Miller, Harrold. 
Marc, Joseph. 
Millett, Nimrod. 
Norris, John. 
Owen, VV. M. 
Price, B. F. 
Powell, Chas. 
Pearson, Allen. 



Bohart, Jacob. 
Bridgman, J. W. 
Bell. John. 

Cunningham, Christo'cr. 
Camages, Geo. W. 
Clark, Wm. J. 
Cleek, Jacob. 
Dodge Edwin. 
Davis, Mathew. 
Davis, John S. 
Ellington, John. 
Edgar, J. 
England, Aaron. 
Fuller, Miles. 
Fletcher, Charles. 
Foster, A. J. 
Fielding, Sanford. 
Gaston, Zachariah. 
Gilliam, E. 
Hughart, Joseph. 
Harrington, Wm. 
Holman, Daniel. 
Hill, Samuel. 
Hadley, Samuel. 
Hays, Hugh. 
Hooper, Parker A. 
Johnson, Samuel. 
Jones, David. 
Jacob, Nicholas. 
Knapp, Alfred. 
Kirkman, Thomas. 
Lemon, Mary. 
Loveland, Robert. 
Mans, Geo. W. 
Mulkey, Daniel. 
Montray, Gilford. 
Magill, Samuel. 
Moore, Wm. 
McCubbin. John C. 
Neubry, Alexander. 
O'Neil, Johnson. 
Price, Nathan. 
Patterson, Green. 
Reynolds, Wm. W. 



140 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY 



Roy, Lewis E. 
Rector, Jas. M. 
Reynolds, Hugh. 
Smith, Anderson. 
Sampson, John. 
Shea, Dudley. 
Scott, James. 
Thompson, James. 
Thomas, Wm. 
Whisman, John W. 
Wallace, Mike. 
Williams, Henry. 
Wilcox, Edward. 
Young, Wm. 



Rhover, Upton. 
Robinett. Stephen. 
Smith, Hiram. 
Swaney, Robert. 
Singleton, Samuel. 
Shultz, Joab. 
Sarber, Abraham. 
Tucker. Benjamin. 
Townsend, John. 
Wilson, Aaron. 
Webb, Rufus. 
Wrinkler, David. 
Wade, Wm. 
Zumwalt, C. P. 



Russell, Andrew. 
Ross, John. 
Strode, John S. 
Snyder, Edwin. 
Stanley, Joseph. 
Sipes, John. 
Taylor, Geo. W. 
Tavrancc, Lloyd. 
Utt, Henry. 
Walker, Joseph. 
Woods, Alexander. 
Wonderline, Joseph. 
Willett, Nimrod. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PIONEER LIFE. 



THE PIONEERS' PECULIARITIES-CONVENIENCES AND INCONVENIENCES-THE HIS, 
TORICAL LOG CABIN— AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS-HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE- 
PIONEER CORN-BREAD— HAND MILLS AND HOMINY BLOCKS— GOING TO MILL- 
TRADING POINTS-BEE-TREES— SHOOTING MATCHES AND QUILTINGS. 

In the heart of the grand old forest, 

A thousand miles to the West, 
Where a stream gushed out from the hillside, , 

They halted at last for rest. 
And the silence of ages listened 

To the ax-stroke loud and clear. 
Divining a kingly presence 

In the tread of the pioneer. 

He formed of the prostrate beeches 

A home that was strong and good ; 
The roof was of reeds from the streamlet, 

The chimney he built of wood, 
And there by the winter fireside, 

While the flame up the chimney roared, 
He spoke of the good time coming. 

When plenty should crown their board — 

When the forest should fade like a vision, 

And over the hillside and plain 
The orchard would spring in its beauty, 

And the fields of golden grain. 
And to-night he sits by the fireside 

In a mansion quaint and old, 
With his children's children around him, 

Having reaped a thousand-fold. 

During the decade which comprehends the first ten years of its his- 
tory, the settlement of Buchanan County was in its earliest stage of 
pioneer life. All that can be known of this period must be drawn chiefly 
from tradition. 

In those days the people took no care to preserve history — they 
were too busily engaged in making it. Historically speaking, those 
were the most important years of the county, for it was then the founda- 
tion and corner-stones of all the county's history and prosperity were 
laid. Yet this period was not remarkable for stirring events. It was 
however, a time of self reliance and brave persevering toil ; of privations 



142 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

cheerfully endured through faith in a good time coming. The experi- 
ence of one settler was just about the same as that of others. They 
were almost invariably poor, they faced the same hardships and stood 
generally on an equal footing. 

All the experience of the early pioneer of this county goes far to 
confirm the theory that, after all, happiness is pretty evenly balanced in 
this world. They had their privations and hardships, but they had also 
their own peculiar joys. If they were poor they were free from the bur- 
den of pride and vanity; free, also, from the anxiet)- and care that 
always attend the possession of wealth. Other people's eyes cost them 
nothing. If they had few neighbors, they were on the best of terms 
with those they had. Env}-, jealousy and strife had not crept in. A 
common interest and a common sympath)- bound them together with 
the strongest ties. They were a little world to themseh-es, and the good 
feeling that prevailed was all the stronger because they were so far 
removed from the great world of the East. 

Among these pioneers there was realized such a community of 
interest that there existed a community of feeling. There were no 
castes, except an aristocracy of benevolence, and no nobility, except a 
nobility of generosity. They were bound together with such a strong 
bond of sympathy, inspired by the consciousness of common hardship, 
that they were practically communists. 

Neighbors did not even wait for an invitation or request to help one 
another. Was a settler's cabin burned or blown down } No sooner was 
the fact known throughout the neighborhood than the settlers assembled 
to assist the unfortunate one to rebuild his home. The)' came with as 
little hesitation, and with as much alacrity as though they were all mem- 
bers of the same family, and bound together by ties of blood. One man's 
interest was every other man's interest also. Now this general state of 
feeling among the pioneers was by no means peculiar to this county, 
although it was strongly illustrated here. It prevailed generally through- 
out the West during the time of the early settlement. The very nature 
of things taught the settlers the necessity of dwelling together in this 
spirit. It was their only protection, They had come far away from the 
well established reign of law, and entered a new countr}-, where the civil 
authority was still feeble and totally unable to afford protection and 
redress grievances. Here the settlers lived some little time before there 
was an officer of the law in the county. Each man's protection was in 
the good will and friendship of those about him, and the thing any man 
might well dread was the ill will of the community. It was more terri- 
ble than the law. It was no uncommon thing in the early times for 
hardened men, who had no fear of jails or penitentiaries, to stand in 
great fear of the indignation of a pioneer community. Such were some 
of the characteristics of Buchanan County. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. I43 

HOUSE AND HOME COMFORTS. 

The first buildings in the county were not just like the log cabins 
that immediately succeeded them. The latter required some help and 
a good deal of labor to build. The very first buildings constructed were 
a cross between "hoop cabins" and Indian bark huts. As soon as 
enough men could be got together for a " cabin raising" then log cabins 
were in style. Many a pioneer can remember the happiest time of his 
life as that when he lived in one of these homely but comfortable old cabins. 
. A window with sash and glass was a rarity, and was an evidence of 
wealth and aristocracy which but few could support. They were often 
made with greased paper put over the window, which admitted a little 
light, but more often there was nothing whatever over it, or the cracks 
between the logs, without either chinking or daubing, were the depend- 
ence for light and air. The doors were fastened with old-fashioned 
wooden latches, and for a friend, or neighbor, or traveler, the string 
always hung out, for the pioneers, of the West were hospitable, and 
entertained visitors to the best of their ability. It is noticeable with 
what affection the pioneers speak of their old log cabins. It may be 
doubted whether palaces ever sheltered happier hearts than those 
homely cabins. The following is a good description of these old land- 
marks, but few of which now remain : 

" These were of round logs, notched together at the corners, ribbed 
with poles, and covered v.'ith boards split from a tree. A puncheon 
floor was then laid down, a hole cut in the end and a stick chimney run 
up. A clapboard door is made, a window is opened by cutting out a hole 
in the side or end two feet square, and finished without glass or trans- 
parency. The house is then " chinked " and " daubed " with mud. The 
cabin is now ready to go into. The household and kitchen furniture is 
adjusted, and life on the frontier is begun in earnest. 

" The one-legged bedstead, now a piece of furniture of the past, 
was made by cutting a stick the proper length, boring holes at one end 
one a half inches in diameter, at right angles, and the same sized holes 
corresponding with those in the logs of the cabin the length and breadth 
desired for the bed, in which are inserted poles. 

" Upon these poles, clapboards are laid, or lind bark is interwoven 
consecutively from pole to pole. Upon this primitive structure the bed 
is laid. The convenience of a cook stove was not thought of, but instead 
the cooking was done by the faithful housewife in pots, kettles and skil- 
lets, on and about the big fire-place, and very frequently over and around, 
too, the distended pedal extremities of the legal sovereign of the 
household, while the latter were indulging in the luxuries of a cob pipe, 
and discussing the probable results of a contemplated elk hunt up and 
about the Platte and One Hundred and Two. 



144 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

These log cabins were really not so bad after all. 

The people of to-day, familiarized \vath "Charter Oak" cooking 
stoves and ranges, would be ill at home were they compelled to prepare 
a meal with no other conveniences than those provided in a pioneer 
cabin. Rude fire-places were built in chimneys composed of mud and 
sticks, or at best, undressed stone. These fire-places served for heating 
and cooking purposes ; also for ventilation. Around the cheerful blaze 
of this fire the meal was prepared, and these meals were not so bad after 
all. As elsewhere remarked, they were not such as would tempt the 
epicure, but such as afforded the most healthful nourishment for a race of 
people who were driven to the exposure and hardships which were their 
lot. We hear of few dyspeptics in those days. Another advantage of 
these cooking arrangements was that the stove pipe never fell down and 
the pioneer was spared being subjected to the most trying of ordeals, 
and one probably more productive of profanity than any other. 

Before the country became supplied with mills which were of easy 
access, and even in some instances afterward, hominy-blocks were used. 
These exist now only in the memory of the oldest settlers, but as. relics 
of the "long ago," a description of them will not be uninteresting: 

A tree of suitable size, say from eighteen inches to two feet in diam- 
eter, was selected in the forest and felled to the ground. If a cross-cut 
saw happened to be convenient, the tree was "butted" — that is, the kerf 
end was sawed off so that it would stand steady when ready for use. If 
there were no cross-cut saw in the neighborhood, strong arms and sharp 
axes were ready to do the work. Then the proper length, from four to 
five feet, was measured off, and sawed or cut square. When this was 
done the block was raised on end and the work of cutting out a hollow 
in one of the ends was commenced. This was generally done with a 
common chopping axe. Sometimes a smaller one was used. When the 
cavity was judged to be large enough, a fire was built in it and carefully 
watched till the ragged edges were burned away. When completed, the 
hominy-block somewhat resembled a druggist's mortar. Than a pestle, 
or something to crush the corn, was necessary. This was usually made 
from a suitably sized piece of timber with an iron wedge attached, the 
large end down. This completed the machinery, and the block was 
ready for use. Sometimes one hominy-block accommodated an entire 
neighborhood and was the means of staying the hunger of many mouths. 

In giving the bill of fare above we should have added meat, for of 
this they had plenty. Deer would be seen daily trooping over the 
prairie in droves of from twelve to twenty, and sometimes as many as 
fifty would be seen grazing together. Elk were also found, and wild 
turkeys and prairie chickens without number. Bears were not unknown. 
Music of the natural order was not wanting, and every night the pioneers 
were lulled to rest by the screeching of panthers and the howling of 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 14S 

wolves. When the dogs ventured too far out from the cabins at night, 
they would be driven back by the wolves chasing them up to the very 
cabin doors. Trapping wolves became quite a profitable business after 
the state began to pay a bounty for wolf scalps. 

All the streams of water also abounded in fish, and a good supply of 
these could be procured by the expense of a little time and labor. 
Those who years ago improved the fishing advantages of the country 
never tire telling of the dainty meals which the streams afforded. 
Sometimes large parties would get together, and having been provided 
with cooking utensils and facilities for camping out, would go off some 
some distance and spend weeks together. No danger then of being 
ordered off a man's premises or arrested for trespass. One of the pecu- 
liar circumstances that surrounded the early life of the pioneers was a 
strange loneliness. The solitude seemed almost to oppress them. 
Months would pass during which they would scarcely see a human face 
outside their own families. 

On occasions of special interest, such as elections, holiday cel- 
ebrations, or camp-meetings, it was nothing unusual for a few settlers 
who lived in the immediate neighborhood of the meeting to entertain 
scores of those who had come from a distance. 

Rough and rude though the surroundings may have been, the 
pioneers were none the less honest, sincere, hospitable and kind in 
their relations. It is true, as a rule, and of universal application, that 
there is a greater degree of real humanity among the pioneers of any 
country than there is when the country becomes old and rich. If there 
is an absence of refinement, that absence is more than compensated in 
the presence of generous hearts and truthful lives. They are bold, 
industrious, and enterprising. Generally speaking, they are earnest 
thinkers, and possessed of a diversified fund of useful practical infor- 
mation. As a rule they do not arrive at a conclusion by means of a 
course of rational reasoning, but, nevertheless, have a queer way of get- 
ting at the facts. They hate cowards and shams of every kind, and 
above all things falsehoods and deception, and cultivate an integrity 
which seldom permits them to prostitute themselves to a narrow policy 
of imposture. Such were the characteristics of the men and women 
who pioneered the way to the countr}^ of the Sac and Fox Indians. 
Many of them yet remain, and although some of them are among the 
wealthy and most substantial of the people of the county, they have not 
forgotten their old time hospitality and free and easy ways. In con- 
trasting the present social affairs with pioneer times, one has well said : 

"Then, if a house was to be raised, every man ' turned out,' and often 
the women too, and while the men piled up the logs that fashioned the 
primitive dwelling-place, the women prepared the dinner. Sometimes 
it was cooked by big log fires near the site where the cabin was build- 



146 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

ing; in other cases it was prepared at the nearest cabin, and at the 
proper hour was carried to where the men were at work. If one man in 
the neig-hborhood killed a beef, a pig or a deer, every other family in the 
neighborhood was sure to receive a piece. 

"We were all on an equality. Aristocratic feelings were unknown 
and would not have been tolerated. What one had we all had, and that 
was the happiest period of my life. But to-day, if you lean against a 
neighbor's shade tree he will charge you for it. If you are poor and fall 
sick, you may lie and suffer almost unnoticed and unattended, and prob- 
ably go to the poor-house ; and just as like as not the man who would 
report you to the authorities as a subject of county care would charge 
the county for making the report." 

Of the old settlers, some are still living in the county, in the enjoy- 
ment of the fortunes they founded in early times, "having reaped an 
hundred-fold." Others have passed away, and many of them will not 
long survive. Several of them have gone to the Far West, and are still 
playing the part of pioneers. But wherever they mn.y be, and whatever 
fate may betide them, it is but truth to say that the)' were excellent men, 
as a class, and have left a deep and enduring impression upon the county 
and the state. "They builded better than they knew." They were, of 
course, men of activity and energy, or they would never have decided to 
face the trials of pioneer life. They were almost invariably poor, but the 
lessons taught them in the early days were of such a character that few 
of them have remained so. They made their mistakes in business pur- 
suits likeother men. Scarcely one of them but allowed golden oppor- 
tunities, for pecuniary profit at least, to pass by unheeded. What are 
now some of the choicest farms in Buchanan County were not taken up 
by the pioneers, who preferred land of very much less value. They have 
seen many of their prophecies fulfilled, and others come to naught. 
Whether they have attained the success they desired their own hearts 
can tell. 

To one looking over the situation then, from the standpoint now, it 
certainly does not seem very cheering, and yet, from the testimony of 
some old pioneers, it was a most enjoyable time, and we of the present 
live in degenerate days. 

At that time it certainly would have been much more difficult for 
those old settlers to understand how it could be possible that thirty-five 
years hence the citizens at the present age of ths countv^'s progress would 
be complaining of hard times and destitution, and that they themselves, 
perhaps, would be among that number, than it is now for us to appreciate 
how they could feel so cheerful and contented with their meagre means 
and humble lot of hardships and deprivations during those early, pioneer 
days. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 47 

The secret was, doubtless, that they lived within their means, how- 
ever limited, not coveting more of luxury and comfort than their income 
would afford, and the natural result was prosperity and contentment, 
with always room for one more stranger at the fireside, and a cordial 
welcome to a place at their table for even the most hungry guest. 

Humanity with all its ills, is, nevertheless, fortunately characterized 
with remarkable flexibility, which enables 'it to accommodate itself to 
circumstances. After all, the secret of happiness lies in one's ability to 
accommodate himself to his surroundings. 

It is sometimes remarked that there were no places for public enter- 
tainment till later years. The fact is there were many such places, in 
fact every cabin was a place of entertainment, and these hotels were 
sometimes crowded to their utmost capacity. On such occasions, when 
bedtime came the first family would take the back part of the cabin and 
so continue filling up by families until the limit was reached. The 
young men slept in the wagons outside. In the morning those nearest 
the door arose first and went outside to dress. Meals were served on the 
end of a wagon, and consisted of cornbread, buttermilk and fat pork, 
and occasionally coffee, to take away the morning chill. On Sundays, 
for a change, they had bread made of wheat "tramped o'ut" on the ground 
by horses, cleaned with a sheet and pounded by hand. This was the 
best, the most fastidious, they could obtain, and this only one day in 
seven. Not a moment of time was lost. It was necessary that they 
should raise enough sod corn to take them through the coming winter, 
and also get as much breaking done as possible. They brought with 
them enough corn to give the horses an occasional feed, in order to keep 
them able for hard work, but in the main they had to live on prairie 
grass. The cattle got nothing else than grass. 

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 

An interesting comparison might be drawn between the conveni- 
ences which now make the life of a farmer a comparatively easy one, and 
the almost total lack of such conveniences in early days. A brief 
description of the accommodations possessed by the first tillers of this 
soil will be now given. 

Let the children of such illustrious sires draw their own compari- 
sons, and may the results of these comparisons silence the voice of com- 
plaint which so often is heard in the land. 

The only plows they had at first were what they styled " bull plows." 
The mould-boards were generally of wood, but in some cases they were 
half wood and half iron. The man who had one of the latter description 
was looked upon as something of an aristocrat. But these old "bull 
plows" did good service and they must be awarded the honor of first stir- 



14S HISTORY OF BUCHANAN' COUNTY. 

ring the soil of Buchanan County as well as that of all the first class coun- 
ties of this state. 

The amount of money which some farmers annually invest in agri- 
cultural implements would have kept the pioneer farmer in farming uten- 
sils during a whole lifetime. The pioneer farmer invested little money 
in such things, because he had little money to spare, and then again 
because the expensive machinery now used would not have been at all 
adapted to the requirements of pioneer farming. The "bull plow" was 
probably better adapted to the fields abounding in stumps and roots 
than would the modern sulky plow have been, and the old-fashioned 
wheat cradle did better execution than would a modern harvester under 
like circumstances. The prairies were seldom settled till after the 
pioneer period, and that portion of the country which was the hardest to 
put under cultivation, and the most dif^cult to cultivate after it was 
improved, first was cultivated ; it is well for the country that such was 
the case, for the present generation, familiarized as it is with farming 
machinery of such complicated pattern, would scarcely undertake the 
clearing off of dense forests and cultivating the ground with the kind of 
implements their fathers used, and which they would have to use for 
some kinds of work. 

MILLS AND TRADING POINTS. 

Notwithstanding the fact that some of the early settlers were energetic 
mill-wrights. who employed all their energy, and w hat means they pos- 
sessed, in erecting mills at a few of the many favorable mill-sites which 
abound in the county, yet going to mill in those days, when there were 
no roads, no bridges, no ferry-boats, and scarcely any conveniences for 
traveling, was no small task, where so many rivers and treacherous 
streams were to be crossed, and such a trip was often attended with 
great danger to the traveler when these streams were swollen beyond 
their banks. But even under these circumstances some of the more 
adventurous and ingenious ones, in case of emergency, found the ways 
and means by which to cross the swollen streams, and succeed in mak- 
ing the trip. At other times, again, all attempts failed them, and they 
were compelled to remain at home until the waters subsided, and depend 
on the generosity of their fortunate neighbors. 

Some stories are related with regard to the danger, perils and hard- 
ships of forced travels to mills, and for provisions, which remind one of 
forced marches in military campaigns, and when we hear of the heroic 
and daring conduct of the hardy pioneer in procuring bread for his 
loved ones, we think that here were heroes more valiant than any of the 
renowned soldiers of ancient or modern times. 

During the first two years, and perhaps not until some time after- 
ward, there was not a public highway established and worked on which 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. I49 

they could travel; and as the settlers were generally far apart, and mills 
and trading points were at great distances, going from place to place 
Avas not only very tedious, but attended sometimes with great danger. 
Not a railroad had yet entered the state, and there was scarcely a thought 
in the minds of the people here of such a thing ever reaching the wild 
West ; and, if thought of, people had no conception of what a revolution 
a railroad and telegraph through the county, would cause in its pro- 
gress. Then there was less than 5,000 miles of railroad in the United 
States, and not a mile of track laid this side of the Ohio, while now 
there are over 100,000 miles of railroad, extending their trunks and 
branches in every direction over our laud. 

Supplies in those days came to this western country entirely by 
river and wagon transportation. Mail was carried to and fro in the 
same way, and telegraph dispatches were transmitted by the memory 
and lips of emigrants coming in, or strangers passing through. 

In early days, going to mill w^as always tedious. For some little 
time there was no mill for the purpose of grinding corn and wheat nearer 
than Smith's Fork, in Clay County. In 1838 a mill was erected on Dil- 
lon's Creek, ten miles north of St. Joseph. This was the first mill erected 
in the county outside of Blacksnake Hills. The first run of burrs was 
put in in 1839. There was no elevator at that time, so after the wheat 
was ground it was carried to the upper story of the mill and fed by 
hand through a spout leading to a bolt on the burr floor. People came 
from far and near, attracted by the reports. of the completion of the mill, 
with their grists, so that for days before it was ready for work, the creek 
bottom was dotted over with hungry and patient men, waiting until it 
was ready to do their work, so that they might return with their meal 
and flour to supply their families and those of their neighbors, thus 
enduring the hardships of camp life, in those early days, in order that 
they might be able to secure the simple necessaries of life, devoid of all 
luxuries. 

HUNTINCl AND TRAPPING. 

The sports and means of recreation were not so numerous and 
varied among the early settlers as at present, but they were more enjoy- 
able and invigorating than now. 

Hunters now a days would be only too glad to be able to find and 
•enjoy their favorable opportunity for hunting and fishing, and even 
travel many miles, counting it rare pleasure to spend a few weeks on 
the water courses and wild prairies in hunt and chase and fishing frolics, 
where not half so good hunting and fishing sport are furnished as was in 
this vicinity twenty-five and forty years ago. There were a good many 
excellent hunters here at an early day, who enjo)'ed the sport as well as 
.any can at the present time. 



ISO HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Wild animals of almost every species known in the wilds of the 
west were found in great abundance. The prairies, -and woods, and 
streams, and various bodies of water, were all thickly inhabited before 
the white man came and for some time afterward. Although the Indians 
slew many of them, yet the natural law prevailed here as well as else- 
where. "Wild man and wild beast thrive together." 

Serpents were to be found in such large numbers, and of such 
immense size, that some stories told by the early settlers would be 
incredible were it not for the large array of concurrent testimony which 
is to be had from the most authentic sources. Deer, turkeys, ducks, 
geese, squirrels and various other kinds of choice game were plentiful 
and to be had at the expense of killing only. The fur animals were 
abundant ; such as the otter, beaver, mink, muskrat, raccoon, panther, 
fox, wolf, wild-cat and bear. 

An old resident of the county told us, that in 1843, while he was 
traveling a distance of six miles, he saw as many as thirty-three deer, 
in herds of from six to ten. 

HUNTING BEE TREES. 

Another source of profitable recreation among the old settlers was 
that of hunting bees. The forests along the water courses were espec- 
ially prolific of bee-trees. They were found in great numbers on the 
Platte, One Hundred and Tvvo and Grand Rivers. Many of the early 
settlers, during the late summer, would go into camp for days at a time, 
for the purpose of hunting and securing the honey of the wild bees, 
which was not only extremely rich, and found in great abundance, but 
always commanded a good price in the home market. 

The Indians have ever regarded the honey-bee as the forerunner of 
the white man, while it is a conceded fact that the quail always follows 
the footprints of civilization. 

The following passage is found in the " Report of the Exploring 
Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, in the year 1842, by Captain John 
C. Fremont," page 69 : 

" Here on the summit, where the stillness was absolute ; unbroken 
by any sound, and the solitude complete, we thought ourselves beyond 
the regions of animated life ; but while we were sitting on the rocks, a 
solitary bee came winging his flight from the eastern valley, and lit on 
the knee of one of the men. We pleased ourselves with the idea that 
he was the first of his species to cross the mountain barrier, a solitary 
pioneer to foretell the advance of civilization." 

Gregg, in his " Commerce of the Prairies," page 178, Vol. i,says: 
" The honey-bee appears to have emigrated exclusively from the East, 
as its march has been observed westward. The bee, among Western 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 151 

pioneers, is the proverbial precursor of the Anglo-American population. 
In fact, the aborigines of the frontier have generally corroborated this 
statement, for they used to say that they knew the white man was not 
far behind when the bees appeared among them." 

There were other recreations, such as shooting matches and quilting 
parties, which obtained in those days, and which were enjoyed to the 
fullest extent. The quilting parties were especially pleasant and agree- 
able to those who attended. The established rule in those days at these 
quilting parties was, to pay either one dollar in money or split one 
hundred rails during the course of the day. The men would generally 
split the rails and the women would remain in the house and do the 
quilting. After the day's work was done the night would be passed in 
dancing. 

"All the swains that there abide, 
With jigs and rural dance resort." 

When daylight came the music and the dancing would cease, and the 
gallant young men would escort the ladies to their respective homes. 



CHAPTER VII. 



LEGISLATIVE ACT ORGANIZING BUCHANAN AND PLATTE COUNTIES-APPOINTMENT 
OF COMMISSIONERS TO LOCATE COUNTY-SEAT— ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY- 
FIRST COURT —COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP SYSTEM -GOVERNMENT SURVEYS-OR- 
GANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS -BOUNDARIES OF SAME ESTABLISHED - PROCEED- 
INGS OF FIRST COURT— ELECTION PRECINCTS-ROADS-FERRIES. 

In 1837, after the Platte Purchase was made, the territory now 
included in Buchanan County was b\' act of the General Assembly, 
attached to Clinton County, for civil and judicial purposes. That por- 
tion of the act referring to Buchanan County is as follows : 

"All that portion of territory included within the following bounda- 
ries, to wit : beginning at the southwest corner of Clinton County, thence 
due west to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River, thence 
up the main channel of the same to where the northern boundary line of 
the State of Missouri intersects the same, thence along said line to the 
present northwest corner of the state, thence south to the beginning, be 
and the same is hereby attached to the county of Clinton, for civil and 
judicial purposes." 

The following is the act of the General Assembly of Missouri (1838) 
under which Platte and Buchanan Counties were organized, and their 
boundaries defined. 

PLATTE AND BUCHANAN. 

"An Act to organize the Counties of Platte and Buchanan, to define the 

boundaries of the same. 

Be it enacted by t/ie General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as 
folhnvs : 

Section i. The territory west of Clay and Clinton Counties, 
included in the following boundaries, shall compose a new county, to be 
called Platte : Beginning at the southwest corner of Clay County and 
running north with the western boundary of said counties a sufficient 
distance, to a corner hereafter to be established by survey; and thence 
due west to the Missouri River ; thence down the middle of the main 
channel of said river to the beginning, so as to include in said county of 
Platte, four hundred square miles. 

Sec. 2. The territory west of Clinton County, included in the fol- 
lowing boundaries, shall compose a new county to be called Buchanan, 
in honor of the jHon. James Buchanan of Pennsylvania : Beginning at 
the northeast corner of Platte County, as hereinafter established, agree- 
ably to the provisions of this act ; and thence north along the Clinton 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 53 

County or old State line, a sufficient distance, to a corner to be hereafter 
established by survey ; and thence west to the Missouri River ; and 
thence down the middle of the main channel of said river to the 
northwest corner of Platte County, when established as aforesaid ; and 
thence east to the beginning, so as to contain four hundred square miles. 

Sec. 3. The Governor is authorized and required to appoint and 
commission three persons, resident in each of said counties, as justices 
of the County Court thereof, and one person in each of said counties as 
sheriff of the same, who, when commissioned, shall have full power and 
authority to act as such in their respective offices, under the existing 
laws, until the next general election, in 1840, and until their successors 
are duly commissioned and qualified. 

Sec. 4. Until the permanent seat for justice of said counties be 
established, the several courts for said counties shall (unless the respect- 
ive County Courts shall otherwise direct,) be held as follows : for the 
county of Platte [at] Falls of Platte, and for the county of Buchanan 
at Richard Hill's. 

Sec. 5. The regular terms of the County Courts, in each of the 
counties aforesaid, shall be held on the first Mondays of February, May, 
August and November, in each year ; but the courts may meet at their 
discretion, after the time of their stated terms, giving due notice thereof. 

Sec. 6. The Circuit Courts, in said counties, shall be held as fol- 
lows : In the county of Platte on the third Monday in April, August 
and December ; and in the county of Buchanan on the second Mondays 
in April, August and December. 

Sec. 7. Said counties shall compose a part of the First Judicial 
District, and of the Fifth Judicial Circuit. 

Sec. 8. The Circuit and County Courts of said counties, or the judge 
or judges thereof, in vacation, shall have power to appoint their respec- 
tive clerks, who shall hold their offices until the next general election 
in 1840, and until their successors are duly qualified. 

Sec. 9. Said counties shall belong to and compose a part of the 
Twelfth Senatorial District. 

Sec. 10. Immediately after the passage of this act the Governor 
[is] authorized and required to appoint some suitable person as sur- 
veyor, to ascertain, survey and establish the boundaries of said counties 
of Platte and Buchanan, agreeably to the provisions of this act. 

Sec. II. Said surveyor shall, within thirty days of his appoint- 
ment, or as soon thereafter as practicable, after being duly sworn and 
qualified to execute the duties required by this act, proceed to dis- 
charge the same, and make report thereof to the respective County 
Courts of Platte and Buchanan, and likewise to the Governor of this 
State. 

Sec. 12. Said surveyor shall be allowed the sum of six dollars per 
day, as compensation in full for his services, including all expenses for 
chain carrying, marking, &c., &c.; to be paid by the said counties of 
Platte and Buchanan, in equal proportions, upon the reception of his 
report as aforesaid. 

Sec. 13. The following persons are hereby appointed commission- 
ers to select the seat of justice in said counties : For the county of 
Platte, Samuel Hadley, of Clay County; Samuel D. Lucas, of Jackson 
County, and John M. Morehead, for Ray County. For the county of 



154 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Buchanan, Peter B. Fulkerson and Armstrong McClintock, of Clinton 
County, and Leonard Brassfield, of Clay County; and said commission- 
ers are hereby vested with all the powers granted by an act entitled 
'* An act to provide for organizing counties hereinafter established," 
approved December, 1836. 

Sec. 14. The County Courts of said counties are empowered to 
supply any vacancy that may occur among the Commissioners hereby 
appointed ; and said Commissioners for the counties of Platte and 
Buchanan shall meet for the purpose of discharging their duties, at such 
time and place as the County Courts shall direct. 

Sec. 15. The said counties of Platte and Buchanan shall each elect 
one Representative to the General Assembly of the State of Missouri on 
the first Monday in August, in the year 1840. 

Sec. 16. The County Court for Platte County shall hold the first term 
of their court on the second Monday in March next, at which time they 
shall appoint some suitable person as assessor for said county, who shall 
hold his office until the next general election for county offices, and until 
his successor is duly elected and qualified. 

This act to be in force from and after its passage. 

Approved December 31, 1838. '^ 

State of Missouri, City of Jefferson, 
Office of Secretary of State. 

I, James L. Minor, Secretary of State of the State of Missouri, do 
hereby certify that by the provisions of an act entitled "An act to organ- 
ize the counties of Platte and Buchanan and define the boundaries of the 
same," approved December 31, 1839, Peter P. Fulkerson and Armstrong 
McClintock, of Clinton County, and Leonard Brassfield, of Clay County, 
were appointed Commissioners to select the seat of justice of the said 
county of Buchanan. 

Witness my hand and seal of office, this 13th day of March, A. D. 
1839. 

JAMES L. MINOR, 
Secretary of State. 

Leonard Brassfield, Esq. 

(Postage on the above letter was i8| cents.) 

A copy of the above appointment was sent to each of the three Com- 
missioners, and in pursuance thereof they severally went before one of 
the Judges of the Buchanan County Court, and subscribed an oath for 
the performance of their respective duties. The oath taken by Mr. Brass- 
field, and endorsed upon the order of appointment, is as follows : 

" Personally appeared before me, William Harrington, one of the 
Judges of the Buchanan County Court, the within named Leonard Brass- 
field, and took an oath to discharge the duties of Commissioner, without 
favor, partiality or prejudice. 

"Given under my hand, this 26th day of May, 1840. 

WILLIAM HARRINGTON. 

Territory of Ne-at-a-wah attached to Buchanan in 1839, for military and civil purposes. 
Repealed in 1845. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 55 

The following is the report of the Commissioners : 

"We, the undersigned Commissioners appointed by the act of 
Assembly entitled An Act to organize the counties of Platte and 
Buchanan, and define the boundaries thereof, approved the 31st of 
December, 1838, after having been first duly sworn, proceeded to view the 
territory and situation of the same, to take into consideration as well 
the weight of the population of the said County of Buchanan, as the 
interest of the same, have selected for their seat of justice the southest 
quarter of section 21, township 56, range 35. 

Nevertheless it is the wish of the Commissioners that if under the 
provisions of the several acts of Congress, granting to the counties a pre- 
emption to one quarter section for seats of justice, approved May 26, 
1824, and the several acts of Congress granting pre-emptions to actual 
settlers on public lands, will permit the division of a quarter, we would 
prefer taking the east half of the southwest quarter of section 21, town- 
ship 56, range 35, instead of the east half of the southeast quarter of sec- 
tion 21, township 56, range 35. 

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names, and 
affixed our seals, this 28th day of May, 1840. 

A. McCLINTOCK, / 

LEONARD BRASSFIELD, / 
PETER P. FULKERSON."^ 

On the reverse side of this report is the following : 

Whereas, It has been the custom of parents to name their child- 
ren, we have thought proper to call the town by the name of the town 
of Benton.* 

A. McCLINTOCK, 
LEONARD BRASSFIELD, 
PETER P. FULKERSON. 
Endorsed : 

Commissioners" report of the location of the seat of justice received 
at August Term of Buchanan County Court, 1840, and ordered to be filed. 

Attest : 

WM. FOWLER, Clerk. 

ORGANIZATION OF COUNTY COURT. 

The Governor of the state, as authorized by act of the General Assem- 
bly, commissioned Samuel Johnson, William Harrington and William 
Curl, County Court Justices, and appointed Samuel M. Gilmore Sheriff. 

Two of the justices (Samuel Johnson and William Harrington, con- 
stituting a quorum) met at the house of Richard Hill, on the first Monday 
in April, 1839, ''^"^l organized as a court, causing proclamation of the 
same to be made. 

Samuel Johnson, one of its members, was appointed President of the 
court and William Fowler, clerk. Being thus organized, the court pro- 
ceeded to the discharge of the public business. 

*Tne County Court nimed the county seat Sparta at August Te m, in 1S4:). 



156 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

After granting" a license to Edward Dodge, to vend groceries in the 
county, the question of naming and defining the boundary lines of the 
townships was then taken up, but before noticing the orders of the court 
in reference thereto, we deem it proper to give some explanations of the 
count)' and township system and government surveys, as so much 
depends in business and civil transactions upon county limits and county 
organizations. 

COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP SYSTEM. 

With regard to th^ origin of dividing individual states into county 
and township organizations, which, in an important measure, should 
have the power and opportunity of transacting their own business and 
governing themselves, under the approval of, and subject to, the state 
and general government, of which they both form a part, we quote from 
Elijah M. Haines, who is considered good authority on the subject. 

In his " Laws of Illinois, Relative to Township Organizations," he 
says: "The county system originated with Virginia, whose early set- 
tlers soon became large landed proprietors, aristocratic in feeling, living 
apart, in almost baronial magnificence, on their own estates, and owning 
the laboring part of the population. Thus the materials for a town were 
not at hand, the voters being thinl>' distributed over a great area. 

"The county organization, where a few influential men managed 
the whole business of the community, retaining their places almost at 
their pleasure, scarcely responsible at all, e.Kcept in name, and permit- 
ted to conduct the county concerns as their ideas or wishes might direct, 
was moreover consonant with their recollections or traditions of the 
judicial and social dignities of the landed aristocracy of England, in 
descent from whom the Virginia gentlemen felt so much pride. In 1834 
eight counties were organized in Virginia, and the system, extending 
throughout the state, spread into all the Southern States, and some of 
the Northern States ; unless we except the nearly similar division into 
'districts' in South Carolina, and that into 'parishes' in Louisiana, from 
the Erench laws. 

" Illinois, which, with its vast additional territory, became a county 
of Virginia, on its conquest by General. George Rogers Clark, retained 
the county organization, which was formerly extended over the state by 
the constitution of 18 18, and continued in exclusive use until the consti- 
tution of 1848. 

" Under this system, as in other states adopting it, most local busi- 
ness was transacted by those commissioners in each county who consti- 
tuted a county court, with quarterly sessions. 

" During the period ending with the constitution of 1847, a large 
portion of the state had become filled up with a population of New Eng- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 57 

land birth or character, daily growing more and more compact and dis- 
satisfied with the comparatively arbitrary and inefficient county system. 
It was maintained by the people that the heavy populated districts 
would always control the election of the commissioners to the disadvan- 
tage of the more thinly populated sections— in short, that under that 
system 'equal and e.xact justice' to all parts of the county could not be 
secured. 

" The township system had its origin in Massachusetts, and dates 
back to 1635. 

" The first legal enactment concerning this system provided that, 
whereas, ' particular townships have many things which concern only 
themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs, and disposing of 
business in their own town,' therefore, ' the freemen of every township, 
or a majority part of them, shall only have power to dispose of their 
own lands and woods, with all the appurtenances of said town, to grant 
lots, and to make such orders as may concern the well-ordering of their^ 
own towns, not repugnant to the laws and orders established by the 
general court.' 

" They might also (says Mr. Haines) impose fines of not more than 
twenty shillings, and ' choose their own particular officers, as constables, 
surveyors for the highways and the like.' 

" Evidently this enactment relieved the general court of a mass of 
municipal details, without any danger to the power of that body in con- 
trolling general measures of public policy. 

" Probably, also, a demand from the freemen of the towns was felt 
for the control of their own home concerns. 

"The New England colonies were first governed by a 'general 
court' or legislature composed of a governor and a small council, which 
court consisted of the most influential inhabitants, and possessed and 
exercised both legislative and judicial powers, which were limited only 
by the wisdom of the holders. 

"They made laws, ordered their execution by officers, tried and 
decided civil and criminal causes, enacted all manner of municipal regu- 
lations, and, in fact, did all the public business of the colony. 

Similar provisions for the incorporation of towns were made in the 
first constitution of Connecticut, adopted in 1639, and the plan of town- 
ship organization, as experience proved its remarkable economy, 
efficiency and adaptation to the requirements of a free and intelligent 
people, became universal throughout new England, and went westward 
with the immigrants from New England into New York, (])hio and other 
western states. 

Thus we find that the valuable system of county, township and 
town organizations had been thoroughly tried and proven long before 
there was need of adopting it in Missouri, or any of the broad region 



158 HISTORY OF BUCHAXAN COUNTY. 

west of the Misissippi River. But as the new country began to be opened, 
and as eastern people began to mov^e westward across the mighty river, 
and form thick settlements along its western bank, the territory and 
state, and county and township organizations soon followed in quick 
succession, and those different systems became more or less improved, 
according as deemed necessary by the experience and judgment and 
demands of the people, until they have arrived at the present stage of 
advancement and efficiency. In the settlement of the Territory of Mis- 
souri, the Legislature began by organizing counties on the Mississippi 
River. As each new county was formed it was made to include under 
legal jurisdiction all the country bordering west of it, and required to 
grant to the accidental settlers electoral privileges, and an equal share 
in the county government, with those who properly lived in the geo- 
graphical limits of the county. 

The counties first organized along the eastern borders of the state, 
^fcve given for a short time jurisdiction over the lands and settlements 
adjoining each on the west, until these localities became sufficiently 
settled to support organizations of their own. 

GOVERNMENT SUR\EYS. 

No person can intelligentl)- understand the history of a country 
without at the same time knowing its geography, and in order that a 
clear and correct idea of the geography of Buchanan County may be 
obtained from the language always used in defining different localities 
and pieces of land, we insert herewith the plan of Government surveys 
as given in Mr. E. A. Hickman's Property Map of Jackson County, Mis- 
souri : Previous to the formation of our present Government, the 
eastern portion of North America consisted of a number of British 
colonies, the territory of which was granted in large tracts to British 
noblemen. By treaty of 1783, these grants were acknowledged as valid 
by the colonies. After the Revolutionary war. when these colonies were 
acknowledged " Independent States," all public domain within their 
boundaries was acknowledged to be the property of the colony within 
the bounds of which said domain was situated. 

Virginia claimed all the northwest territor)- including what is now 
known as Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentuck}-, Indiana and Illinois. 
After a meeting of the Representatives of the various states to form a 
Union, Virginia ceded the northwest territory to the United States 
Government. This took place in 1784; then all this northwest territory 
became Government land. It comprised all south of the lakes and east 
of the Mississippi River and north and west of the states having definite 
boundary lines. This territory had been known as New France, and 
had been ceded b\^ France to iMigland in 1763. In the \'ear 1803, 



HISTORY OF F5UCHANAN COUNTY. 1 59 

Napoleon Bonaparte sold to the United States all territory west of the 
Mississippi River and north of Mexico, extending to the Rocky 
Mountains. 

While the public domain was the property of the colonies it was dis- 
posed of as follows : Each individual caused the tract he desired to 
purchase to be surveyed and platted. A copy of the survey was then 
filed with the Register of Lands, when, by paying into the state or 
■colonial treasury an agreed price, the purchaser received a patent for 
the land. This method of disposing of public lands made lawsuits num- 
erous, owing to different surveys often including the same ground. To 
avoid these difficulties and effect a general measurement of the terri- 
tories, the United States adopted the present mode, or system, of land 
surveys, a description of which we give as follows : 

In an unsurveyed region a point of marked and changeless topo- 
graphical features is selected as an initial point. The exact latitude and 
longitude of this point is ascertained by astronomical observation, and 
a suitable monument of iron or stone to perpetuate the position. 
Through this point a true north and south line is run, which is called a 
Principal Meridian. This principal meridian may be extended north 
and south any desired distance. Along this line are placed at distances 
of one-half mile from each other, posts of wood or stone, or mounds of 
earth. These posts are said to establish the line, and are called section 
and quarter-section posts. Principal meridians are numbered in the 
order in which they are established. Through the same initial point 
from which the principal meridian was surveyed, another line is now 
run and established by mile and half-mile posts as before, in a true east 
and west direction. This line is called the Base Line, and like the prin- 
.cipal meridian, may be extended indefinitely in either direction. These 
lines form the basis of the survey of the country into townships and 
ranges. Township lines extend east and west parallel with the base 
line, at distances of six miles from the base line and from each other, 
dividing the country into strips six miles wide, which strips are called 
townships. Range lines run north and south parallel to the principal 
meridian, dividing the country into strips six miles wide, which strips 
are called ranges. Township strips are numbered from the base line 
•and range strips are numbered from the principal meridian. Townships 
lying north of the base line are "townships north," those on the south 
are "townships south." The strip lying next the base line is township 
one, the next one to that, township tzvo, and so on. The range strips 
are numbered in the same manner, counting from the principal meridian 
•east or west, as the case may be. 

The township and range lines thus divide the county into six-mile 
squares. Each of these squares is called a Congressional township. All 
north and south lines north of the equator approach each other as they 



i6o 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY 



extend north, finally meeting at the north pole ; therefore north and 
south lines are not literally parallel. The east and west boundar}- lines 
. of an\- range being six miles apart in the latitude of Missouri or Kansas, 
would, in thirty miles, approach each other 2.g chains, or 190 feet. If, 
therefore, the width of the range when started from the base line is made 
exactly six miles, it would be 2.9 chains too narrow at the distance of 
thirty miles, or five townships north. To correct the width of ranges 
and keep them to the proper width, the range lines are not surveyed 
in a continuous straight line, like the principal meridian, entirely across 
the state, but only across a limited number of townships, usually five,, 
where the width of the range is corrected hy beginning a new line on the 
side of the range most distant from the principal meridian, at such a 
point as will make the range its correct width. All range lines are cor- 
rected in the same manner. The last and west township line on which 
these corrections are made are called correction lines of standard paral- 
lels. The surveys of the State of Missouri were made from the fifth" 
principal meridian, which runs through the state, and its ranges are 
numbered from it. The State of Kansas is surveyed and numbered from 
the sixth. Congressional townships are divided into thirty-six square 
miles, called sections, and are known by numbers, according to their 
position. The following diagram shows the order of numbers and the 
sections in a Congressional township : 



-10 — 



-11 — — 12- 



-18- 



-30- 



-•29- 



-32- 



-33- 



-34- 



-35- 



-.3«- 



Sections are divided into quarters, eighths and sixteenths, and are 
described by their position in the section. The full section contains- 
640 acres, the quarter 160, the eighth 80 and the sixteenth 40. In the fal- 



HISTOR\' OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



i6r 



lowing diagram of a section the position designated by a is known as 
the northwest quarter ; / is the northeast quarter of the northeast quar- 
ter ; <■/ would be the south half of the southeast quarter, and would con- 
tain 80 acres. 









V, Sec. 


post. 


Sec. post. 


a 
ibo acres 


h 


i 


5^ Sec. post. 


f 


S 




b 


c 


e 


Sec. post. 


d 



'Sec. post. 



Yi Sec. post. 



Sec. post. 



^ Sec. post. 



Congressional townships, as we have seen, are six miles squares of 
land, made by the township and range lines, while civil or municipal 
townships are civil divisions, made for purposes of government, the one 
having no reference to the other, though similar in name. On the county 
map we see both kinds of townships — the congressional usually desig- 
nated by numbers and in squares ; the municipal or civil township by 
name and in various forms. 

By the measuremements thus made by the Government, the courses 
and distances are defined between any two points. St. Louis is in to\\'n- 
ship 44 north, range 8 east, and Independence is in township 49 north,, 
range 32 west ; how far, then, are Kanas City and St. Louis apart on a 
direct line.'' St. Louis is forty townships east — 240 miles — and five 
townships south — thirty miles ; the base and perpendicular of a rio-ht- 
angled triangle, the hypothenuse being the required distance. 

ORGANIZATION OF TOWNSHIPS. 



The "township," as the term is used in common phraseology, in 
many instances, is widely distinguished from that of "town," thouo-h 
many persons persist in confounding the two. "In the United States, 
many of the states are divided into townshps of five, six, seven, or per- 
haps ten miles .square, and the inhabitants of such township are vested 
with certain powers for regulating their own affairs, such as repairing 
roads and providing for the poor. The township is subordinate to the 
county." A "town" is simply a collection of houses, either large or 
small, and opposed to "country." 

The most important features connected with this .system of township, 
surveys should be thoroughly understood by every intelligent farmer and 



1 62 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

business man ; still there are some points connected with the under- 
standiner of it, which need close and careful attention. The law which 
established this system required that the north and south lines should 
correspond exactly with the meridian passing through that point ; also, 
that each township should be six miles square. To do this would be an 
utter impossibility, since the figure of the earth causes the meridians to 
converge toward the pole, making the north line of each township shorter 
than the south line of the same township. To obviate the errors which 
are, on this account, constantly occurring, correction lines are estab- 
lished. They are parallels bounding a line of townships on the north, 
when lying north of the principal base ; on the south line of townships 
when lying south of the principal base, from which the surveys, as they 
are continued, are laid out anew ; the range lines again starting at cor- 
rect distances from the principal meridian. In Michigan these correc- 
tion lines are repeated at the end of every tenth township, but in Oregon 
they have been repeated with every fifth township. The instructions to 
the surveyors have been that each range of townships should be made as 
much over six miles in width on each base and correction line as it will 
fall short of the same width where it closes on to the next correction line 
north; and it is further provided that in all cases, where the exterior lines 
of the townships shall exceed, or shall not extend six miles, the excess 
or deficiency shall be specially noted, and added to or deducted from the 
western or northern sections or half sections in such township, according 
as the error may be in running the lines from east to west, or from south 
to north. In order to throw the excess of deficiencies on the north and 
on the west sides of the township, it is necessary to survey the section 
lines from south to north, on a true meridian, leaving the result in the 
north line of the township to be governed by the convexit}' of the earth, 
and tlvQ convergency of the meridians. 

Navigable rivers, lakes and islands are "meandered" or surveyed by 
the compass and chain along the banks. " The instruments employed 
on these surveys, besides the solar compass, are a surveying chain thirty- 
three feet long, of fifty links, and another of smaller wire, as a standard 
to be used for correcting the former as often at least as every other day, 
also eleven tally pins, made of steel, telescope, targets, tape measure and 
tools for marking the lines upon trees or stones. In surveying through 
woods, trees intercepted by the line are marked with two chips or notches, 
one on each side ; these are called sight or line trees. Sometimes other 
trees in the vicinity are blazed on two sides quartering toward the line ; 
but if some distance from the line the two blazes should be near together 
on the side facing the line. These are found to be permanent marks, not 
only recognizable for many years, but carrying with them their own age 
by the rings of growth around the blaze, which may at any subsequent 
time be cut out and counted as years ; and the same are recognized in 



HISTORY OF E5UCHANAN COUNTY. 1 63 

courts of law as evidence of the date of the survey. They cannot be 
obliterated by cutting down the trees or otherwise, without leaving evi- 
dence of the act. Corners are marked upon trees if found at the right 
spots, or else upon posts set in the ground, and sometimes a monument 
of stones is used for a township corner, and a single stone for section 
•corner ; mounds of earth are made where there are no stones nor timber. 
At the corners the four adjacent sections are designated by distinct 
marks cut into a tree, one in each section. These trees, facing the 
corner, are plainly marked with the letters B. T. (bearing tree) cut into 
the wood. Notches cut upon the corner posts or trees indicate the num- 
ber of miles to the outlines of the township, or if on the boundaries of the 
township, to the township corners." 

Recurring now to the County Court, we shall here insert, from its 
"Order Book" the following e.xtracts, defining the boundaries of the dif- 
ferent townships : 

^^Ordered by the court, that Platte Township shall be bounded as 
follows, to wit : Commencing on the old State boundary line, where Cas- 
tile Creek crosses the same ; thence due west to the Platte River, so as 
to include all the territory lying south of that line, between the old State 
Ijoundary and Platte River, down to the north line of Platte County." 

At a subsequent terra, May 7th, 1839, the County Court extended 
the boundary lines of Platte Township as follows : 

"Ordered by the court, that the north boundary line of Platte Town- 
ship be extended north one mile ; thence due west to Platte River ; 
thence down Platte River to the county line." 

"Tremont Township shall be bounded on the south by Platte Town- 
ship ; east by the old State boundary; north by the Third Fork of Platte 
River, and west by Platte River." 

"Marion Township shall be bounded on the south by the Third Fork 
of Platte ; west by the Hundred and Two ; east by the old State bound- 
ary, and north by the north line of the state." 

On Tuesday, April 2nd, 1839, the court convened, pursuant to 
adjournment, and continued the laying out of townships, beginning with 
Bloomington : 

^'The court further orders that Bloomington Township shall be 
boumded as follows, to wit : Beginning at the mouth of Contrary Creek ; 
thence up said creek to Benjamin Sampson's, so as to include said Samp- 
son ; thence south to the Platte County line ; thence west with the said 
line to the Missouri River ; thence up the Missouri River to the place of 
heginning." 

"Ordered by the court, that Crawford Township be bounded as fol- 
lows, to wit : On the north by Jefferson Township ; west by Blooming- 
ton Township ; south by the north boundary of Platte County, and east 
by Bee Creek, as far north as Dodge's mill ; thence by a line running 



164 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

due north from Dodge's mill, until it strikes the north boundary of Jef- 
ferson Township." 

" Ordered by the court, that Washington Township be bounded as. 
follows, to wit : Beginning in the main channel of the Missouri River, at 
the northwest corner of Buchanan County proper ; thence east with said 
line to the main channel of Creek One Hundred and Two; thence with the 
meanders of said creek to the mouth thereof; thence down Platte River 
in the main channel thereof, to the mouth of the Third Fork of said 
Platte River ; thence westwardly to Dr. Hubble's ; thence due west to 
the middle of the main channel of the Missouri River ; thence up said 
river to the beginning." 

There were established by the County Court, at their first term, 
four other townships, bearing respectively the names of Lewis, Noble, 
Jefferson and Nodaway. Atchison Township was formed two years 
after. 

These, however, have no distinctive existence now. The count)' 
was originally divided into nine large townships, called Platte, Marion^ 
Lewis, Jefferson, Nodaway. Bloomington, Washington, Crawford and 
Noble. 

Following up the varied history of the townships, we find on the 7th 
day of June, 1842, Buchanan County was divided into eight municipal 
townships, to be called and designated by the names of Bloomington, 
Crawford, Platte, Tremont, Marion, Washington, Wayne and Centre,, 
and were bounded and described as follows : 

Bloomington Township to embrace Congressional township 55, 
in range 36, and the territory west to the Missouri River. 

Crawford Township to embrace Congressional township 55, in 
range 35. 

Platte Township to embrace Congressional township 55, in range 
34, and the territory east to the old State boundary. 

Tremont Township to embrace Congressional township 56, in range 
34, and the territory east to the old State boundary. 

Marion Township to embrace Congressional township 57, in range 
34, and the territory east to the old State boundary. 

Washington Township to embrace Congressional township 57, in 
range 35, and the territory west to the Missouri River. 

Wayne Township to embrace Congressional township 56, in range 36. 

Centre Township to embrace Congressional township 56, in range 35. 

Agency Township was formed in 1876, and is bounded as folio w.s : 
All that portion of Congressional township 56, range 34, west of Platte 
River, beginning at Platte River, on township line between 56 and 57 ; 
thence west to the northwest corner of section 6, township 56, range 34; 
thence south to the southwest corner of section 31, township 56, range 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 165 

34 ; tlience east to Platte River, including all that part of said township 
that was at the time attached to Washington and Centre Townships. 

Rush Township was formed in August, 1842, and embraces all that 
portion of Bloomington Tow^nship west of the range line, dividing 
ranges 36 and 37, and south of the township line dividing townships 35 
and 56 to the Missouri River. 

In August, 1842, the boundary lines of Crawford Township were 
•extended east to the range line dividing towns thirty-four and thirty- 
five, said range line being made the dividing line between Crawford 
and Jackson Townships. 

On the 27th of June, 1842, the court changed the boundaries of 
Marion and Washington Townships, by attaching all of Marion Town- 
ship west of One Hundred and Two and Platte Rivers, to Washington 
Township, and locating the line dividing said townships on the west 
bank of the Platte River, where the township line, dividing towns fifty- 
■six and fifty-seven intersects the same ; thence up Platte River to the 
mouth of the One Hundred and Two ; thence up the One Hundred and 
Two to the line dividing the counties of Buchanan and Andrew, and 
attaching all the territory north of Washington Township and south of 
the county line dividing the counties of Buchanan and Andrew, and 
attaching also, all the territory north of Marion Township and south of 
the county line to Marion Township. 

PLACP:S FOR HOLDING FIRST ELECTIONS. 

"Ordered by the court that an election be held in the several town- 
ships in this county, for the election of two Justices of the Peace for each 
township, and one Constable ; the election to be held on Saturday, the 
27th day of this month, and at the following places, to wit : In Platte 
Township, at the house of John Henry, and that John Henry, James B. 
Glenn, and Richard Chaney, Sr., be appointed judges thereof." 

" In Tremont Township, at Donnell's store, and that George Jeffers, 
John S. Johnson, and John Benton be appointed judges thereof. 

"In the Township of Marion, at the house of Benjamin Cornelius, 
and that Benjamin Cornelius, James Watters and Anderson B. Gregory 
be appointed judges thereof 

"In Bloomington Township, at the town of Bloomington, and that 
David May, Abraham Womach and James L. Mulkey, be appointed 
judges thereof. 

" In Crawford Township, at West Point, and that Nathan T. Frakes, 
George W. Taylor and Henry Hensby be appointed judges thereof. 

" In Noble Township, at the house of Pleasant Yates, and that Ben- 
jamin McCrary, P^lisha Smith and Millford Gilmore be appointed.judge.s 
thereof 



l66 HISTORY Of BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

"In Lewis Township, at the house of William Stephenson, and that 
Thomas Crowley, William Thorp and Isaac Massa be appointed judges 
thereof. 

In Nodaway Township, at Elliott's store, and that James Officer,. 
Robert Elliott and Francis Wrightman be appointed judges thereof. 

"In Jefferson Township at Jamestown, and that George S. Nelson,. 
Theophilis McGruder and John Shannon be appointed judges thereof." 

They recommended also that a poll be opened in the townships for 
one County Court Justice, Richard Roberts, Esq., having either resigned 
or refused to act. 

William W. Reynolds was appointed County Assessor ; his term of 
office to expire at the end of the year 1839. 

ROADS. 

On the 7th of May, 1839, the County Court at its second term, held 
at the house of Joseph Robidoux, at Blacksnake Hills, began the work 
of laying out roads. Many applications upon the part of the citizens 
residing in different portions of the county, had in the meantime (since 
the adjournment), been filed with the clerk, praying an order for the 
establishment of roads. These were taken up by the court and acted 
upon as follows : 

"On application of Frederick Waymire, the court appoints Richard 
Hill, William Cogdil and Claybourne F. Parmer to view, mark and locate 
a road from S. H. Bell and F. Waymire's mill site, on Contrary Creek, 
thence the nearest and best way to Pennick's store or West Point, who 
shall make report at the next term of this court." 

"On application of Frederick Waymire, the court appoints H. W. 
Hanson, Samuel C. Hall and John H. Whitehead, to view, mark and 
locate a road from S. H. Bell and F. Waymire's mill site, on Contrary 
Creek ; thence the nearest and best way to Robidoux's, on the Missouri 
River, and that they make report at the next term of this court." 

"On application of James Gilmore. the court appoints Robert Irvin, 
Robert Gilmore and James Davis, to view, mark and locate a road from 
Joseph Jenkin's, at the line of Clinton County, crossing Platte at Gil- 
more and Dixon's Mill, thence the nearest and best route to Robidoux's 
on the Missouri, and make report at the ne.xt term of this court." 

"On application of James Gilmore, the court appoints William Poe, 
Jarvis McCorkle and George Jeffers, to view, mark and locate from Joel 
Burnam's, at the Clinton County line, to Gilmore and Dixon's Mill, 
thence intersecting a road about to be established, leading from Jenkin's 
to Robidoux's, and make report at the next term of this court." 

"On application of Robert Elliott, the court appoints William 
Clemens, Joel Estes and Ezckiel W. Smith to view, mark and locate a 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 6/ 

road from Gilmore's mill, on Platte River, to the rapids of Nodaway, b\' 
way of Elliott's store, and make report to this court at the next term." 

These were the first roads made by authority of law in the count)- 
of Buchanan. 

FERRIES. 

Whoever wdll take the trouble of examining the map of Buchanan' 
County will see that the country is traversed by a number of large 
streams, which even at this day cannot be crossed during a greater por- 
tion of the year without the medium of bridges or some other appliance. 
The difficulty of crossing the streams was even greater in earlier days 
than now, as it is a fact that there were at that time more freshets, and 
a higher stage of water in the streams than now. While the Indians 
were occupying the territory now embraced in the limits of the count}',, 
one or two persons were permitted by government to locate within the 
county and operate a ferry; especially was this the case at Agency Ford. 

At a later day, however, after the county was organized, these ferries 
were under the direct control of the County Court, who, in consideration 
of an annual fee, licensed certain persons to operate them. The County 
Court, moreover, upon issuing said license, prescribed the rate of toll to 
be charged, and in other respects looked after their management. 

Public policy dictated that the supervision of the ferries should be 
rigid, for by their mismanagement commerce and travel would be mate- 
rially interfered with, and in some cases entirely interrupted. 

The first person regularly licensed as a ferryman was Julius C. Robi- 
doux, who was authorized to maintain a ferry across the Missouri River 
at Blacksnake Hills, on the 7th day of May, 1839. 

The record is as follows: "Ordered by the Court, that Julius C. 
Robidoux be licensed to keep a ferry on the Missouri River, in the 
county of Buchanan, at Robidoux's Landing, for the term of one year 
from this date, and that he pay a tax therefor the sum of four dollars for 
state purposes, and four dollars for county purposes, and fix the rates of 
ferriage as follows : 

For each four-wheeled carriage drawn by four horses, oxen or 

other animals $ i ■ 50 

For each two-horse carriage drawn by two horses, or oxen or 

other animals i . 00 

For each one-horse carriage drawn by one horse, mule or ass .... 50 

For each man and horse, or mule 25 

For each footman I2i 

For each led horse, mule or ass 125 

For each head of cattle 10 

For each head of hogs or sheep 3 

During the following December, John P^llington was licensed to keep 
a ferry. The following was the order of the Court : Ordered that John 



ll68 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Ellington be licensed to keep a ferry on the Nodaway River, at the Pot- 
■awattamie crossing, for the term of one year from this date, and that he 
pay a tax therefor of two dollars and fifty cents for state purposes, and 
the same amount for county purposes, and that he be allowed to charge 
the following rates of ferriage, to wit : 

Loaded wagon and team . $ i . oo 

Empty do . 50 

Two-horse wagon and team 75 

Empty do . . 37! 

Man and horse I2i 

Footman • ■ ■ ■ 6\ 

Single horse 6| 

Cattle per head 5 

Sheep or hogs per head 3 

There were other ferries licensed in various parts of the county 
which were of great service to the settlers and emigrants passing through, 
and at the same time they were a source of some little revenue to the 
county, and repaid the owners of them liberal rewards for the labor of 
operating them and the capital invested. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE FIRST RECORDS. 

The original real estate records are still in existence. The book in 
which they are recorded contains 478 pages, and although its leaves 
have become yellowed and soiled by time, it is in a good state of pre- 
servation. Here are found, promiscuously recorded, mortgages, bills of 
sale, chattel mortgages, powers of attorney, indentures of apprentice- 
ship, warranty deeds, etc. The character of the penmanship and the 
orthography are generally good. Bills of sale, mortgages and deeds, 
were in early times usually drawn up by justices of the peace, who, while 
they were men of good judgment, of unimpeachable integrity, were fre- 
quently unlearned and unlettered, as nearly all the early records tes- 
tify, yet the early records of Buchanan County are generally an 
exception to this rule. The fact must not be lost sight of, however, that 
the early officials of the newly organized counties in this western coun- 
try, were hardy backwoodsmen, whose continual struggle for a livelihood 
precluded the possibility of devoting any time to self culture. 

In reproducing some of these first records it is not with a view to 
ridicule those brave, busy pioneers of justice, but to satisfy a curiosity to 
behold what is novel and ancient. 

The first record is that of the order of the appointment of Circuit 
Court and County Court Clerks, which is as follows : 

*'To all who shall see these presents — Greeting: 

"Know ye that reposing especial trust and confidence in the integ- 
rity and abilities of Edwin Toole, I do hereby appoint him Clerk of the 
Circuit Court for the County of Buchanan in the State of Missouri, and 
do authorize and empower him to discharge the duties of said office with 
all the powers, privileges and emoluments to the same of right apper- 
taining until the general election in the year 1840 ; and until his suc- 
cessor is elected and qualified. 

"Given under my hand as Judge of the fifth Judicial Circuit, in the 
State of Missouri, the i6th day of February, 1839. 

AUSTIN A. KING. 

State of Missouri, set. : 

I, Edwin Toole, do hereby swear that I will support the constitution 
of the United States, and of the State of Missouri, and that I will faith- 

11 



\'J2 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

fully discharge the duties of Clerk of the Circuit Court for Buchanan 
County, during my continuance in office. 

EDWIN TOOLE. 
The above oath of office taken and subscribed before me, the 
undersigned, this first day of March, 1839. 

AUSTIN A. KING, 

Judge, etc- 
The above commission was filed 8th of March, 1839. 

EDWIN TOOLE, 

Recorder, 
To all who shall see these presents greeting : 

Know ye that reposing especial trust and confidence in the integ- 
rity and abilities of William Fowler, we, Samuel Johnson and William 
Harrington, Justices of the County Court of Buchanan County and 
State of Missouri, do hereby appoint him, the said William Fowler, clerk 
of the County Court of Buchanan, in the aforesaid state, and do author- 
ize and empower him to discharge the duties of said office according to 
law. And to have and to hold said office, with all the power, privileges 
and emoluments to the same of right appertaining, until the general 
election in the year 1840, and until his successor is elected and qualified. 
Given under our hands as Justices of the County Court of Buchanan 
County, in the State of Missouri, the ist day of April, 1839. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, \ 
County of Buchanan, f 

I, William Fowler, do hereby swear that I will support the Consti- 
tution of the United States and of the State of Missouri, and that I 
will faithfully discharge the duties of Clerk of the County Court of 
Buchanan County during my continuance in office. 

WILLIAM FOWLER. 

The- above oath of office taken and subscribed in open court this 1st. 
April, 1839. 

. SAMUEL JOHNSON, 

WILLIAM HARRINGTON,. 

The above filed for record 1st April, 1839. 

EDWIN TOOLE, Recorder. 

The above mentioned were the first clerks of the Circuit and County 
Courts of Buchanan County, and in obedience to the custom of that day, 
were appointed by the judges of said courts. 

S. M. Gillmore was the first appointed sheriff of the county, and 
Peter H. Burnett, afterward Governor of California, first prosecuting 
attorney. 

At the general election, held on the first Monday in August, 1840, 
William Fowler received 979 votes for the office of Circuit Clerk. There 
being no other person voted for, he was declared duly elected to the 
office of Circuit Clerk for the term of six years. 

At the same election Samuel M. Gilmore was elected sheriff to 
serve two years. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 73 

The following is the bond filed by the latter officer: 

Know all men by these presents : 

That we, Samuel M. Gilmore as principal, and James Gilmore and 
Frederick Waymire as security, acknowledge ourselves to owe and be, 
indebted to the State of Missouri, in the sum of seven thousand dollars, 
well and truly to be paid, we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors, 
administrators and assigns firmly by these presents. 

Witness our hands and seals this 25th day of August, 1840. 

The condition of the above obligation is such, that if the above bound 
Samuel M. Gilmore shall faithfully perform all the duties of sheriff of 
Buchanan County, in the State of Missouri aforesaid, according to law, 
for the term of two years, and until his successor is elected and qualified, 
and pay over all moneys that may come into his hands, by virtue of his 
office, to those entitled, and all things faithfully do and perform, touching 
the duties of the office of sheriff aforesaid, then this obligation to be null 
and void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue. 

Signed and sealed this day and date above written. 

SAMUEL M. GILMORE. [seal.] 
JAMES GILMORE. [seal.] 

F. WAYMIRE. [SEAL.] 

Witness : Edwin ToolE. 

I, Edwin Toole, Clerk of the Circuit Court in and for the County of 
of Buchanan, and State of Missouri, do certify that I approve the penalty 
and security of the within bond. 

This 25th day of August, A. D. 1840. 

EDWIN TOOLE, Clerk. 

Note. — In the body of the above bond the following words are 
interlined, to wit : for the term of two years and until his successor is 
elected and qualified. And in the approval of the clerk a part of the 
second line is erased, and the words "of Buchanan and" visibly written. 

The above bond was delivered for record August 24, 1840. 

WILLIAM FOWLER, Recorder. 

The first record after the appointment of Edwin Toole as Circuit 
Clerk and the appointment of William Fowler, Clerk of the County 
Court, is the following : 

MORTGAGE. 

This indenture, made the I4tb March, 1839, between Joseph Wages 
and Zachariah Moreland, both of the County of Buchanan and State of 
Missouri. Whereas, the said Zachariah Moreland has this day stayed 
two judgments, one for two months and one for four months, for said 
Joseph Wages, which said judgments were lately obtained by J. & J. 
Long, before E. Toole, J. P., for the sum of $77. 19 cts; and the said 
Joseph Wages, being desirous to secure and save the said Moreland 
against all responsibility in a certain recognizance in which said More- 



174 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

land bound himself in relation to said judgments, Therefore, this 
indenture witnesseth that the said Joseph Wages, as well for and in 
consideration of securing the said Moreland from the payment of the 
said judgments aforesaid, as the sum of one dollar to him, the said 
Wages, in hand paid, by the said Zachariah Moreland, at and before the 
sealing and delivery hereof, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, 
hath granted, bargained, and sold, released and confirmed unto the said 
Zachariah Moreland, one bay horse, two milch cows, seven head of sheep, 
to have and to hold the above mentioned property, to him the said 
Zachariah Moreland and his assigns, forever. Provided always, never- 
theless, that if the said Joseph Wages shall and truly pay said judgments 
above mentioned, or cause them to be paid, then this deed of mortgage 
shall cease, determine and become absolutely null and void, anything 
herein contracted, to the contrary notwithstanding. 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the day 
and date above written. 

his 
JOSEPH X WAGES, [seal.] 
mark. 
Teste : Edwin Toole. 

The above filed for record 5th April, 1839. 

EDWIN TOOLE, Recorder. 

DEED OF GIFT. 

Know all men by these presents : 

That I, Lewis Gresham of the County of Buchanan and State of Mis- 
souri, in consideration of the natural love and affection which I have and 
bear unto my two beloved daughters, Margaret and Louisa Perlina, and 
also for divers other good causes, and considerations in the said 
Lewis Gresham hereunto moving, have given, granted and confirmed, 
and by these presents, do give, grant, and confirm unto the said Margaret 
and Louisa Perlina, all and singular, a certain negro girl slave, named 
Elizabeth, between fourteen and fifteen years of age. Also three cows 
anjj calves; fifteen head of sheep, twenty head of hogs, and one bed and 
furniture, to have, hold and enjoy all and singular, the said negro girl 
slave, and the said goods, chattels, and personal estate, aforesaid, unto 
the said Margaret and Louisa Perlina, their executors administrators, 
and assigns forever. 

And I, the said Lewis Gresham, all and singular, the said negro girl 
slave, and the said goods and chattels, personal estate and other the 
premises to the said Margaret and Louisa Perlina, their executors, 
administrators and assigns, against the said Lewis Gresham, my execu- 
tors and administrators, and all and every other person and persons 
whatsoever, shall and will warrant and forever defend by these presents, 
of all and singular, which said negro girl slave, with the aforesaid goods, 
chattels, personal estate, and other the premises, I, the said Lewis 
Gresham, have put the said Margaret and Louisa Perlina in full posses- 
sion, by delivering to them the said negro girl, named Elizabeth, as a 
slave forever, at the time of sealing and delivering of these presents, in 
the name of the whole premises hereby granted. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1/5 

In witness whereof, I, the said Lewis Gresham, have hereunto set 
my hand and seal, this 25th day of June, in the year of our Lord, one 
thousand eight hundred and thirtv-nine. 

LEWIS GRESHAM. [seal.] 

Signed and sealed in the presence of William Fowler. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ( 
County of Buchanan, \ ^^ ' 

Be it remembered, that on this 25th day of June, A. D. 1839, Lewis 
Gresham, the grantor named in the foregoing deed of gift, personally 
appeared before me, the undersigned Clerk of the County Court, within 
and for the county aforesaid, and acknowledging the signing and sealing 
of the same to be his act and deed, for the purposes therein mentioned. 

Given under my hand, the day and year above written. 

WILLIAM FOWLER, Clerk. 

The next instrument recorded is a will, the first will on record 
which is as follows : 

I, William Monroe, of the County of Buchanan, and State of Mis- 
souri, do make and publish this, my last will and testament, in manner 
and following, that is to say : 

First — It is my will that my funeral expenses and all my just debts 
be fully paid. 

Second — It is my will and I do hereby give to my eldest son, 
Thomas Monroe, the sum of four hundred dollars, and to his heirs and 
assigns forever, to be paid to him or to his heirs and assigns by my 
executor on the ist day of May next, as his full, complete and entire 
portion of my estate forever. 

Third — I give to my second son, Daniel Monroe, the sum of four 
hundred dollars, and to his heirs and assigns forever, to be paid to him 
or to his heirs and assigns by my executor on the first day of May next, 
as his full, complete and entire portion of my estate forever. 

Fourth — I give to my oldest daughter, Eleanor Douglass, the sum 
of two hundred dollars, and to her heirs and assigns forever, to be paid 
to her or her heirs by my executor on the 1st day of May next, as her 
complete and entire portion of my estate forever. 

Fifth — I give to my second daughter, Susan Burris, the sum of four 
hundred dollars, and to her heirs and assigns forever, to be paid to her 
or to her heirs and assigns by my executor on the ist day of May next, 
as her complete and entire portion of my estate forever. 

Sixth — I give to my third daughter, Frances Reynolds, the note I 
hold against her husband (Reuben R. Reynolds), for the amount of sev- 
enty-seven dollars and thirty-six cents, principal and interest, up to this 
date. Said note was due August the ist, 1838, and is dated and bears 
ten per cent, interest from the above date August ist, 1838, to have and 
to hold to her heirs and assigns forever as and for her complete and 
entire portion of my estate forever. 

Seventh — I give to the heirs of my fourth daughter, Elizabeth 
Kuaur, the sum of four hundred dollars, to be paid to them or to their 
lawful guardian, by my executor on the ist day of May next, as their 
complete and entire portion of my estate forever. 



176 HISTORN' OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Eighth I give to my fifth daughter, Nancy Thorp, the sum of four 

hundred dollars, and to her heirs and assigns forever, to be paid to her 
or to her heirs by my executor on the ist of May next, as her complete 
and entire portion of my estate forever. 

j^Tji-ith— I give, devise and bequeath to my third son, Samuel Mon- 
roe my two servant boys, namely, Sam and John, to have and to hold 
to his heirs and assigns forever. Also I give to the said Samuel Monroe, 
the farm on which I now live, situate in the attached part of Buchanan 
County and State of Missouri, and knowmas the northwest quarter of 
section' No. 10, township No. 57, range No. 35, to have and to hold the 
said farm, together with all the appurtenance thereunto belonging 
(either as a pre-emption right, or as certified and patented to me from 
Government), to his heirs and assigns forever. 

jg,-ith I give to my fourth son, Peter Monroe, my two servants, 

namely Emmalmd Mary Ann, to have and to hold, and to his heirs and 

assigns forever. ,..,.. r ,, 1 • • -n 

Eleventh— After the above distribution is fully made, it is my will 
and I do hereby devise and bequeath the entire balance of my estate, 
either personal or real, to my two sons, Samuel Monroe and Peter Mon- 
roe, to their entire use and equal enjoyment, and to their heirs and 
assigns forever. , . 

Twelfth— And, lastly, I hereby constitute and appoint my said son 
Samuel Monroe to be the executor to this my last will and testament, 
revoking and annulling all former wills by me made, and ratifying and 
confirmilig this, and no other to be my last will and testament. 

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 
twenty-first day of July, A. D. one thousand, eight hundred and forty. 

WILLIAM MONROE, [seal.] 

Si^^ned, published and delared by the above named William Mon- 
roe as and for his last will and testam2nt in presence of us who, at his 
request have signed as witnesses to the same. 

C. M. JOHNSON, 
JOHN W. SAMUEL. 
The above will was filed for record October 3, 1840. 
Witness : WILLIAM FOWLER, Recorder. 

Cupid, the God of Love, whose universal sway over the hearts and 
affections of mankind has been commensurate with the history of our 
race, early manifested his presence among the pioneers of Buchanan 
County, as will be seen from the following verbatim copies of a few of 
the earlier marriages : 

Feb. 14. 1S39. United James Nichols and Francis Smith in bonds 

of matrimony. . . 

March 12, 1839. United David Grant and America Gilliam m bonds 

of matrimony. , t i- 1 tvt- 1 1 • 

March 19, 1839. United Solomon Shelton and Judith Nichols in 

the bonds of matrimony. ,, , • , , 1 r 

March 21. United Henry and Vienna Halman m the bonds ot 
matrimony. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 77 

STATE OF MISSOURI, 
. vCouNTY OF Buchanan. 



ss. 



I do hereby certify that the bonds of matrimony between Noel Hen- 
'derson and Caroline Arnold, both of the county and state aforesaid, 
were solemnized by me on the 17th of January, 1839. 

A licensed minister of the Gospel. 

VINCENT SNELLING. 

COMMONWEALTH OF MISSOURI, | 

Buchanan County, f ■'^•''' 

I do hereby certify that on the 7th day of March, A. D. 1839, I 
united together in the rites of matrimony, as husband and wife, Mr. 
Abel Herrington and Miss Rebecca C. Gilmore. 

Given under ray hand this 15th day of April, A. D. 1839. 

ABRAHAM MILICE, 
Ordained Minister of the Gospel. 

COMMONWEALTH OF MO., \ 
County of Buchanan, \ ^^' 

I do hereby certify that on the 20th day of March, A. D. 1839, I 
united together in the rites of matrimony, as husband and wife, Mr. Page 
Stanley and Miss Catharine Williams. 

Given under my hand this 7th day of May, A. D. 1839. 

JESSE F. WIXON, 
Ordained Minister of the Gospel. 

I hereby certify that I solemnized the bonds of matrimony, on the 
31st day of March, 1839, between Samuel Walkup and Louisa Round- 
tree, all of Buchanan County, State of Missouri. 

Given under my hand, April 13, 1839. 

SINGLETON ASHER, O. M. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ) 
Buchanan County, f 

I do hereby certify that on the 23d day of May, A. D. 1839, I joined 
together, by the rites of matrimony, Mr. Ransom H. Trusty and Miss 
Mary Ann Muzinzo. 

Given under my hand this ist day of June, 1839. 

JESSE F. WIXON, O. M. 

April 7, 1839. 

This day solemnized a marriage between Jesse Blivens and Rosa 
Toner, both of the County of Buchanan, and State of Missouri. 

JOHN MARTIN, J. P. 

Buchanan County, Mo. : 

I, Mathias Cline, do certify, that the bonds of matrimony between . 
Daniel Vestil and Mary jane Snelling were solemnized by me, both then 



1/8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

of the County of Platte, thought to be, but since the survey, of the county 
of Buchanan, on the 7th of March, 1839. 

MATHIAS CLINE, yustice of the Peace. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, [ 
County of Buchanan, j 

This is to certify, that on the 15th day of May, 1839, ii"* the presence 
of Henry Noland and Joel Parker, I did join together in matrimony^ 
William Kitcher and Angeline Yates, both of Buchanan County. 

Given under my hand, this 22nd day of May, 1839. 

THOMAS B. RUBLE, O. M. G. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ) 
County of Buchanan. \ 

I, Zachariah Linville, a preacher of the Gospel, do certify, that on 
the 2ist day of August, 1839, I united in marriage, John Allison to Dicy 
Trapp, both of lawful age. 

Given under my hand, this 17th of November, 1839. 

ZACHARIAH LINVILLE.. 

To THE Clerk of Buchanan County, Mo. : 

This is to certify, that on the 17th Nov., 1839, in the presence of 
John Riggin and others, I joined together in wedlock, Mr. John W. 
Woods and Miss Joanna Stokes, both of Buchanan County, Mo. 
Given under my hand, this 27th Nov. 1839. 

T. B. RUBLE, 
Ordained Minister of the Gospel in M. E. church. 

The marriages above mentioned occurred forty-two years ago. The 
contracting parties, if still living, would be more than three-score years 
of age. 

In those primitive days, among the early settlers, marriages, we are 
persuaded, were the result of love. There was not only a union of hands 
but a union of hearts. The pioneer maiden made the faithful wife, and 
the sturdy backwoodsman the fond and trusted husband. 

During 1839, there were recorded forty-oiie marriages, and in ic 
there were four hundred and three. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FIRST COURT HOUSE. 



FIRST COURT HOUSE-FURTHER EXTRACTS FROM COUNTY COURT RECORDS- EARLY 
PAPERS ON FILE— CIRCUIT COURT DOCKET— FIRST CASES -BILLS OF INDICTMENT 
CHANCERY COURT DOCKET. 

Notwithstanding the fact, that a large number, probably a majority 
of the people in every county, have very little practical experience in 
the courts, and although they have the legal capacity to sue and be 
sued, never improve their opportunities, and never appear in court, 
unless it be on compulsion as witnesses or jurors ; yet, as the one great 
conservator of peace, and as the final abiter in case of individual or 
neighborhood disputes, the court is distinguished above and apart from 
all and every other institution of the land, and not only the proceedings 
of the court, but the place of holding court, is a matter of interest to 
the average reader. 

Not only so, but in many counties the court house was the first, 
and usually the only public building in the county. 

The first court houses were not very elaborate buildings, to be sure, 
but they are enshrined in memories that the present never can know. 

Their uses were general, rather than special, and so constantly were 
they in use, day and night when the court was in session, and when it 
was not in session, for judicial, educational, religious and social pur- 
poses, that the doors of the old court houses like the gates of gospel 
grace, stood open night and day, and the small amount invested in those 
old hewn-logs, and rough benches, returned a much better rate of inter- 
est on the investment, than do those stately piles of brick or granite 
which have taken their places. 

The memorable court house of early times was a house adapted to^ 
a variety of purposes, and had a career of great usefulness. 

School was taught, the gospel preached and justice dispensed within 
its substantial walls. Then it served frequently as a resting place for 
weary travelers, and indeed its doors always swung on easy hinges. 

On the fourth day of January, 1841, the County Court of Buchanan 
County (Stephen Jones being at the time President of said court) made 
an order relative to the building of a court house at Sparta. 

The court had held its sessions at Richard Hill's, near Rock House 
Prairie, and at the house of Joseph Robidoux, since April, 1839. The 



l8o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

accommodations of these places were meagre, and the expense to the 
county had been considerable. The following is the order of the court 
in reference thereto : 

"Ordered by the court, that a building be erected on the lot No. i, 
in block No. i/. in the town of Sparta, to be used as a court house and 
clerk's office, until other and more suitable public buildings can be pro- 
vided, of the following description, to wit : to consist of two rooms, one 
eighteen feet by twenty ; the other eighteen feet by sixteen, with a par- 
tition wall between ; the wall to be fifteen feet high, nine feet between 
the first and second floors. The walls to be of logs, hewn to the thick- 
ness of six inches, and to face twelve inches ; two good substantial 
floors, the joints and sleepers not to exceed two feet apart ; the floors to 
be of inch and a quarter oak or ash. Plank well seasoned and laid square 
joints. A good and substantial roof of eighteen-inch shingles, and sheet- 
ing to be of good quality. Two twelve-light windows in each room 
below, glass ten by twelve, and a six-light window in each gable, and glass 
the same size ; a batten door in each of the lower rooms and a partition 
door of the same kind, all to be made of durable timber. The cracks to 
be pointed with lime mortar ; the building to be underpinned with rock, 
eight inches above the level of the ground. The large room to be com- 
pleted by the third Monday in March next, and the other by the third 
Monday in July next. The whole to be done in a good and workman- 
like manner. And it is further ordered that John Sampson be appointed 
to superintend the erection of said building." 

The contractor of this rude structure was Guilford Moultray, who 
obligated himself, in accordance with the order of the court, to finish 
the building in July following. The plan of the building was furnished 
by George W. Nixon and William Fowler, who received therefor the 
sum of ten dollars. It was a large house, the largest perhaps in the 
county, when it was built. In it were located the several county offices, 
and there met that august assemblage known as the Circuit Court, 
where the vocal, and not unfrequently muscular, pioneer attorneys had 
full scope for the employment of their varied powers, both physical and 
intellectual. The old Sparta bar was one of which the attorneys of 
Buchanan County may well be proud. They were, indeed, without a 
single exception, able men ; men who not only stood at the head of 
their profession in after years, but many of them attained honorable 
positions in the State and National Legislatures. 

If the old settlers are to be believed, the old log court house at 
Sparta often rang on the pioneer Sabbath with a more stirring eloquence 
than enlivens the pulpits of the present time. Many of the earliest 
ministers have officiated within its walls, and if those old walls could 
■speak, they would doubtless tell many a strange tale of pioneer religion 
that is now lost forever. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. l8l 

To that old court house, ministers came of different faiths, but all 
eager to expound the simple truths of a sublime and beautiful religion, 
and point out for comparison the thorny path of duty and the primrose 
way of dalliance. Often have those old walls given back the echoes of 
those who sang the songs of Zion, and many an erring wanderer has 
had his heart moved to repentance thereby more strongly than ever by 
the strains of homely eloquence. 

With Monday morning the old building changed in character, and 
men went thither seeking not the mercy of God, but the justice of man. 
The scales were held with an even hand. Those who presided knew 
every man in the county, and they dealt out substantial justice, and the 
broad principles of natural equity prevailed. 

Children came here to school, and sat at the foot of teachers who 
knew little more than themselves ; but, however humble the teacher's 
acquirements he w^as hailed as a wise man and a benefactor, and his les- 
sons were heeded with attention. The old people of the settlement 
went there to discuss their own affairs, and learn from visiting attorneys 
the news from the great world, so far away to the southward and east- 
ward. 

In addition to the orderly assemblies which formally gathered there, 
•other meetings no less notable occurred' It was a.sort of a forum whither 
all classes of people went for the purpose of loafing and gossiping, and 
telling and hearing some new thing. 

As a general thing, the first court house, after having served the 
purpose of its erection, and having served that purpose well, was torn 
•down and conveyed to the rear of some remote lot, and thereafter was 
made to serve the purpose of an obscure cow stable on some dark alley. 
The old court house at Sparta, 'however, after having accomplished its 
mission, was used for a much higher and nobler purpose, having been 
converted into a granary — a receptacle for that which ultimately sustains 
the physical wants of both man and beast. 

There is little of the poetic and romantic in the make-up of Western 
society, and the old court house, after the removal of the county-seat, 
ceased to be regarded with reverence and awe. It was then looked upon 
as only the aggregation of so many oak or hickory logs, and the practi- 
cal eye of the modern citizen could see nothing in it but the aforesaid 
logs, and in his estimate of its value nothing but calculation relative to 
the number of bushels of wheat or corn which these reconstructed logs 
would contain, were the only conditions bearing on those estimates. 

In a new country, where every energy of the people is necessarily 
■employed in the practical work of earning a living, and the always urgent 
and ever present question of bread and butter is up for solution, people 
•cannot be expected to devote much time to the poetic and ideal. It 
therefore follows that nothing- was retained as a useless relic which could 



1 82 HISTORY OF BUCHAXAN COUNTY. 

be turned to some utility ; but it is a shame that the people of moderra 
times have such little reverence for the relics of former days. After these 
houses ceased to be available for business purposes they should have 
been preserved, to have at least witnessed the semi-centennial of the 
country's history. It is sad that in their hurry to graw rich, so few have 
care even for the work of their own hands. How many of the early^ 
settlers have preserved their first habitations .'' The sight of that humble 
cabin would be a source of much consolation in old age, as it reminded 
the owner of the trials and triumphs of other times, and its presence 
would go far toward reconciling the coming generation with their lot 
when comparing its lowly appearance with the modern residence, whose 
extensive apartments are beginning to be too unpretentious for the enter- 
prising sport of the irrepressible "Young Americans." 

Further extracts from the "Order Book" of the County Court: 

Wednesday Morning, July 3d, 1839. 
Court met pursuant to adjournment. Present as on yesterday. 
Samuel M. Gilmore, Collector, makes the following settlement with 
the court : 

Dr. to tax collected on merchants' license for state purposes. . . $10.00 

Ad valorem 2.50 

To tax on grocers' license for state purposes 27.50 

Ad valorem 2.77^ 

To tax on auction license for state purposes 10.00 

To tax on ferry, do 4.00 

$56.77^ 

To tax on merchants for county purposes $10.00 

To tax on grocers, " " 25.00 

To tax on auctioneers, " " •. . . . 5.00 

To tax on ferry, " " 4.0O 

$44.00 

"The court orders that for the purpose of defraying the expenses of 
Buchanan County for the year 1839, the sum- of one fourth of one per 
cent., upon the assessed value of all property made taxable by law for 
state purposes, shall be levied, and a tax on all licenses made taxable by 
law for state purposes, equal to the state tax on the same. 

From the proceedings of the February term of 1840, we make the 
following extract : 

"Matthew M. Hughes, who was appointed by the Governor Sur- 
veyor, to ascertain, survey and establish the boundaries of the counties 
of Platte and Buchanan, agreeably to the provisions of an act entitled 
"An act to organize the counties of Platte and Buchanan, and to define 
the boundaries of the same, approved December 3,1st,, 1838," conies now 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 183 

into court and makes his report, together with a plot or map of the 
county of Buchanan, which report is as follows, to wit : 

"To the Hon. County Court of Buchanan County, State of Missouri : 
I received from his Excellency, Lilburn W. Boggs, Governor of the State 
-of Missouri, a commission, authorizing me to define and establish the 
boundaries of Platte and Buchanan Counties, agreeable to an act of the 
Legislature of said state, approved December 31, 1838, by which said acts 
I am required to report to your honorable body the boundaries of your 
county as established by me. I commenced on the northwest corner of 
Platte County, in the centre of the main channel of the Missouri River, 
and ran up the same, with its various meanders, forty-two miles and 
fifty-two chains, which constitutes the western boundar}' of your county ; 
thence I run a due east course, marking each fore and aft tree with a 
blaze and two chops, and trees on each side in tlie way pointing to the 
line of fourteen miles and twenty-seven chains to a stake in the old State 
line, or the line of Clinton County, which constitutes your northern 
boundary; then south twenty miles and fifty-two chains along said line 
to the northeast corner of Platte County, which constitutes your eastern 
boundary; thence west along the line of Platte County twenty-seven 
miles and forty chains to the beginning, which constitutes your southern 
boundary, containg four hundred square miles. 1 have also furnished 
you with a plot or map, representing Buchanan County. All of which 
is submitted and reported to your honorable body. Jan. 8, 1840. 

MATTHEW M. HUGHES." 

The county of Buchanan paid Mr. Hughes for his services in sur- 
veying the county the sum of ninet}-four dollars. 

The first license authorizing the sale of intoxicating drinks to a 
dram-shop keeper was issued by the County Court at its May term in 
1^41, the order for the same being as follows : 

"Ordered by the Court, that Barr & Custer be licensed to keep a 
dram-shop in the town of Sparta, for six months, ending the seventh day 
of December, 1841, and that they pay a tax therefor of fifteen dollars for 
state purposes, and the same amount for county purposes." 

EARLY PAPERS ON FILE. 

Among the early papers on file in the County Clerk's office, we find 
the following : 

The Hon. The Count}- Court of Buchanan County at their October Ses- 
sion, 1840. 

Your petitioner, the undersigned, would present to your Honors, 
that he is by the act of an overruling Providence, rendered unable to 
make a living by his own exertions; the rheumatism by long continu- 
ance, having distorted his limbs, and deprived him of their ordinary use. 



1 84 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

He therefore prays your Honorable body, to take his case under consid- 
eration, and make such provision for him, in his afflictions as the circum- 
stances of his case require.'^ 

his 
HENRY X FULKS. 
Witness : - mark. 

George Weaver. 

"The Honorable the County Court of Buchanan County we the 
undersigned citizens o{ Atcliis township beg leave to represent to your 
Honorable body the eviprapriety of attaching said township to the town- 
ship of Washington as we ar neber able to hold an eUxtions there/orre 
will eber pray. 

G. W. Taylor, Prior Singleton, 

William Bell, thomas Walker, 

William Chestnut, Christian Emnick, 

Benjamin Essmon. James D. Nonss, 

George Shanks, Thomas Deroviss, 

William Rector, Thomas madox, 

Enoch Devorss, John M. Dyer, 

Joseph H. Thomas, Solomon Dills, 

Arnot Groomes, Henson Devoss." 

Simon Davis, 

I hereby certify that the within account was allowed at the July 
term of the Buchanan Court, and ordered to be certified to Buchanan 
County Court for payment, which is certified August 7th, 1840. 

EDWIN TOOLE, 
Clerk. 
The County of Buchanan, Dr., 

To Joseph Robidoux. 
To the use of a room for the accommodation of the County Court 

of said. County for two days, at and during their May session, 

1839, at two dollars per day $4.00 

Do. do. during the July session of said Court, for three days at two 

dollars per day 6.00 

Do. do. during the August session of said Court, for two days, at 

two dollars per day 4.00 

Do. do. during the October session, for two days 4-00 

Do. do. at and during the November session, one day 2.00 

For furnishing said Court with a room and fuel for two days, at 

three dollars per day 6. GO 

Total $30.00 

Dec. 1 1. 1839. 

One among the most ancient orders of the County Court, and one 
that will be read with some degree of curiosity by the present inhabi- 
tants, is the following : 

* Mr. Fulks was allowed $15 for tliie? monihs 



HISTORY OF BUCHAxNTAN COUxNTY. 



[85 



p]x-parte : 

On this day, Stephen Groves, a free negro man, about thirty-one 
years of age ; about five feet seven inches high ; of a light black color; 
a common laborer, applies to this court for a license to reside within 
this State, and having produced a certificate of citizenship from the 
State of Indiana, and having also produced satisfactory evidence of his 
good character and behavior, and entered into bond with security to the 
acceptance of the Court, as required by the statute in such cases made 
and provided, it is is ordered by the court here, that the said Stephen 
Groves be and he is hereby licensed to reside within the State, as long 
as he shall be of good behavior, and no longer. 

CIRCUIT COURT DOCKET. 



Circuit Court. July Term, 1839. 



STATE OF MISSOURI, 
County of Buchanan 



ss. 



Be it remembered, at a Circuit Court, begun and held at the house 
of Joseph Robidoux, at the Blacksnake Hills, in the county of Buchanan, 
and within the Fifth Judicial Circuit, in the State of Missouri, it being 
the place designated for holding court in said county, on Monday, the 
15th day of July, 1839, it being the third Monday in said month, before 
the Hon. Austin A. King, Judge of said Circuit, commissioned and 
assigned to hold the said court in said county. Samuel M. Gilmore, 
high sheriff in and for said county, returned into open court, a State writ 
of venire facias, issued from the court, and to him directed, for a grand 
jury, executed on Reuben R. Reynolds, John Henry, William Bledsoe, 
Elijah Martin, Abil Evans, George S. Nelson, Ezekiel W. Smith, Job 
McNamara, Daniel Ferrell, Hugh Copeland, Hiram Rodgers, Jesse R. 
Barnett, Ezra Rose, Lloyd Beall, Hugh Glenn, John Martin, and James 
Curl — all of whom appeared being good and lawful men of said county. 

Reuben R. Reynolds was then appointed foreman, who, together 
with his fellow jurors, was duly sworn, as a grand inquest for the State 
of Missouri, and for the body of the county of Buchanan, and after 
receiving their charge from the court, retired to consider of their pre- 
sentations. 



This grand jury cost the county of Buchanan fifty-six dollars and 
seventy cents, as is shown by the following : 



Reuben R. Reynolds, foreman, 2 days distance from ct h, 18 miles 

John Henry do 20 do 

William Bledsoe do 12 do 

Elijah Martin. ; do 18 do 

Abil Evans do 18 do 

George T. Nelson do 10 do 

Ezekiel W. Smith do 12 do 

Job McNamara do 3 do 

Hugh Copeland do 12 do 

Daniel Ferrel do 12 do 

Hiram Rogers do 1 5 do 



$3 

4 

3 

3 

3 

3 

3 
2 

3 
3 
3 



00 
20 

80 
80 
00 
20 
30 
20 
20 
50 



186 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Jesse B. Barnett 2 days 12 mi 

Ezra Rose do 

Lloyd Beall do 

Hugh Glenn do 

James Curl do 

John Martin do 



12 


miles 


.$3 


20 


20 


do 


4 


00 


10 


do 


-> 


00 


10 


do 




00 


15 


do 


■ 3 


50 


10 


do 


■ 3 


00 



$56.70 



FIRST CASES. 



The first case on the docket was : 

Andrew S. Hughes 1 

vs. V Petition in Debt. 

Ishmae! Davis. ) 

And now at this day comes the said plaintiff, and moves the court 
for leave to dismiss this cause. It is therefore ordered that the same be 
and is hereby dismissed, and also that the said defendant recover his 
cost by him in this behalf expended, and that he have execution therefor. 

George Smith ) 

vs. > Ap*peal. 

W. \V. Gitt. ) 

The defendant files his motion to dismiss this case, and the motion 
is overruled. Therefore it is ordered that this cause be continued until 
next term of court. 



Assault and Battery. 



Henry Fisher 
vs. 
Larkin Thompson and 
Moses Thompson. | 

And now at this day comes the plaintiff, and moves the court for 
leave to dismiss his cause. It is therefore ordered that the same be and 
is hereby dismissed, and also that the said defendants recover their costs 
by them, in this behalf expended, and that they have execution therefor. 

BILLS OF INDICTMENT. 



Grand jury returned into court the following bills of indictment all 
endorsed "true bills" and signed by Reuben R. Reynolds their foreman, 
to wit : The State of Missouri vs. Theophilus Magruder, for betting at a 
game of chance by means of a pack of cards ; same vs. James Herring 
for same offense ; same vs. Peter P. Fulkerson ; same vs. Washington W. 
Gitt; same vs. Samuel Moss; same vs. William Yates ; same vs. Elijah 
Bunton ; same vs. Thomas Simpson ; same vs. James Duncan ; same vs. 
Emsley Rose ; same vs. Elijah Smith, Jr. ; same vs. James Wood ; same 
vs. James Peebly; same vs. Elisha Gladden ; same vs. Sampson L. Stans- 
berry ; same vs. Sabert Sollars ; same vs. Samuel Hall ; same vs. Wil- 
liam Harvey ; same vs. John H. Whitehead; same vs. Jesse Roberts;, 
same vs. Elijah Gladden ; same vs. Andrew Smith ; same vs. Reuben 
Gage ; all for betting. Same vs. George Tracy and Henry Spates, for 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 8/ 

selling as grocers without license ; same vs. George Tracy and Henry 
Spates, for keeping gaming house ; same vs. John Snyder, for keeping 
gambling device ; same vs. Francis Robidoux, for selling goods without 
a license; same vs. Sampson L. Stanberry, for keeping gaming house; 
and there being no other business for the grand jury they are discharged. 
And it is ordered that said grand jurors be allowed the sum of one dol- 
lar per diem allowance, for attendance, and also five cents per mile for 
necessary travel to and from court, and that their said accounts be cer- 
tified to the County Court of Buchanan County. 

Extracts from the first docket of the Chancer)- Court, July term 
1841 : 

The State of Missouri, Buchanan County to wit : At a Circuit Court 
begun and held, at this court house, in and for the county aforesaid, on 
the first Monday in July 1841, before the honorable David R. Atchison, 
Judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit, in the State of Missouri. Among 
others, were the following proceedings to wit : 

Delila Vaughn ] 

vs. /-Petition For Divorce. 

James Vaughn. ) 

This day appeared, the said complainant by her solicitor, and the 
said defendant, though solemnly called, came not, but makes default, and 
it appearing to the court, that said complainant, is a person of good con- 
duct, and that she is the innocent and injured person, as a party to this 
suit; and it further appearing to the court, that said defendant has 
offered such indignities to the person of said complainant, as renders her 
condition as his wife intolerable, and that she has suffered from him such 
cruel treatment as to endanger her life, it is therefore ordered, adjudged, 
and decreed by the court now here, that said Delila Vaughn be divorced 
from the bonds of matrimony heretofore contracted, with her said hus- 
band, James Vaughn, unless the said defendant shall appear at the next 
term of this court, and show cause, why this decree should not be made 
final. 

Ordered that court adjourn until court in course. 

DAVID R. ATCHISON. 



CHAPTER X. 

SECOND COURT HOUSE, ORDERED TO BE BUILT AT SPARTA— SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS 
TO BE APPROPRIATED THEREFOR-AGITATION OF THE COUNTY SEAT QUESTION 
LEGISLATIVE ENACTMENT-VOTE UPON THE QUESTION-COUNTY SEAT FINALLY 
CHANGED-CO.MMISSIONER HINKSTON'S REPORT. 

The court house and jail erected at Sparta were designed merely as 
temporary structures, and after having subserved the interests of the 
county until there had been a large increase both in the revenue and 
population of the same, the County Court on the 9th of November, 1842, 
made the following order in reference to a more permanent building : 

"It is ordered by the Court, that a court house be built in the town 
of Sparta, the seat of justice of Buchanan County, at such place and 
within such time as shall hereafter be designated by this Court, and the 
sum of six thousand dollars be and the same is hereby appropriated for 
the erection of said building, to be paid out of the fund arising from the 
sale of lots in the said town of Sparta, and for want of a sufficient amount 
of that fund to pay the same, the balance to be paid out of any mone)' in 
the county treasury of said county not otherwise appropriated." 

This court house, for which the county had made such a liberal allow- 
ance, was never erected, for about this time began the agitation of the 
question of changing the location of the county-seat. Sparta was destined 
to have a successful rival in the new town which was then struggling into 
existence at Blacksnake Hills, and this rivalry manifested itself in a spir- 
ited manner for several succeeding years. 

COUNTV-SEAT ()rESTION. 

Soon after the laying out of St. Joseph in 1843, the first pronounced 
effort was made to move the county-seat from Sparta to St. Joseph. 

The latter, although not in the center of the county, was the center 
of the trading interests, and most of the transactions which became sub- 
jects of judicial investigation were connected in some way generally with 
its citizens. During the year 1843, a petition was presented to the County 
Court, signed by more than three-fifths of the taxable inhabitants of the 
county, asking for the removal of the county-seat. In accordance with 
the prayer of that petition, three commissioners, viz.: Winslow Turner,, 
James Hull and James Kuykendall, were appointed by the Justices of 
the County Court to select a site for the county-seat, and on the 4th of 
July, 1843, made their report, which is as follow^s : 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 89 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ( 
County of Buchanan. \ , 

To the Honorable David R. Atchison, Judge of the Circuit Court of said 

county : 

The undersigned, on the 21st day of P'ebruary, 1843, having been 
appointed commissioners by the worshipful justices of the County Court 
of said county to select a site whereon to locate the seat of justice of said 
county, and having received a certificate thereof, together with a notice 
of the time and place appointed by said justices, for the assembling 
of said commissioners, in due form of law, would ask leave to submit 
the following report of their proceedings : 

The undersigned, deem it not amiss, to inform the court that on the 
20th day of February, in the year aforesaid, a petition was presented to 
the County Court of said county, praying a removal of the seat of justice 
thereof, to a designated place, that is to say, in the language of the peti- 
tion, "on the southwest quarter of section No. 8, of township No. 57» 
in range No. 35, the same being on the Missouri River at the Blacksnake 
Hills." The said petition, as appears from the record of the County 
Court of said county, was subscribed by nine hundred and fifty-six 
taxable inhabitants of said county, as ascertained by the tax list made 
and returned last preceding the presenting of the said petition, being 
ninety-eight over and above three-fifths of the taxable inhabitants of 
said county, the whole number of taxable inhabitants of said county, 
as appears from the said record, being fourteen hundred and thirt}-. 

The number and respectability of the petitioners induced the under- 
signed to discharge the duties devolving upon them, under their com- 
mission with the strictest attention to the interest of the count}-, and 
the wishes of the petitioners. A part of the commissioners, after having 
taken an oath before Samuel C. Hall, a justice of the peace of said 
county, for the faithful j^erformance of their duty, as commissioners, 
assembled at the Blacksnake Hills on the 3d day of April, 1843, and 
adjourned from time to time until the 24th day of April, 1843, ^^^^ then 
proceeded to examine and select the most suitable place in said county, 
within the limit prescribed by law, whereon to erect the public buildings. 

After an examination made with the strictest attention to the inter- 
est of the county, and the wishes of the petitioners, as above mentioned, 
the undersigned would respectfully report, that they have selected the 
southwest quarter of section No. 8, of township No. 57, in range No. 35, 
the same being on the Missouri River, at the Blacksnake Hills, as the 
most suitable place, in said county, within the limits prescribed b\- law, 
under their commission, whereon to erect the public buildings. 

The undersigned will not pretend to say, how far they have been 
influenced, in the selection they have made, by the designation of the 
petitioners. They will, however, take occasion to remark, that the 
united judgment of nine hundred and fifty-six taxable inhabitants of the 
county, could not be dismissed without consideration. 

But aside from the fact the place selected is the same as designated 
by the petitioners, the undersigned have no hesitation in saying that 
they are unanimous in the opinion that the place selected is far the most 
suitable in the limit prescribed to them whereon to erect the public 
buildings. The reasons for their opinion are too numerous to mention, 
and were they few it would perhaps be out of the way to express them here. 



IQO HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The undersigned deem it proper to state to the court that the quar- 
tej" section of land selected, is public land*of the United States, and, con- 
sequently, the only evidence of title they can offer to the court is a 
reference to an act of the Congress of the United States, entitled " An 
Act granting to the counties or parishes of each State or Territory of 
the United States, in which the public lands are situated, the right of 
pre-emption to quarter sections of land for seats of justice, within the 
same," approved May 26th, 1824, and also a reference to the fact that 
the quarter section has been selected in the manner above mentioned, 
as a seat of justice, prior to the sale of the adjoining lands in said county. 
The undersigned deem it also proper to state to the court that a pre- 
emption right is claimed upon the quarter section selected by one 
Joseph Robidoux, and from the best information they can obtain, he has 
probably complied with the requirements of the pre-emption law. 

It is not the province of the undersigned to decide whether the 
selection made by them is a sufficient fixing of the seat of justice in said 
county, as will give the count}' a pre-emption right under the act of 
Congress above referred to. Nor is it their province to decide whether 
a county pre-emption can be located upon the pre-emption of an indi- 
vidual. The decision of these questions devolve upon the court, to 
which, with the foregoing report, they are respectfully submitted. 

WINSLOW TURNER, ] 
JAMES HULL, -Commissioners. 

JAMES KUVKENDALL. ) 
Endorsed. Filed July 4, 1843. 

WM. TOOLE, 

Clerk. 

Following this report of the commissioners is the order of the 
Buchanan County Court, appointing a day for an election to be held, to 
determine upon the selection as made by the commissioners. The order 
is as follows : 

THE STATE OF MISSOURI, { ^^ 
County of Buchanan. i "^' 

In the Buchanan County Court, July 4, 1843. 

On this day the report of a quorum of the commissioners appointed 
at the February term, 1843, of this court, to select a site on which to 
locate the seat of justice of Buchanan County, having been certified to 
the County Court by the Circuit Court, at the last session thereof, it is 
thereupon ordered that an election be held, on the 5th day of August 
next, in each township in this county, at the same places in said town- 
ships at which general elections are held for civil officers, to determine 
upon the selection made by said commissioners, that is to sa)- upon the 
southwest quarter of section No, 8 of township No. 57, in range No. 35, 
the same being on the Missouri River at the Blacksnake Hills. 

A true copy of the order. 

Attest: WILLIAM FOWLER, C/trA-. 

On the reverse side of the order, the sheriff, G. W. Taylor, made 
his return of the posting up of notices in the different townships as 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. I9I 

required by the order. At the election that followed a majority voted 
for the removal of the county seat to Blacksnake Hills, but the measure 
failed because the claim of the county to the quarter section on which 
St. Joseph stood, and on which the location of the county seat was 
made, was not sustained by the court. 

In the fall of 1844 a majority of all the voters in the county petitioned 
the Legislature on the subject, and that body passed an act in March 
1845, under which succeeding elections were held for the removal of the 
county seat. That act is as follows : 

AN ACT 

To authorize the people of Buchanan County to remove their Seat of 

Justice. 

Be it enacted by the Genera/ Assemhiy of tJie State of Missouri , 
as follows : 

Section i. That Henry B. Mays, of the County of Platte, William 
Hurton, of the County of Clinton, and Joseph B. Nichol, of the County 
of Andrew, be and they are hereby appointed commissioners to select, 
at or near the town of St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan, a site for 
the permanent seat of justice for Buchanan County; should vacancies 
occur among said commissioners, the County Court of Buchanan County 
shall fill the same by appointing some copipetent disinterested person or 
persons, non-residents of Buchanan County. It shall be the duty of each 
commissioner, before entering upon his duties, to take an oath or make 
affidavit before some judge or justice of the peace of Buchanan County, 
that he will faithfully discharge the duties of such commissioner. 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the commissioners to assemble in 
the town of Saint Joseph on the first Monday of April next ; or if they 
should fail to assemble on that day, then as soon thereafter as practica- 
ble, and they may hold an adjourned meeting. 

Sec. 3. Any two of said commissioners shall be competent to do 
business. 

Spx. 4. Said commissioners shall receive such donation in land, 
money, or subscriptions as shall be tendered to them, and when a suit- 
able site for public buildings shall have been tendered them, and they 
shall have obtained all the money and subscriptions practicable, without 
unreasonable delay they shall report, the title papers together with the 
subscription papers, to the Judge of the Circuit Court of Buchanan 
County, whether said Circuit Court be in session or not, and such Judge 
shall examine the same, and if he approve the validity thereof, he shall 
certify his decision thereon to the County Court of Buchanan County. 
But if he disapprove their validity he shall return the same to the com- 
missioners with his reasons for their invalidity, whose duty it shall be 
to correct the error, or to proceed anew as at first, and to make another 
report to the Judge, whose duty it shall be to examine and certify as 
before, and so proceed till the title shall be approved. 

Sec. 5. When the Judge shall certify his approval of the title papers 
to the County Court, it shall be the duty of the County Court without 
delay, to fix on some day not more than sixty nor less than forty days 



i92 MISTORV ok Hl'CllANAN COUXTV. 

distant, for an election b}" the people between the present site and the 
site proposed by the commissioners for the seat of justice. 

Sec. 6. The sheriff of Buchanan Count}' shall cause notice to be set 
up in three of the most public places in each township in the county at 
least thirty days before the day appointed for the election, describing 
the site selected, the quantity of land donated, and the amount of money 
subscribed, and notifying the inhabitants of the time, place and import 
of the election, and make return thereof to the County Court, at least 
ten days before said election, for which said County Court shall pay to 
said sheriff, out of the county treasury, such compensation, as they shall 
deem right and reasonable, and if the sheriff fail to perform the duty 
enjoined by this section, he shall be fined fifty dollars, to be recovered 
by indictment. 

Sec. 7. If the election be contested, the same shall be tried by the 
County Court and determined without unnecessary dela)', and if adjudged 
illegal, the County Court shall cause a second election to be held in like 
manner as the first election, giving like notice, and if necessar)'. a third 
and fourth election till one shall be adjudged legal. 

Sec. 8. All free white males, taxable inhabitants, over the age of 
twenty-one years, resident of the county at the time of the election, shall 
T^e elligible to vote, and the election shall be held at the same places and 
in a manner similar to elections for civil officers. 

Sec. 9. If a majority of all the legal votes of the county, as in the 
ne.xt preceding section specified, be given for Sparta, the title and sub- 
scription papers shall be of no effect, the former shall be returned to the 
persons executing the same, and the latter destroyed, and no further pro- 
ceedings shall be had under this act. Should there not be a majority for 
either place, the County Court shall cause a second and third election, 
if necessary to be held, until there shall be a majority for one place or 
the other ; but should there be a majority for the proposed site, the same 
shall be the permanent seat of justice for Buchanan County, and the title 
to the real estate donated anel the subscriptions and mone\' shall vest in 
said county, and such proceedings not inconsistent with the provisions 
•of this act, shall be had both in reference to Sparta and the holders of 
lots therein, and in reference to the new seat of justice, as in the case of 
the removal of the seat of justice as required by "An act provided for the 
removal of seats of justice," approved February 6th, 1835, provided that 
should lots be relinquished to the count}' in Sparta, as in said last men- 
tioned act specified, the county shall refund the money originally paid, 
with ten per cent, interest, in case it should not ha\'e lots to sell at the 
new seat of justice. 

Sec. 10. If the Commissioners cannot procure lands to the amount 
of fifty acres, on which to locate the seat of justice, the}' are hereby 
authorized to locate on any less quantity. 

Sec. I 1. The County Court shall allow to the Commissioners reason- 
able compensation for their services out of the county treasur}-. 

This act to take effect from and after its passage. 

C. v. JACKSON, 
Speaker of the I louse of Representatives. 
JAMKS YOUNG. 
President of the Senate. 

Approved March 24. 1845. ' JOHN C. EDWARDS. 



history of buchanan county. i93 

Opt'ice of Secretary of State, 
City of Jefferson. 

I. James L. Minor, Secretary of State, of the State of Missouri, do 
hereby certify that the foregoing is truly copied from the original bill, on 
file in this office, of " An Act to authorize the people of Buchanan County 
to remove their seat of justice," approved March 24, 1845. 

Witness my hand and the seal of said office, this 25th day of March, 

A. D., 184V 

JAMES L. MINOR, 
Secretary of State. 

The commissioners, Henry B. Mayo, William B. Huston and Joseph 

B. Nichol, appointed by the Legislature under the above act, met in St. 
Joseph, on the 24th of May, 1845, for the transaction of business. They 
selected block 48 as the site for the county buildings. This block was 
donated to the county by Joseph Robidou.x, for that purpose. Mr Robi- 
doux also donated ten lots ; F. W. Smith, one block ; John Patee, three 
acres of land ; Elias F. Wells, two lots ; Samuel C. Hall, twenty acres of 
land. Besides this the citizens of St. Joseph subscribed about $1,000 
in money. The commissioners made their report to the Circuit Judge, 
and the County Court ordered the election to take place on the 24th of 
December, 1845, in order that the people of the county might vote upon 
the question as to the removal of the county seat. 

The act of the Legislature which we have given in full above, pro- 
vided that the owners of lots in Sparta should be refunded their purchase 
money, with ten per cent, interest, if there were no lots for sale at the 
new seat of justice, if, however, there were lots for sale at the new 
seat of justice, then a credit for the amount of the purchase money 
in buying these lots should be given. By the operation of law, in case 
of the removal of the county seat, the county's liability to the lot holders 
in Sparta would be $2,185.00. All the lots that had been sold in Sparta 
up to that date amounted to $6,054.00. A number of lots had been for- 
feited by the purchasers, these of course were not to be paid for by the 
county. The forfeited lots had been sold for $1,461.00, which amount 
being subtracted from the entire sale, left $4,593.00. On these lots 
before forfeiture, the purchasers paid $965.00 which was a clear gain to 
the county ; this amount being also deducted from the whole amount, 
left $3,628.00. There remained at that time an unpaid amount on lots 
sold of $1,443.00. which was also to be deducted, leaving as a demand 
against the count}" $2,185.00. 

The land which had been donated, it was thought, would pay two or 
three times the amount of the claim against the count}-. 

In case of the removal of the seat of justice, the lot owners in 
Sparta would be entitled to buy to the amount of the purchase money 
paid, and the remainder of the property would belong to the county, and 
sold for the erection of the public buildings. 



194 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The election was held on the 24th of December, as advertised b}-- 
order of the County Court, and in casting up the result it was ascertained 
that 541 votes had been polled for Sparta, and 1,037 for St. Joseph. 

The people however, were destined to meet with another disappoint- 
ment. After the returns were made to the County Court, that body 
decided that a decision of the question had not been made, the court 
holding that it required a majority of all the free white male inhabitants 
taxable, over the age of twenty-one years, to determine the question 
and that they did not think there was such a majority for St. Joseph. 
The County Court accordingly ordered another election, to take place on 
the 28th of February, 1846. In the meantime, the people who were 
favorable to Sparta, and those favorable to St. Joseph as the county seat 
worked like heroes for their respective towns. An address was published 
by the citizens of St. Joseph to the people of Buchanan County, setting 
forth the advantages to be derived from having the county seat at St. 
Joseph. This \vas answered by an address from the citizens of Sparta, 
claiming superior advantages from having the county seat to remain 
where it had already been located. 

On the 28th of February, 1846, the final election was held, and the 
St. Joseph Gazette in speaking of that matter says : 

"We are happy to be able this week to record the fact, that tlie 
county seat question has been settled. Notwithstanding the inclemency 
of the weather, the claims of St. Joseph were triumphantly vindicated on 
Saturday last, by the PEOPLE of the county. The vote stood 1164 for 
St. Joseph and 455 for Sparta, which shows an increase for the former 
and a decrease for the latter since the last election. The County Court, 
who had cognizance of the returns, on Tuesday decided that the vote for 
St. Joseph was sufficient ; which fiat fixed the seat of justice amongst us,. 
and determined things to be arranged as the people have always wished. 

After having attained the end for which we have so long been striv- 
ing ; after having triumphed upon the purest principles, with ever)- pos- 
sible difficulty in the way ; after having accomplished all by exertions 
which the best motives prompted, w^e are in the midst of exultation, of 
joy and of pride ; willing to forgive and forget all the harsh conduct \\ith 
which we have met. We are willing to regard this matter as past ; we 
are willing to admit that our opposers were honest in their views, though 
in some cases, it is extremely difficult to do so, and we hope they will 
admit the same as to us. 

This removal will give fresh impetus to our already flourishing 
town ; it will concentrate the business of the county ; increase the 
demand, and enlarge the market, for produce ;, furnish employment for 
the mechanic, and render the transaction of every kind of business con- 
venient. We congratulate the friends of St. Joseph upon our success ;, 
we congratulate the people of the county upon the attainment of their 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 1 95 

object, and we hope to see the public buildings erected without unneces- 
sary delay ; to see the county business transacted at the county seat, 
and to see no more impediments thrown in the way of the acknowledged 
wish of the people of Buchanan County." 

Below we give the official tote of the county on the removal of the 
county seat : 

Sparta. Sl jfosip//. 

Centre 157 24 

Bloomington 71 143 

Platte 56 19 

Crawford. 71 1 

Tremont 28 53 

Washington 9 733 

Rush , 3 76 

Jackson 59 2 

Atchison 

Marion -. 86 

Wayne i 27 

455 1,164 

Majority for St. Joseph 709 

Thus ended a struggle which had lasted for nearly three years — a 
struggle the results of which were fraught with great interest to the town 
of St. Joseph. 

It will be seen by the following account, that the item alone of cal- 
culating the interest to the lot owners in the town of Sparta, after the 
removal of the county-seat, cost considerable. The account is presented 
by Commissioner Hinkston : 

Buchanan County — Dr. 

To Harlow Hinkston, Com., September 3, 1846. 

To calculating interest to lot holders in Sparta $12.00 

To acknowledging 24 deeds in Sparta, 25 cents each 6.00 

To acknowledging 3 deeds at Clerk's office i . 50 

To attending sale one day 2 00 

To stationery 25 

$21.75 

Commissioner Hinkston presented also an account of the sale of lots 
in St. Joseph, after the removal of the county-seat, as follows: 

To the Honorable body, the County Court of Buchanan County, Missouri : 

The undersigned. Commissioner of the seat of justice of Buchanan 
County, makes the following report relative to the sales of lots in the 



196 msroRV OF i'.uchanan county. 

town of St. Joseph, the county-seat of the count)' aforesaid, to wit : on 
the 1 8th of May. 1846: 

To amount of sale — total $1,370.50 

One-fourth of amount due in six months from day of sale. . . . 342.62^ 

One-half of the balance due in twelve months, being 5 '3 93? 

The remaining half due in eighteen months, being 5^3 93| 

Of which I have taken bonds for their respective payments. 

HARLOW HINKSTON. 

Commissioner. 



CHAPTER XI. 

MEXICAN WAR— OREGON EXPEDITION. 



THE INTEREST TAKEN BY BUCHANAN COUNTY IN THE MEXICAN WAR-COMPANIES 
ORGANIZED-GENERAL JAMES W DENVER-CAPTAIN JESSE B. MORAN-DONI" 
PHAN'S EXPEDITION— OREGON BATTALION— OFFICERS -SERVICE AND RETURN. 



Having reached a period in the history of Buchanan County, — 1846, 
the date of the breaking out of the Mexican war, we cannot refrain 
from making a brief reference to the part the county took in that event- 
ful and memorable struggle. 

The county being then almost upon the very borders of civiliza- 
tion, the news concerning events happening at a remote distance from 
it, was carried by stage routes, post-riders, and steamboats, and of 
course the people of the county did not hear of the war with Mexico 
until after the occurrence of two or three sanguinary battles, between 
that nation and the United States, and even after hearing of the declara- 
tion of war, upon the part of Mexico, they were not inclined to give it 
full credence, as will be seen by the following from the St. Joseph 
Gazette of May. 1846: 

"WAR WITH MEXICO. 

"We learn from a gentleman from Independence, that news was 
received in that place of a declaration of war, against the United States 
by Mexico. The news appears a little improbable, but from the conduct 
of Mexico lately, we would not be surprised if such were the case." 

On the 22d of May following, the vague rumors of war had been 
confirmed, and the same paper in its issue of that date, said : 

" In our paper, this week, will be found all the war news that we 
have received, which we publish to the exclusion of other matter, deem- 
ing that at this particular crisis, nothing so much interests our readers 
as the situation of our army on the Rio Grande, and the feeling with 
which the announcement of actual hostilities has been received in vari- 
ous parts of the Union. We are now looking with painful anxiety for 
later intelligence from the seat of war ; we say painfuL for notwithstand- 
ing the great confidence we have in the bravery and patriotism of our 
army, both officer and soldier, the fact cannot be disguised by the most 
earnest desire for the contrary, that Point Isabel, and General Taylor's 



198 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

camp were, at latest advices, in a precarious situation. We do hope^ 
however, that long ere this time, the battle has been fought and won by 
our army — it must, it cannot but be so. 

"That Mexicans can come into our country, upon our soil, and 
either hold in duress, or vanquish our army, we cannot, we will not 
believe. We hope our next intelligence will be that General Taylor has. 
driven back the invading foe, and that ere long we shall hear of our 
arinyon the other side of the Rio Grande, bearing itself as is 
becoming in the present emergency. Doubtless a military expeditioR 
will soon be ordered against New Mexico and California, and our Gov- 
ernment will not fail to take possession of these countries immediately. 
"The request has been made, and the order will soon be issued, for 
the formation of volunteer companies in Missouri for the service. We 
think that Buchanan is entitled to two or three companies, and we hope 
to see our citizens move in this matter. The companies will be one 
hundred strong and select their own officers." 

During the month of May, Governor Edwards of Missouri called for 
volunteers to join the "Army of the West," in an expedition to Santa 
Fe, under command of General Stephen W. Kearney. 

Soon the war-spirit had infused itself into every nook and corner of 
the Union, and the people of Buchanan County became so thoroughly 
embued with this spirit, that a company was at once organized for service. 
On the 29th of May, 1846, there was a battalion muster in St. 
Joseph. After the exercises were over, the commanding officer. Brig. 
General Jesse B. Thompson, made a call for volunteers for the contem- 
plated Santa Fe expedition under General Kearney. Between fifty and 
sixty brave men stepped forward and enrolled themselves, to fight the 
battles of their countr\-. These men immediately elected officers, and 
dispatched a messenger to the Governor, requesting to be received (or 
this expedition. 

We regret, owing to the meagre information wc ha\c that we are 
unable to furnish the names of the officers and the names of the men 
forming this company. 

During the month of June following. General James W. Denver 
came to St. Joseph, (having notified the people, through the Gazette, of 
the time when he would arrive,) for the purpose also of raising a com- 
pany for the Santa Fe expedition. 

This he did on the day of his coming, and soon afterward, took up 
the line of march from Fort Leavenworth, the place of rendezvous, for 
Mexico by the way of New Orleans. His regiment was taken from the 
counties composing the "Platte Purchase." The first company organized 
in the county, repaired also to Fort Leavenworth, and was placed under 
the command of Capt. Jesse B. Moran, whose company accompanied 
that gallant officer. Gen. A. W. Doniphan, to New Mexico, participating 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 199 

in all the engagements of the campaign, beginning with the fight at 
Brazito and closing with the battle at the pass of Sacramento. At the 
battle of Sacramento, Colonel Doniphan, with his \olunteers numbering 
924 men and six pieces of artillery, met and fought 4,000 Mexicans under 
General Heredia, who was posted with ten pieces of artillery. The 
Mexicans were defeated with a loss of 300 killed and 40 prisoners, and 
all their artillery and baggage taken. The American loss was one killed 
and eight wounded. 

The New York Post of July, 1847, in comparing Colonel Doniphan's 
expedition with that made by Xenophon in olden times, says : 

"The Greeks were lead from near Babylon, through Armina to the 
Black Sea, thence to Crysopolis, three thousand four hundred and sixty- 
five English miles. It was accomplished in fifteen months, and a large 
part of it through a mountainous and an unknown hostile country, the 
Greeks losing everything except their lives and arms. 

Doniphan and the Missourians traveled over six thousand miles in 
twelve months, neither receiving supplies nor money, but living 
exclusively on the country through which they passed, and supplying 
themselves with powder and balls, by capturing them from the enemy, 
and victorious in all the engagements against greatly superior forces, 
numericall}^ These are the two most remarkable expeditions that have 
ever occurred." 

OREGON EXPEDITION. 

In the spring of 1847, a requisition was made upon Governor 
Edwards by the Secretary of War for a second battalion to be raised in 
Missouri, the troops to operate against the Indians on the frontier in 
affording safety and protection to traders and emigrants on the routes 
to Santa Fe and Oregon. The requisition was as follows : 

" I am instructed by the President to request that you will cause to 
be organized in the State of Missouri, with the least practical delay, for 
service on the Indian frontier, and the routes to Santa Fe and Oregon, 
one battalion of volunteers, to consist of one company of artillery, two 
companies of mounted men, and two companies of infantry, in all five 
companies ; to have the same organization, according to arms, as the 
companies heretofore requested. The field and staff of the battalion 
will consist of— 

I Lieutenant Colonel ; i Adjutant, a subaltern in addition to the 
subalterns of , the companies ; i Sergeant Major ; i Quartermaster 
Sergeant ; i Principal Musician. 

The battalion will be mustered into service at Fort Leavenworth, 
and will be required to serve during the war with Mexico, unless sooner 
discharged. Very respectfully your ob't serv't, 

M. L. MARCY, 

His Excellency, Secretary of War. 

John C. F^dwards, 
Gov. of Missouri, Jefferson City, Mo. 



200 " HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

On the 25th day of June, 1847, the St. Joseph Gazette says : 

"The Buchanan County company paraded on Monday last, and 
went into an election of officers which resulted in the choice of Robert 
M- Stuart, Captain ; Henry Smith, First Lieutenant ; Howell Thomas^ 
Second Lieutenant ; and John Searcy, Third Lieutenant. The company 
is composed of a fine looking set of men and officers, and we learn will 
be mustered into service in a few days. They will go upon the Oregon 
expedition. Success to the Buchanan County boys." 

This corhpany, soon after the requisition made by Governor Edwards, 
was mustered into service at Fort Leavenworth, and immediately 
departed for the west. Captain Stuart, while at the Fort, received an 
attack of paralysis, which incapacitated him from any further active 
duty. The companies forming the battalion were principally made up 
from the counties composing the " Platte Purchase." 

The officers in command were : 

Lieutenant Colonel, L. p]. Powell, St. Charles, Missouri. 

Adjutant, Dr. Todd, of St. Joseph, Missouri. 

Sergeant Major, McDowell, of St. Joseph, Missouri. 

Quartermaster, Captain Stuart Van Vliet. 

Commissary of Subsistence, Frank Warmcastle, of Atchison County, 
Missouri. 

When leaving P'ort Leavenworth, it was intended to follow along in 
the Santa Fe route westward, but the battalion was ordered to pursue 
the Sioux Indians, who had just attacked the Ottoes and carried off 
captive many of their women and children. They prosecuted their 
fruitless pursuit, four hundred miles above the site of the present city of 
Omaha, and returned to where Nebraska City now stands ; built their 
log huts, and went into winter quarters. Upon their return from the 
mountains, and the Dakotah Territory, previously to going into winter 
quarters, they lost a number of their horses, in consequence of the 
scarcity of provender, and the extreme cold weather, and snow storms 
which prevailed in that latitude. One of the command was waylaid and 
killed by an Indian near Omaha. After faithfully performing the 
mission upon which they were sent, doing service o\er a vast region of 
country between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains, and after 
erecting Fort Raney. the battalion returned home, and the men were 
mustered out late in the fall of 1848. 

General James Craig, now of St. Joseph, commanded a company in 
the battalion, composed of volunteers from Holt and Atchison counties. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD EXCITEMHNT. 

"The plague of gold strikes far and near — 

And deep and strong it enters ; 
Our thoughts grow blank, our words grow strange, 

We cheer the pale gold-diggers, 
Each soul is worth so much on change, 

And ma ked like sheep, with figures " 

No doubt the desire for gold has been a mainspring of all progress 
and enterprise in the county from the beginning till the present time, 
and will so continue till remote ages. Generally, however, this desire 
has been manifested in the usual avenues of thrift, industry and enter- 
prise. On one occasion it passed the bounds of reason and assumed the 
character of a mania. 

The gold mania first broke out in the fall of 1848, when stories began 
to be first spread abroad of the wonderful richness of the placer mines of 
California. The excitement grew daily, feeding on the marvelous reports 
that came from the Pacific Slope, and nothing was talked of but the 
achievements of gold diggers. 

In the St. Joseph Gazette of October 27, 1848, we find the following : 

"An immense bed of gold, one hundred miles in extent, has been 
discovered in California, on American Fork and Feather Rivers, tribu- 
taries of the Sacramento and Monterey. Mr. Colton, the Alcade of 
Monterey, states that the gold is found in the sands in grains resembling 
squirrel shot flattened out. Some grains weigh one ounce each. It is got 
by washing out the sand in any vessel, from a tea saucer to a warming-pan. 
A single person can gather an ounce or two a day; some even a hun- 
dred dollars worth. Two thousand whites and as many Indians are on 
the grounds. All the American settlements are deserted, and farming 
nearly suspended. The women only remain in the settlements. Sailors 
and captains desert the ships, to go to the gold region, and laborers 
refuse ten dollars a day to work on the farms. Mr. Colton says ; ' One 
man, who resides next door to me, gathered five hundred dollars worth 
in six days. He has one lump which weighs over one ounce. A trough, 
such as you feed pigs in, will bring in the gold region fifty dollars. Put 
a piece of sheet iron, punched with holes on it, and it will bring a hundred. 
My friend, J. R., paid sixteen dollars for a little basket, and his com- 



202 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

panion gave twenty dollars for a teapot, all to wash out gold in.' More 
than twenty-eight thousand dollars worth, had been collected. Gover- 
nor Mason and his aid had gone to the district, which is five days jour- 
ney from Monterey. 

"The sailors have gone for gold from the ships, and the soldiers 
from their camps, for the same purpose. The last vessel that left the 
coast was obliged to ship an entire new crew, and pay each fifty dol- 
lars per month. No one can be hired to dig gold, short of sixteen to 
twenty dollars a day. Every man prefers to work on his own hook ; he 
may make less than the wages offered, but he has a chance of making 
much more. There flour is worth thirty-two dollars per barrel ; fifteen 
pounds of Boston crackers In tin boxes, ten dollars a box ; a cotton 
shirt, ten dollars ; boards, five hundred dollars per one hundred feet. A 
carpenter can get one hundred dollars per day. Mr. L. paid for a com- 
mon cradle trough, twelve feet by three wide, to wash gold earth in, one 
"hundred and fifty dollars ; less than a day's work to make it." 

Day after day, and month after month, were the papers filled with 
just such glowing accounts from California. 

Instead of dying out, the fever mounted higher and higher. It was 
too late to cross the plains, but thousands of people throughout the state 
began their preparations for starting the following spring, and among the 
number were many in Buchanan County. The one great subject of dis- 
cussion about the firesides and in the log cabins that winter, was the 
gold of California. It is said that at one time the majority of the able- 
bodied men of the county were unsettled in mind and were considering 
the project of starting to California. Even the most thoughtful and 
sober-minded found it difficult to resist the infection. 

Wonderful sights were seen when this great emigration passed 
through — sights that may never be again seen in the county, perhaps. 
Some of the wagons were drawn by cows ; other gold-hunters went on 
foot and hauled their worldl)- goods in hand-carts. The gold-hunters 
generally had left the moralities of life behind them, and were infested 
with a spirit of disorder and demoralization. The settlers breathed 
easier when they had passed. 

Early in the spring of 1849 the rush began. It must have been a 
scene to beggar all description. There was one continuous line of 
wagons from east to west as far as the eye could reach, moving steadily 
westward, and, like a cyclone, drawing into its course on the right and 
left many of those along its pathway. The gold-hunters from Buchanan 
County crowded eagerly into the gaps in the wagon-trains, bidding fare- 
well to their nearest and dearest friends, and many of them never to be 
seen again on earth. Sadder farewells were never spoken. Many of 
the gold-hunters left their quiet, peaceful homes only to find in the "Far 
West" utter disappointment and death. Very, very few of them ever 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 203 

gained anything, and the great majority lost everything, including even 
■"their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor." The persons who 
really gained by the gold excitement were those who remained on their 
farms and sold their produce to the gold-crazy emigrants. The rush 
continued until about the first of June, 1850, when the great tide began 
to abate, although belated-gold-hunters kept passing through for some 
time. But the excitement began to die away, and those citizens who 
had judgment enough to resist the contagion now settled down in quiet 
to pursue the even tenor of their way. 

As a starting point St. Joseph offered advantages which no other 
place possessed, to the emigrant and adventurer, leaving the confines of 
civilization for Oregon and California. The advantages were set forth in 
the St. Joseph Gazette, bearing date of February 9,' 1849. The editor of 
that paper among other things said: "St Joseph contains a population 
of 1,800. Nineteen stores are now in successful operation, with an 
aggregate stock of goods for the year 1848, of from $250,000 to $300,000. 
Three new large stores will be opened during the present season, which 
will increase the stock for the year 1849, to $350,000 to $400,000. In 
addition to the above there are in town two flouring mills, two steam 
saw mills, nine blacksmith shops, four wagon shops, two extensive sheet 
iron ware manufactories, two large saddleries and harness making estab- 
lishments, etc. Therefore, not an article wanted by an emigrant, from 
liis team and wagon down to his camp kettle and fr}'ing pan, but which 
may be had of the best material and quality in the town of St. Joseph. 
The annexed table will show that most of the articles demanded by the 
emigrant can be procured in St. Joseph from ten to thirty per cent, less 
than they can be obtained at Independence. 

St. Joseph Prices. Independence Prices. 

Wagons $65 . oo@95 . 00 Wagons $ 100 . 00 

Oxen, per yoke 30.00@40 00 Oxen, per yoke. . . 40.00 

Mules 30 . oorrt),6o . 00 Mules 60 . 00 

■Flour, per cwt i . 5o(«i i . 75 Flour, per cwt 2 .00 

Coffee, per ft .o6(«^ .08 Coffee, per ft .08 

Sugar, per ft 05(^1 .06 Sugar, per ft .08 

Mackinaw plank ... . y .oo(ajj\^.Qo Mackinaw plank... io.oofmi6.oo 

• "There are two good, substantial ferries across the Missouri River 
at this place, and it is in contemplation to have a steam ferry boat early 
in the spring." 

Under date of March 30, 1849. the Gazette says : 

"Scarcely a day passes that does not bring a large number of 
emigrants to this place bound to California. There are now in St. 
Joseph and surrounding country upwards of five hundred emigrants 
awaiting the appearance of grass, before taking up their line of march." 

13 



204 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

In its issue of April 6th, we find the following :: 

" For California — The steamer ' Consignee ' arrived at St. Joseph orf 
Saturday evening last, with over two hundred and fifty persons on 
board for California. They form one company, commanded by Captain 
W. J. Arkrim. They are well armed, and provided with suitable cloth- 
ing, implements, &c., and go out for the express purpose of making for- 
tunes in gold, or by speculation. The company brought with them 
some seventy wagons, between eighty and ninety head of mules, and 
nearly one hundred tons of merchandise, clothing, gold digging and 
washing implements. This is the largest, best organized and most 
complete company that has reached St. Joseph." 

The arrival of each succeeding company of emigrants, whether b}- 
land or water, is thereafter noticed, and the names of the parties com- 
posing these companies, are all given. For instance : 

" The Washington California Mining and Trading Association is 
the name of a company from Washington County, New York, which 
arrived here on Saturday last. They are encamped on the side of the 
hill north of St. Joseph, and are all in good health and spirits. The fol- 
lowing gentlemen compose the company: Samuel McDonal, A. F. 
Bliss, D. T. Harshaw, J. H. Tilford, D. M. Hall, Wm. Owen, H. S. Cran- 
dall, J. Robertson, Wm. Harrison, J. Cowan, R. Gourlay, James Hill. 
James H. Newton, A. McNaughton, Andrew Telford." 

THE CALIFORNIA ENTERPRISE COMPANY. 

This company was from Pittsburg and was composed of several 
hundred men. The company remained in camp at St. Joseph for some little 
time. Of course the departure of so many men from their homes to the 
distant gold fields of California, was quite an event, and it often happened, 
that the friends and neighbors of those who were to embark met en masse 
and expressed their regrets and good wishes in a public address. We 
present a portion of the speech of Col. S. W. Black, of Pittsburg, Penn'a. 
to the above named company, on the eve of their departure from that 
city to show the pleasant custom of those days : 

'" My Friends : I have but a few words to say to you at parting. 
What I do say will come from the heart. I trust that whatever of good 
and truth I may deliver may reach your hearts. Before you return you 
will have seen no little of the world. What you see will be so much 
learned beyond what you now know . Hence, at the very outgoing of 
your enterprise, you have a good object in view. Some persons complain 
of these expeditions as being sordid and unworthy. To go and dig for 
gold — say they — is not meritorious but culpable. I, for one, do not 
think so. All the world is a gold digger — -rather, indeed, a gold scratcher. 
And it often happens that in scratching too greedily, we bring away the 
skin of one another's faces — betimes the flesh of one another's bones. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 205 

"The farmer in the field, the mechanic in the shop, the merchant in 
the store, and the lawyer in his pursuit, chose their daily business for 
gold. Even the preacher does not work unpaid. This is all right, and 
according to the purpose of our creation. Our Father has planted gold 
in the earth for the benefit of his children. To make it by merit is noble 
and deserving of praise. To accumulate it with proper motives is meri- 
torious. To lose it is mean and condemned of God. "•'■ ""•■ '"■ 
You are starting upon a long and perilous journey. Allow mc, then, to 
make a few suggestions, which may not in the end be worthless. You 
leave without a flag. Make a banner for yourselves and cling to it. 
Inscribe upon its folds 'Fraternity' and 'Friendship.' Let the same 
devotion inspire you that actuates the soldier for the standard of his 
country. In all things be one. A perfect unity of interest and affection 
will make you prosperous and invincible. Organize yourselves into com- 
panies — elect judicious and skillful officers — men of intelligence and 
nerve. When you give them the power of direction always sustain them 
in its lawful exercise. Discipline is essential to your safety and success. 
Each day start early on your marches ; you will then escape the injuri- 
ous effect of exposure to the sun, and find yourselves early in camp. It 
is probable you will encounter danger. To meet it successfully you must 
be accustomed to act together. Americans vanquished Mexicans and 
Indians by a union of discipline with courage. 

"I know that your messes have ardent spirits among their stores. 
These may be useful or pernicious in proportion to the judgment with 
which they are used. In the life in which you are acting you will find 
occasional necessity for the use of stimulants. They are serviceable only 
when the system is prostrated by disease or exposure. 

"A kind hearted friend has just requested me to say that if there are 
any of the expedition without Bibles, he will be happy now to furnish 
them. It does not become me, perhaps, to speak of a subject so grave 
and serious, yet I can say that this, the ' Book of Books,' is the best com- 
panion you can take with you ; it is a never-failing reliance. 

"In the center of our city, or around the circle of our continent; 
among the busy scenes of active life, or on the prairie, where the pilgrim 
sees no mark but the foot-prints of wild beast or the savage — it is a per- 
petual adaptation to every exigency of man's career. 

"To-day I saw in a paper the declaration of one of you, that 'in 
all his wanderings he would carry his Bible in the bottom of his trunk." 
Let me suggest an improvement. Deposit it on the top, that every 
time the trunk is opened it may remind you that you have not looked 
into it that day for wisdom and counsel. You are surrounded by a 
thousand anxious beating hearts, every one of which swell with aspiration 
for your success and safe return. The general prayer is, and will be, 'that 
no evil will befall you nor any plague come near your dwelling.' Come 



206 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

back enriched, and make your riches a blessincf to the destitute at home. 
The hour of grief hangs heavy in the hearts of man\'. Let them have 
no other cause of sorrow than this separation. Your incoming will be a 
day of bright and thrilling joy. The tear that stands still in the eye, or 
follows its fellows across the feverish and scalded cheek, will be replaced 
with diamonds. The red autumn of present sadness will pass away, and 
in due season the glorious summer will succeed, bringing its golden 
harvest." 

On the 7th day of May, 1849, the St. Joseph Mining Company, the 
first regularly organized company of men, left St. Joseph for California. 
Many persons, doubtless, left prior to that day, and many subsequent to 
that time. This company was composed of some of the most worthy 
citizens of the place, as the following list shows : Samuel Johnson, A. 
D. McDonald, Joel Ryan, John Lewis, James Andrews, John Somerfield, 
James Somerfield, B. D. EUett, Edward Bunall, J. \V. Jones, Thomas 
Fausett, Michael Cameron, Samuel Wilson, Francis Brubaker, John F. 
McDowell, T. F. Warner, D. H. Moss, M. F. Moss, and James Cirkwood. 
This company went with pack mules, and determined to make the trip 
through in seventy days. 

Many letters were received from these gold seekers shortly after 
their arri\'al in California. From some of these letters we have made 
the following extracts : (The first from M. F. Moss to Mr. Boyd and 
dated at Sutter's Mills, October 12, 1849.) 

"I have concluded to write you and let you know that all are well 
who started in the pack-mule company, up to date. We arrived in this 
country on the first of August ; had many ups and downs on the road, 
but lost none of our stock b}' the Indians. And now a little about Cali- 
fornia and the prospects for making money. Lewis, Love and myself 
bought a small grocery in Sacramento City, for which we paid ^1,800 — 
on a short credit — three week's time. We kept it a short time, made 
$250 each, and sold it out. Brother David went to the mines, and up to 
this time has made $1,600. I went and worked eight days. The spot 
of ground I had was about large enough to lay down on. The first day 
I made $200; the second day $220, and in eight da)'s ; $900. The St. 
Joseph boys are doing well. The most of them are making from half 
an ounce to three ounces per da\'. David and myself will go into the 
cattle trade or sell groceries. We can buy cattle from $30 to $50 per 
yoke — fat cattle are worth from $75 to $150, and in the mines 75 cents 
per pound. There is an abundance of Spanish cattle here, but they arc 
hard to drive in the mines, it requiring six or eight Spaniards to drive a 
small herd of twenty, and that at a cost of an ounce per day. There is 
an abundance of provision here. If you had the potatoes alone in Cali- 
fornia which will be sold in St. Joseph to-day you might rest contented 
the balance of your da\-s. I have been up the Sacramento Ri\"er 100 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY 207 

miles and up Feather River fifty miles, and I have seen but a few spots 
of land worth cultivating. I have seen a great many of our old friends 
from Upper Missouri, the most of whom are rich and doing well. I s'aw 
Charley Covaloe and Nigh ; they are both rich. While many men who 
crossed the plains this summer are making money, others are here who 
are not making their salt, and are very much dissatisfied and are going 
home every day. The gold here is very hard to get, and if a person 
makes a fortune by gold digging he must expect to endure a great deal 
of fatigue. Men with families are making fortunes by washing and board- 
ing. Girls are in great demand here ; all they have to do, is to name 
their pile of gold-dust and a husband is at their command immediately." 

The following extract is from a letter written by A. D. McDonald to 
Henry P. Smith and dated Sacramento City, October 7, 1849: 

"I arrived here from the mines on Bear River about. a week since. 
D. L. Williams is going into business in the dry diggings, about sixty 
miles from this place. 'Old man Williams' and myself are going 200 
miles up the Sacramento to mine. We are all partners and carry on 
mining and merchandising, or trading. We have made about $2,000, in 
cash, since we came, which we have invested, and will make thousands 
or lose. Samuel Love, Ryan and Andrews are here and have done well. 
Any person that will work can make money. You recollect Cornwall, 
that stayed at Dawson's — he is here, and is worth, I suppose, a quarter 
of a million. Stratton was burned on a pile or stake by the Indians, a 
short time since. Wm. Nicholson died night before last." 

The following extract is from Mr. Johnson's letter, dated at Coloma, 
September 15, 1849: 

" I have lived here about one year ; have been engaged in the mines 
since last spring, and by being prudent and industrious have realized 
something for my trouble. I cannot say when I will return, perhaps in 
two or three years, perhaps never, although I will come as soon as I 
can to see my mother, and prevent her from crossing the Rocky Moun- 
tains, for I think such a trip dangerous and unnecessary. I would ad\-ise 
my friends and relations to remain where they are." 

CALIFORNIA EMIGRANT SONG. 

"Farewell, farewell, my native land, 

I leave thee only with a sigh, 
To wander o'er a foreign strand, 

Perchance to live — perchance to die. 
Adieu my friends whom kindred ties 

Unite, though distant we may rove, 
How ardent as time onward flies. 

Fond memory clings to those we love. 



208 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The few admired — the one beloved, 

Among the living and the dead, 
Whose constancj' we sternly proved, 

Ah I whither are those dear ones tied ? 
Some have we left at happy homes, 

While some, alas ! exist no more, 
And o'er their graves unheeding roams 

Each breeze that sweeps Miami's shore. 

O'er the broad plains far away, 

Beyond the Rocky Mountain crest, 
Our wayward feet awhile shall stray. 

And press the gold-besprinkled West . 
But mid the gaudy scenes of strife, 

Where Gold to Pride enchantment lends, 
We'll ne'er forget that boon of life — 

Companions dear and faithful friends. 

And in the lapse of coming years. 

Should fortune be not too unkind. 
We'll hope reward for parting tears, 

In smiles from those we left behind. 
We go — yet hoping to return, 

Friends of our youth to home and you ; 
For these do cause our hearts to yearn. 

E'en when we sigh Adieu — Adieu." 

Cholera made its appearance in St. Joseph about the last of April, 
1849, brought, as supposed, by steamboat from St. Louis, and disappeared 
in June following. Some of the citizens died with this disease, but it was 
mostly prevalent and fatal among the emigrants who were at the time 
encamping in and around the town. During the same summer the chol- 
era spread among the Indian tribes across the river, and many of them 
died. 

In order to give some estimate of the number of emigrants that 
crossed at St. Joseph during the California gold excitement, we will give 
the number that crossed the river here to June 15. 1849, ^^^'o months and 
a half, beginning from April ist : 

The number of wagons that had crossed here at that time was 1,508, 
which would average about four men to the wagon, making 6,032. At 
Duncan's ferry, four miles above St. Joseph, 685 wagons had crossed, and 
at Bontown, Savannah and the ferries as far up as the Bluffs, 2,000. This 
makes the number of wagons 4,193. About to.ooo persons had crossed 
at Independence, making a total of 27,000 persons. There were about 
eight mules or oxen to each wagon, making the number 37,544 of mules 
and oxen. 

At the time of the treaty of Gaudaloupe Hidalgo, the population of 
California did not exceed thirty thousand, while at the time of which we 
arc writing, (1850), there were more than one hundred and fifty thousand 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



209 



•people who had found their way thither, of which number at least one 
hundred thousand were gold-hunters from the states. 

The evil effects of this gold mania upon the moral status of the 
United States are still seen and felt, and among all classes of society. It 
has popularized the worship of Mammon to an alarming extent, and to 
this worship, in a great measure, is attributable the moral declension of 
to-day. 







CHAPTER XIIL 

THE COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM, POOR HOUSE AND FARM. 

Now an important feature of the county, like many other institu- 
tions of equal consequence, had its origin in very small beginnings. 
Pauperism is an evil which has never, to any considerable extent, afflicted 
any portion of our State, still less the wealthy district included within 
the limits of the Platte Purchase. No land, however blessed, has been' 
always and uniformly exempt from misfortune which may result in ina- 
bility to afford self-support ; and Buchanan County with her generous 
soil, enterprising and liberal-spirited population, has proven no excep- 
tion to the universal rule. Still, many years of rapid development and 
increasing population rolled onward from the first settling of the count}' 
before the necessit}' arose of providing for an indigent class which had 
just begun to appear. 

About the year 1850, the county first began to recognize the necessit)' 
of such provision, but the number of paupers being extremely limited^ 
it was deemed a matter of economy to quarter them on private indi- 
viduals who could thus, for a reasonable compensation, provide for their 
necessities, without reducing the county to the expense of purchasing 
and maintaining an establishment restricted to the special object of their 
use and benefit. 

The first to keep the paupers in the county was K. Richardson, a 
farmer residing near One Hundred and Two River, not a great wa}^ from 
the city limits in a northeast direction. He received as compensatioi> 
from one to five dollars per day per head for boarding and caring for 
them, the county paying the additional expense of clothing and medical 
bills. He kept the paupers about two years. 

At the suggestion of Judge C. Roberts, who had been appointed to 
a seat on the county bench made vacant by the resignation of Hiram 
Rogers, the court ordered to let the keeping of the paupers to the lowest 
bidder. The contract was bid in by the Judge himself at $80 per head 
per annum, the county providing clothing arrd paying medical bills. 
Judge Roberts continued to keep the paupers on these terms till March 
4, 1857, when the county purchased from Leroy Bean for the purposes 
of a poor farm, a certain tract of land containing 140 acres, situated 
about two miles southwest of old Sparta, and described in the deed of 
conveyance as the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter,, and the 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 211 

east half of the northeast quarter of section thirty ; and the east half 
of the southeast quarter of section thirty-one, all in township fifty-six, 
range thirty-five. The sum paid by the county for this land was $3,500. 
John Peter was then appointed to the charge of the county poor who 
were forthwith removed to this farm. His compensation for keeping 
them was $75 or $80 per annum per head. He continued to discharge 
the duties of this position till the year 1861, when Henry Utz was 
appointed his successor. Utz served several years as Superintendent, 
when he was succeeded by George Peter. In December, 1865, Isham 
Wood was appointed to the charge of the county farm. He continued 
to hold the position till January 20, 1868, when he purchased, for the 
sum of $4,200, this farm from the county, and the paupers were moved 
to the city of St. Joseph. Dr. William Bertram was then appointed 
Superintendent of the Poor, and County Physician. January i, 1871, 
Dr. A. S. Long was appointed his successor, and continued to discharge 
the duties of the offices till September, 1871. The compensation received 
by Dr. Long during the period of his continuance in the offices of Super- 
intendent and County Physician was fifty cents per day for each pauper, 
the county providing everything but food. 

On the i6th of August, 1871, the county purchased from Matilda S.. 
Hughes and Martin Hughes, her husband, the northeast quarter of sec- 
tion 27, township 58, range 35, for the purpose of a county poor farm.. 
The price paid for this valuable property was eleven thousand dollars, 
less than the original cost of the elegant, but then scarcely completed, 
mansion on the premises. The court further expended one thousand 
dollars in the purchase of stock, agricultural implements, grain, etc., etc.. 
then on the farm. They also made a further appropriation of one thou- 
sand dollars for completing and painting the building. 

On the 1st of September, 1871, the county poor were moved to this 
farm, of which James Spellman was first appointed Superintendents 
while Dr. A. S. Long was retained as County Physician. 

Mr. Spellman remained in office till December 31, 1872, when he 
was succeeded by John Shehan who, in turA, served to July 6, 1874. The 
Judges on the county bench then were Fitzgerald, Taylor and Suther- 
land. 

Dr. A. S. Long continued to hold the office of County Physician till 
January, 1872, Avhen he was succeed by Dr. Gray, who served till May of 
the same year, when he died. Dr. Samuel Goslee who had, for many 
years, while the poor farm was located near Sparta, filled the position of 
County Physician, was reappointed to succeed Dr. Gray. In the mean- 
time, falling sick, Doctors Geo. C. Catlett and E. A. Donelan discharged^ 
for Dr. Goslee, the duties of the position which, through illness, he was 
incapacitated from exercising. On the death of Dr. Goslee, which 
occurred in June, 1873, Dr. K. A. Donelan received the appointment of 



212 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

County Physician. Tiiis office, the duties of which he discharged with 
ability, he continued to fill till his election from the cit)- of St. Joseph to 
the State Legislature in the fall of 1877, when he was succeeded by the 
present (1881) incumbent. Dr. J. M. D. France. 

At the period when the present (1881) poor house building was 
erected it was designed as a place of public entertainment. At that 
time, the afterwards abandoned Savannah Railroad was being built 
through the farm, and Mr. Hughes confidently expected that a station 
would be put up at his gate. The railroad company, however, conclud- 
ing to locate the depot at Jamestown, a mile beyond, Mr. Hughes' success 
in his prospective enterprise was thus seriously impaired ; and the sub- 
sequent abandonment of the road and removal of the track completely 
destroyed every hope of his ever realizing an}' remuneration commen- 
surate with the outlay he had expended. This condition of things 
induced his disposal to the county of this beautifull)- improved spot, at 
the comparatively insignificant sum above mentioned. 

In 1873, the State Lunatic Asylum at Fulton being full and unable 
properly to accommodate applicants for admission, the mild and incura- 
ble patients of Buchanan County, to the number of about twenty, were 
sent home. To accommodate these, the County Court caused to be 
erected on the premises of the poor farm, a frame building at a cost of 
$1,200. These remained there in charge of the County Poor House 
Superintendent till the completion of State Lunatic Asylum No. 2 in 
January, 1874, when they, thirty-five or fort}' in number, were removed 
to that institution. 

July 20, 1874, Bluford B. AUee, one of the earl}- settlers of the 
county, and a constant resident of Bloomington Township from the year 
1841, was appointed to the charge of the county poor farm, and immed- 
iately entered upon his duties. He was, at that time, in feeble health, 
and accepted with some reluctance the position. On the 19th of August 
following, he died at the farm, regretted by all \\ho knew him as a good 
citizen and an honest man. William Allee, his son, continued to super- 
intend the farm till the appointment of his successor, William Carson, 
in March, 1875. 

The county insane patients remained in State Lunatic Asylum No. 
2 till the burning of the same, January 29, 1879, when the mild and incur- 
able of these to the number of nineteen were sent back to the county 
farm. At that period, the establishment, including both buildings, was 
crowded with paupers, amounting to seventy-five in number; and the 
absolute necessity of a building specially to accommodate the county 
insane became apparent. 

The County Court, composed of Judges Brown, Roberts and Mcln- 

tyne, at the advice of the Superintendent, William Carson, and the 

Xount}- I'h}'sician, Dr. J. M. D. France, concluded to meet the demands 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 213 

of a crying necessity and determined on the erection of a county asylum 
for the insane. 

The order for this building was issued in August, 1880, and the sum 
'of ten thousand dollars, the amount set forth by the architect, W. A. 
Powell, as necessary and sufficient for the erection of such a structure, was 
^granted for that purpose. 

The ten thousand dollars thus appropriated proved, however, 
insufficient for the completion of the building according to the plans 
and specifications of the architect, and work on the same was suspended 
till the following February, when the court made a further appropriation, 
and the structure was, forthwith, finished. In the following March it was 
■occupied. 

The style of the building, while inexpensive, is substantial and 
architectural in appearance. It is 40 by 80 feet in extent. The sub- 
structure is a lofty stone basement. Above this rise two successive 
stories of brick, and the whole is crowned with a commodious and well 
ventilated attic. The interior of the building is furnished with every 
necessary appliance of modern convenience that could reasonably be 
looked for in a building of its character and cost. 

Every floor is heated by steam, and water is pumped from a well of 
inexhaustible supply ninety-one feet deep, and seven feet in diameter, 
affording a direct and ample supply to every floor in the building, each 
of which is provided with bath-rooms, water closets, etc. 

The building as it is, is adapted to the accommodation of 150 
patients. There are at present (i88i) twenty-one males and nineteen 
females in this asylum. There are five employes connected with the 
institution, two of whom are ladies. 

There has never been a more efficiently or economically managed 
institution in the State than the Buchanan County Lunatic Asylum. 

The original building, which was used for the poor house when the 
farm was first purchased by the county, and above referred to, is a gothic 
frame structure, ermined with beautiful grassy and well shaded grounds. 
The farm, on which it is situated joins the Andrew County line and is 
distant from St. Joseph, in a northeasterly direction, about three miles. 
It is one of the finest quarter sections of land in the county. Generally 
prairie, there is a small amount of timber within its limits along the 
streams which traverse its surface, affording an excellent and unfailing- 
supply of stock water. Besides the supply thus afforded there are 
several excellent springs on the farm. Three good wells and four large 
cisterns are found on the premises. When William Carson, the present 
(1881) Superintendent, took possession of the county farm in March, 
1875, the place had the appearance of a long deserted home. About 
one half the farm was in an imperfect state of cultivation. To-day, 
with the exception of about fifty acres in timothy and bluegrass, the entire 



214 rnsTORV ov lUTCirAXAN oouNn'v. 

place is in a hig-h state of cultivation, and presents the appearance of a: 
well-kept garden. 

In the spring of i88i, one hundred and fifty hard maple trees were set 
out for shade around the new asylum building, nearl\- all of \\ hich have 
grown w^ell. 

In September, 1871, when the count}' poor were moved to this farm., 
there were, in all, .seven males and six females in the institution ; and 
James Spellman was paid for his s^ervices as Superintendent one hundred 
dollars per month. During his period of service from September, 1871,. 
to December 31, 1872, there were, including 136 at different times dis- 
charged, in that period, 161 inmates. 

During John Shehan's administration from Januar\- i, 1873. to July 
6, 1874, the average number per month of paupers was twenty-six. Mr. 
Shehan's salary was one hundred dollars per month. 

During the administration of Bluford Allee, from Jul\-, 1874, to 
March, 1875, seven months of which period, as abo\'e stated, was served 
by his son (he having died a month after entering on his charge) the 
average number per month of paupers in the institution was thirty. 
The Superintendent's salary was sevent)--five dollars per month. 

March. 1875, William Carson took charge of the poor farm at a 
salary of sixty dollars per month, for one year. The average number of 
paupers per month during that period was thirt\--two, the cost per day 
of each, 28 cents, including all expenses. March, 1876, William Carson 
was reappointed, at the same salary. The average number of paupers 
per month was, during the year, thirty-five. The cost per da\' of main- 
taining them, 28 cents. 

In March. 1877, he was again appointed Superintendent, with the 
same salary. The average number of paupers per month during the 
ensuing year was thirty-seven. The cost of maintaining them, 29 cents 
per day. This included the cost of keeping up the farm-fencing and 
outbuildings. 

In the year beginning March, 1878, tire average number of inmates 
in the asylum per month was forty-three, and the cost of maintaining 
them, 23 cents. 

From March, 1879, ^vhen Mr. Carson was again reappointed, to the 
close of the year, the average number, per month, of paupers was fifty- 
one. The Superintendei\t fed them, during this period, for nine cents a 
day. the other expenses being paid by the count)-. In the month of 
May, 1879. nineteen insane paupers were moved to the County Poor 
Farm and placed in charge of the Superintendent. During the ten suc- 
ceeding months, the average monthly number of this class of paupers 
here was twenty-three. 

From March, 1880. to March, 1881. Wm. Carson still in charge, the 
average number per month of paupers in the institution was fifty-on-e.. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 21$ 

Expense of feediiag, 15 cents per day — all other charges paid by the 
county. 

During that same period, the average monthly number of lunatics 
in the County Asylum was twenty-five. The Superintendent is paid at 
the rate of $2.50 per week for furnishing this class of inmates with every 
necessary, except clothing. 

During the year 1877, when the expense per head was 29 cents, a 
spacious barn 60 by 60 feet was erected, and a large cistern was also 
built. 

In March, 1881, William Carson was again re-elected to the position 
of Superintendent of the County Poor Farm and County Lunatic Asylum, 
the superior efficiency of his management of these institutions being 
universally conceded. 

Among the most conspicuous of the public buildings for which 
Buchanan County is noted is the spacious and elegant structure of the 

STATE LUNATIC ASYLUM NO. 2, 

This is the only State institution within the limits of the county ; 
and its vast proportions and stately elevation, no less than the import- 
ance of its object, render it one of the most notable features of this sec- 
tion of the State. 

The necessity of additional accommodations for the insane had long 
been seriously felt. It was not, however, till the 19th of March, 1872, 
that a bill passed the Legislature appropriating two hundred thousand 
dollars for a " Northwestern or Southwestern Lunatic Asylum." To 
carry into effect the provisions of this act, the following gentlemen were 
appointed a Board of Commissioners: Wm. H. McHenry, of St. Louis; 
Hon. Zach. J. Mitchell, of Lafayette County ; Joseph K. Rickey, of Cal- 
loway County; Louis Hax, of St. Joseph; and William E. Gilmore. of 
Springfield. 

In the month of May following, the commissioners, in quest of a 
suitable location for the asylum, visited several points in the western 
and northwestern parts of the State. 

On the 24th of the same month, they arrived in St. Joseph, and, on 
the following day, selected the present site, about three-fourths of a mile 
east of the city limits, the superior claims of this location triumphing 
over the weighty influences brought to bear from Kansas City, Liberty^ 
Independence, and other points. 

On the 14th of June, following, the commissioners returned, and the 
day after, purchased a tract of 120 acres of land, less than one mile east 
of the city limits, with which it communicates directly by Frederick 
avenue. The location is, in every respect, desirable, commanding an 
-extensiv-e and agreeable prospect, and presenting every requisite of 



2l6 HTSTORV OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

beauty, convenience and health. The price paid for this land was 
twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred dollars. 

At the .same meeting, the Board appointed Thomas Walsh, of St. 
Louis, architect and superintendent of the building. The plan, admira- 
ble in many respects, was miserably defective in the important matter 
of stairways, which were narrow, inconvenient and insufficient in number. 

About the middle of September, of the same year, the contract for 
erecting the building was let to M. H. Fitzgibbons, of St. Louis, for one 
hundred and eighty-eight thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven 
dollars, the work to be completed by January ist, 1874. 

This, the original building, afterwards destroyed by fire, fronted west 
with a width of 58 feet, and was 150 feet long. 

The structure was built with north and south wings, each 1151 feet 
long, rendering the entire north and south fronts 284 feet. The entire 
edifice was four stories high with basement. The basement and first 
story were 13 feet high in the clear; the second story. 12 3 ; the third, 
1 1-6; and the attic, 11 feet. The fourth story, a Mansard, contained 48 
dormer windows. The top of the roof of the main building had an alti- 
tude of 59 feet from the range work. On the front of the main build- 
ing, a clock and bell tower rose to the height of 115 feet from the ground. 
At the rear of the same section a smoke tower went up 100 feet. The 
walls were faced with stock brick and trimmed with Milwaukee brick. 
The arches were finished with spring, ring and keystone made of War- 
rensburg sandstone. The walls contained over 3,500,000 brick manufac- 
tured on the asylum grounds. The stone for the rubble work came from 
Fieldham's quarries, north of the city, and the cut stone from near 
Amazonia, in Andrew County. 

In the basement was located the domestic department ; and all the 
culinary work, washing, ironing, etc, was done there. The store-rooms and 
engine rooms were also located there, and the entire building was 
heated by steam generated in this department. The rooms for the 
patients and their attendants occupied the wings of the building. In 
the rear of the main structure were the dining-rooms and sleeping apart- 
ments of the domestics. The attic was designed for a large hall or 
recreation room. In the front part of the building were located the 
business offices, departments for the officers, reception rooms, etc. 

The first Board of Managers organized at the asylum March 2, 1874. 
These included A. H. V'ories, R. L. McDonald, J. C. Roberts. Dr. E. A. 
Donelan, E. H. Norton, J. C. Evans and Dr. J. Malin. The members of 
the Board are appointed by the Governor, for a term of four years. 
They elect their own officers. A. 11. Vories was elected the first Presi- 
dent of the Board, and Dr. J. Malin, Secretary. The Superintendent is 
elected for four years. The Assistant Physician, Steward and Matron, 
arc each elected (or one \-ear. Dr. Cieo. C. Catlett was first elected 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 21T 

Superintendent ; Dr. A. P. Busey, Assistant Physician ; D. M. McDonald, 
Steward ; A. M. Saxton, Treasurer. Their respective salaries were as 
follows: Superintendent, $3,000 per annum; Assistant Physician, 
$1,200; Steward, $1,500 ; Treasurer, $500. 

About the ist of September, 1874, the asylum was opened for the 
reception of patients. These, in a few weeks, amounted in number to 
about sixty. The extent of the building was then sufficient to accom- 
modate four times that number. Additions and improvements to the 
asylum in the form of outbuildings were subsequently made at an 
expense of $20,000. 

About I P. M. of Saturday, January 25, 1879, the asylum was discov- 
ered to be on fire. The day was warm, for the season, and a heavy fall 
of snow was rapidly disappearing in mud and slush, which rendered any- 
thing like rapid approach from the city with means of extinguishing the 
fire a matter of no small difficulty. Attention being absorbed in rescu- 
ing the inmates, by means of the inconviently narrow stair cases, with 
which the asylum was provided, the building which, even with the 
wretched appliances for obtaining water on the ground, might other- 
wise have been saved, was destroyed. 

The Superintendent and Directors had vainly but repeatedly asked 
the Legislature for an appropriation to provide wings to the building 
for the purpose of accommodating additional and much needed stair- 
ways, apprehensive of danger in a possible emergency which did, ulti- 
mately, occur. There was not even a dollar of insurance on the build- 
ing at the time of the fire. At the time of the fire, there were 216 
patients in the asylum. 

About forty of the most violent female patients were forthwith 
removed to the St. Joseph Medical College and kindly cared for under 
the supervision of Miss Dixon, an officer of the institution, and six 
attendants. The remaining female patients were sent to the Court House 
in charge of Mrs. Calhoun, the worthy matron of the institution. The 
male patients were all taken to the Court House, where they remained 
till their removal, some time after, to a temporary building on the 
asylum ground. 

(3n the following morning after the fire, Sunday, January 26, 1879, 
a special extraordiary meeting of the Board of Trade was called for the 
purpose of relieving the distress occasioned by the destruction of the 
asylum. The object of the meeting was stated by Mr. Judson, who 
added that more than two hundred insane helpless creatures had been 
thrown upon the community by the late calamity, and that it became 
the duty of the Board to assist in procuring for them suitable accom- 
modations, and to relieve their immediate necessities, as well as to secure 
a prompt and speedy rebuilding of'the edifice by the State for the now 
homeless insane. 



2l8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

On motion, it was resolved that a committee of three, consisting of 
George Buell, W. F. Studebaker, and W. A. P. McDonald be appointed 
to co-operate with the committee from the asylum Board in securing 
immediate quarters for the large number of insane patients now quar- 
tered in the Court House ; this committee to report to the asylum man- 
agers at 3 P. M. It was further resolved that a committee of three be 
appointed to invite and accompany Hon. John Saunders, Hon. T. J. 
Crowther, members of the Legislature from the city of St. Joseph, and 
all the architects, builders and contractors in the city on a visit to the 
ruins of the asylum, there to investigate the measure of loss and damage 
and to examine the standing walls, foundations and damaged materials, 
and to estimate the amount necessary to rebuild or repair the structure. 
F. M. Posegate, A. L. Kerr and Geo. Hauck were appointed on this 
committee. 

On the afternoon of the same day a meeting of the Asylum Board 
of Directors was held in the Court House. Allen H. Vories, President, 
occupied the chair, with a full Board present : Col. J. H. R. Cundiff, 
ex-Gov. Silas Woodson, Dr. E. A. Donelan, Dr. J. Malin, J. C. Roberts, 
and R. L. McDonald. 

Gov. Woodson then read the following report : 

St. Joseph, January 26, 1879. 

Gentlemen : The undersigned respectfully report that they have, 
under the resolution of the Board adopted yesterday, as fully as possi- 
ble in the limited time allowed, investigated the cause of the disastrous 
fire that, on yesterday, destroyed the asylum building. 

It is manifest from the evidence taken by us, and which is herewith 
submitted to you, that the fire, without fault on the part of any one, so 
far as we are able to discover, was caused by heat communicated from 
the boilers used in the engine house to the frame work enclosing the 
coils of pipe used in heating the laundry and drying rooms of the 
asylum. 

From the evidence taken by us, it is shown that the box enclosing 
said coils of pipe was fourteen feet square, and three and a half or four 
feet deep, and was constructed of wood, rendered by use and constant 
heat, inflamable. That the inside of this box took fire, as before stated, 
and as it was closed up entirely, the flame was not visible until the box 
was broken open. 

After the flames had gone so far and the air in it had become so 
heated as to force the smoke through the crevices in it, and that when it 
was broken open, the fire had attained so strong a hold that it could not 
be stopped with the inadequate facilities at command for the purpose. 

SILAS WOODSON, 
E. A. DONELAN. 
J. C. ROBERTS. 

The report was received and adopted. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 219 

The second report was as follows : 

The committee requested to examine into the condition of the walls 
of State Lunatic Asylum No. 2, located east of St. Joseph, by the Board 
of Managers of said asylum, and a committee appointed by the Board 
of Trade of St. Joseph, have the honor to report that we, the under- 
signed, have made an examination of the walls of said building, and do 
approximate the cost of rebuilding said building in a good and firm con- 
dition, to wit, as follows : 

That said walls can be used to the extent of three-fourths of the 
entire building, and that the sum of seventy-five thousand dollars will 
cover the expense of rebuilding. 

B. PATTON, 

BOETTNER & ECKEL, Architects, 

W. ANGELO POWELL, Architect, 

L. S. STIGERS, Architect, 

R. K. ALLEN, 

THOS. WINN, 

J. S. ELLIOTT, 

G. W. MORRIS, 

JAMES PATTON. 
At the period of the burning of the asylum, the State Legislature 
was in session. On Tuesday, January 29th, a Legislative committee 
from Jefferson City arrived in St. Joseph, and under escort of commit- 
tees from the Asylum Board and the Board of Trade, headed by Mayor 
Piner, visited the ruins of the asylum building, and made an inspection 
of the same. The Legislative committee then visited the Court House 
where a large number of the lunatics were confined. On the following 
day, they returned to their duties at the State Capital. 

The matter of location in rebuilding the asylum soon became a 
vexed question in the halls of the Legislature, numerous localities 
advancing claims and offering inducements to the building of the same 
in their respective midsts. 

Committees were appointed to visit these different claimants for the 
honor of holding State Lunatic Asylum No. 2, and much valuable time 
was thus wasted and expense incurred, when it was finally decided to 
rebuild the asylum on its original foundations near St. Joseph, as a 
matter of justice and economy. 

Accordingly, in May, 1879, the Legislature appropriated the sum 
of seventy-five thousand dollars to defray the expense of the same. In 
addition to this, the sum of $2,000 had been previously approprated for 
temporary relief. 

The lunatics only remained three months in the Court House, 
whither they had been temporarily removed after the fire. They were 
afterwards placed in a temporary building erected on the asylum grounds, 
100 feet from the main structure. The $2,000 appropriation above 
referred to, defrayed the expense of this building, which is now (1881} 
used for the purposes of laundry and carpenter shop. 

H 



220 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The architect of the rebuilt structure was S. V. Shipman, of Chicago ; 
Leman & Olsen, also of Chicago, were the contractors ; L. S. Stigers, of 
St. Joseph, superintended the work, which commenced August 12, 
1879, and was completed March 25, 1880. About x-lpril ist, 1880, the 
lunatics were removed to the new building. 

The expense of rebuilding was less than the amount appropriated, 
the work being ably and economically conducted. 

The new structure is not only more spacious, but, in every respect, 
a vast improvement on the original building. Wings 40x60 feet were 
added to the north and south ends of the main edifice. These, each 
accommodate a broad and easy stairway, while a double stair case in the 
centre of the main building leads to the fourth story, with landings on 
each floor. 

In addition to these, there is a fifth stairway in the rear of the build- 
ing. In rebuilding, the Mansard (fourth) story was restored on the 
main or central structure, but left off from the wings. The entire roof 
is covered with the best quality of Vermont slate, and no stone or other 
material not entirely uninjured was allowed to be used in the reconstruc- 
tion of the building. Taught by a severe experience, every precaution 
that science could prompt or caution adopt has been applied to render 
the building absolutely safe from fire. 

About $2,400 was realized from the sale of damaged or scrap iron 
found in the ruins after the fire. 

The enlarged scale of the rebuilt structure affords accommodations 
for twenty-five additional patients. On the re-opening of the asylum 
in April, 1880, one hundred and fifteen lunatics were moved in. The 
present (i88r) number is two hundred and eight, one half of whom are 
females. 

As may be supposed, there have been, from the period of its organ- 
ization, various changes in the Board of Management. The present, 
(1881) Board include A. H. Vories, Silas Woodson, Arthur Kirkpatrick, 
John Doniphan, Dr. E. A. Donelan, Dr. J. Malin and R. L. McDonald. 
A. H. Vories is President, Dr. J. Malin Secretary, and A. M. Saxton 
Treasurer. 

The present officers of the asylum are, Dr. G. C. Catlett, Superin- 
tendent ; Dr. A. P. Busey, Assistant Physician ; L. H. Vories, Steward ; 
Miss Dixon, Matron. 

The Commissioners who had charge of the rebuilding of the asylum 
were A. Kirkpatrick, A. C. Dawes and G. C. Catlett. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

FINANCIAL AND POLITICAL. 

During the early history of the county, the resources were necessa- 
rily meagre from which the revenues were derived. The rate of taxation 
was correspondingly light. 

The first four or five years, the county expenses ranged from $1,500 
to $3,000. The books were not kept in a very systematic manner and it 
is difficult now even, as it was then, to so far understand the system of 
bookkeeping as to be able to determine accurately the exact condition 
of the county finances. This much we do know, that with the very lim- 
ited resources at their command, the persons whose duty it was to man- 
age county affairs kept the machinery in operation and no large debts 
were incurred. 

A complete account of the finances of the county would, of itself^ 
make a large book, and the facts necessary for such an authentic history 
are not at hand, even though we might desire to record them. There 
are to be found at various times throughout the county records certain 
facts whereby we are able to furnish only a brief idea of the county's 
financial affairs from the first. 

At the July term of the County Court, 1839, Samuel M. Gilmore, 
Collector, made the following settlement with the court : 

DR. 

To tax collected on merchants' license for state purposes $ 10.00 

Ad valorem 2 . 50 

To tax on grocers' license for state purposes 27 . 50 

Ad valorem , 2 . 'j']\ 

To tax on auction license for state purposes 10.00 

To tax on ferry " " 4.00 



$56,771 

To tax on merchant's license for county purposes $ 10.00 

To tax on grocers' " " 25 .00 

To tax on auction " " 5 .00 

To tax on ferry " " 4.00 

$44.00 



222 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

At the October term of the court, 1839, the following settlement 
was made : 

DR. 

To tax on merchant's license for state purposes $ 95 .00 

Ad valorem ■ ' " 3 5 07 

To tax on groce-rs" license for state purposes 20.00 

Ad valorem " 2 , 88| 

To per cent, on auction sales 5 3 1 1 



$157-47 

To tax on merchants' license for count)- purposes $ 95.00 

To tax on grocers' " " 20.00 

Ad valorem 50 



$115.50 
CR. 

By com. on $157. 47, state ta.x $ 3.15 

By com. on $115. 50, county tax 2.31 

At the February term of the court, 1840, the following settlement 
was made : 



To amount collected on merchants' license for state purposes.. .$ 70.00 

Ad valorem 12 

To amount collected on grocers' license for state purposes 56 

Ad valorem 5 



$144 

To amount collected on merchants' license for county purposes . . $ 70 

To amount collected on grocers' license $6 

Ad valorem 3 



37^ 

50 

341 



21 



00 
50 
445 



$129. 94A 

At the January term, 1841, Mr. Gilmore, the Collector, made the fol- 
lowing settlement for the }-ears 1839 ^^^^ 1840 : 



DR. 



To amount collected, and with which he stands charged $ 924. 03I 

To amount ta.x-book for 1839 802.86 

To amount tax-book for 1840 1,251 .4jh, 



$2,978. 37A 
CR. 

By amount of delinquent tax list for 1839 $ 33 -241 

By amount of George and Harvey Tracy'» license 7 -371 



HISTORY OF liUCHANAN COUNTY. 223 

By amount of C. P. Lown's license 6. i8| 

By amount of Gabriel Madden's license 7 • SO 

By amount of poll tax not collected for 1839 12 . 50 

By com. on tax collected on license 18.06 

By com. on revenue of 1839 53 00 

By amount of Treasurer's receipts filed 1,282.70! 



Balance against Collector $i<557-79l 

At the September term, 1840, Thomas Mills was allowed the sum of 
nine dollars and thirty-six and one-half cents, in full for his services as 
Treasurer of Buchanan County for that year. 

At the May term of the Court, 1842, the following settlement was 
made, showing the amount of moneys accruing to the county of Buchanan 
from the sale of the sixteenth sections or school lands ; the amount of 
three per cent, fund belonging to the county ; the interest accrued on 
the same; the amount of interest in arrear ; from whom due, etc., and 
the receipts and expenditures of the county for the year ending the 2d 
day of May, 1842, as ascertained and made out b)- the County Court: 

Whole amount arising from the sale of school lands $6,835 • 30 

Out of which was paid into the treasury .- 300.00 



Balance outstanding on bonds $6,535 • 30 

Amount of three per cent, fund belonging to county 810.00 

Interest on same still due and unpaid 91 . I2| 

The whole amount received into the treasury from the Col- 
lector from May i, 1841, to May 2, 1842, for revenue and 
tax on licenses of all kinds 768 .00 



Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 
Pa 



The demands paid out of the treasury during the same period : 

d County Court Justices for services $ 148 . 00 

d County Clerk for services 77 :)^ 

d Sheriff for distributing orders, poll book, etc 60.00 

d Circuit Clerk for services 16.25 

d Sheriff for services in Circuit Court 57-00 

d costs in criminal cases 241 , yj^ 

d L. B. Torrance for lever press 30.00 

d John W. Bo wen for press and table 21 .00 

d William W. Reynolds for assessing county 57 00 

d Hiram Roberts for benches and repairs made 412^ 

d Michael Wallace for set of chairs 7 . 50 

d Richard Hill for house rent 21 .00 



224 HISTORY OF DUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Whole amount paid out 741 Oi 

Leaving a balance in treasury of ^ 26.99 

Whole amount received arising from the sale of lots in Sparta. 1.628.42I 
Amount paid on account of public buildings 1,627.85 

Excess of receipts over expenditures 5/1 

FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE COUNTY IN MODERN TIMES. 

Amount of warrants issued in 1880 $72,000.00 

The following are the collections for 1880, to the credit of funds 
hereinafter mentioned : 

State revenue fund $37,023 . 74 

State interest fund 29,325 . 32 

County revenue fund '/6,'j\6 . 5 i 

County revenue sinking fund 1,650 (^ 

Road tax 6,478 . 7 1 

Hannibal & St. Joseph R. R 872 .44 

St. Louis & St. Joseph R. R 1,633 .89 

Chicago & Northwestern R. R 8 . 26 

St. Louis & St. Joseph R. R., judgment tax 22,415.23 

Poor farm tax 308 . (^ 

Bridge fund 211.56 

Court house fund 206 . 32 

Washington School tax (1-57-35) 39,007.65 

Special schools in county 18,382.00 

Special interest fund * 272 .47 

Bounty tax .44 

Special sinking fund 272 .47 

County tax for city of St. Joseph 846.95 

Interest 6,298 .06 

$241,931.41 

Whole amount of expenditures, 1842 $ 741 .01 

Whole amount of expenditures, 1880 70,000.00 

The following is the assessinent of real and personal propert)' in 
Buchanan County (City of St. Joseph and county), commenced August, 
1880, for tax of 1 88 1. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



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226 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTS'. 

REAL AND PERSONAL. 

Assessment of real property had on the ist day of Aug., 1880, for 
tax of 1881. 

In City of St. Joseph, valuation of real estate $6,020,550 

In county — outside of city — valuation of land 3,070,650 

And the following towns : 

Winthrop $61,590 

Agency 9,240 

Easton 9,oSO 

DeKalb 7470 

Wallace 2,885 

Jordan 800 

Eveline 640 

Valuation of Buchanan County — real estate $9,182,875 

No. acres of land .' 251,489 

No. of acres of land in town 250 

Average value of land per acre $12.21 

Average value of land, including county and towns 12.58 

POLITICAL. 

In the early days, the people of Buchanan County did not trouble 
themselves much about political matters. They seemed to care more 
about the settlement of the country, and the increase of worldly goods, 
than office. One reason for this doubtless was that the pay was nothing 
extraordinary. 

The trouble in those days was to get men to take office. Now, 
however, it is difficult to keep dishonest and incompetent men out of 
office. 

For several years after the organization of the county, persons were 
elected to office more on account of their qualifications and popularity 
than for political reasons. In those days the office emphatically sought 
the man, and not the man the office. We find in several instances when 
the opposing candidates belonged to the same party, and sometimes 
when the county was entitled to two Representatives to the Legislature, 
a division was made and a Democrat and a Whig were elected. The 
foregoing is true of political parties in the first settlement of all Missouri 
counties, and Buchanan was no exception to the rule, except when party 
issues were raised and partisan lines were drawn. St. Joseph and the 
county were soon regarded by the political leaders of the state as consti- 
tuting a very important point, which was in the near future to exercise 
great political influence. They were the most important city and county 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



22 7' 



of the Platte Purchase, and, in fact, in Northwestern Missouri. From; 
these reasons an effort was made in very early times by the leaders of 
the two dominant political parties, the Whig and the Democratic, to 
gain ascendancy in the county, and with this end in view they used 
their influence to persuade the more talented and ambitious young poli- 
ticians to locate here. 

The following is a synopsis of the vote of the county in 1846 : 



CANDIDATES. 



Congress. 
Willard P. Hall (Dem.) .... 
James H. Birch (Ind.) .... 
Senate. 

Jesse B. Thompson 

Robert M. Stewart 

Representative . 

James B. Gardenhire 

Weston J. Everett 

Daniel G. Keedy 

Circuit Clerk. 

William Fowler 

William A. McDonald . . . . 

County Clerk. 

William Fowler 

Jas. S. Goulding 

Head 

F. B. Kercheval 



William Reynolds 
T. J. Ferrell . . . 
James F. Hamilton 



Sheriff. 



Coroner . 



Jonathan Levy. . 
Wm. Ridenbaugh 
Wiley M. English 
Benjamin Catlett . 
L. A. Pearcey . . 



L. S. Cundift. 
Ellis . 



Assessor , 



S. Asher 

E. Dixon 

Samuel Martin 

Hiram Roberts . . . . 

J. Shultz 

For the Constitution . . 
Against the Constitution 



91 
37 

68 
48 

5 
127 



57 
74 

74 
7 

47 
I 

108 

13 
6 



34 
14 

58 
60 

106 

7 
I 

4 

12 

50 

44 



41 



320 
181 

120 
4C0 

215 

122 
178 

248 
271 

300 
2 

35 
170 

243 
106 
170 

58 
362 



50 

157 
87 
13 
62 

154 

27 

8 

130 

34 



145 
107 

47 
200 

163 
54 
25 

116 
143 

140 
69 

25 
10 

41 
62 

159 



4 

214 



160 
43 

54 
151 

158 

47 

9 

no 
105 

146 

3 

54 



III 

76 
22 



8 28 



"5 

4 



15 6 
156 44 



19 

I 

16 

33 

121 

44 



14 
35 

3 
101 

8 

76 
40 



«S 



46 



1 103, 
505 

419. 
1076 

792 
594 
238. 

822 
803, 



149 
292 
205 

726 
424 
493 

76 
408 

46 
132 
300 

255 
517 
120 
198 
211 
203 
81 
591 
338 



228 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Until i860, at the breaking out of the late civil war, Buchanan 
■County was reliably Democratic, the majorities being always decisive. 
During the war, and for some years after, while the Drake constitution 
was in force, and until the election of B. Gratz Brown as Governor of 
the state, in 1870, the county was Republican. After the election of 
Mr. Brown, and when the political franchises were again accorded to the 
people, the county became, as usual. Democratic, which is its condition 
politically at this time (1881). 

There is scarcely anything to be found in the county's records from 
which to determine, at this late day, the exact condition of political par- 
ties, but enough is known that the county, since its organization, has 
been, with the exception of during the war period, and a few years 
thereafter. Democratic. 

VOTE IN DIFFERENT TOWNSHIPS, 1880. 

City of St. Joseph, proper 4,849 

Agency Township 182 

Bloomington Township 303 

Centre Township 242 

Crawford Township 338 

Jackson Township 171 

Lake Township 49 

Marion Township 390 

Platte Township 203 

Rush Township 495 

Tremont Township 257 

Wayne Township 210 

Washington Township 695 

Total 8,394 



CHAPTER XV. 

BENCH AND BAR. 

ANDREW S. HUGHES-WM. B. ALMOND-THEODORE L. WHEATON-PETER H. BURNETT- 
HENRY M. VORIES— JAMES B. GARDENHIRE— DAVID R. ATCHISON— WILLARD P. 
HALL-SOLOMON L. LEONARD— BELA M. HUGHES— SILAS WOODSON — ROBERT M. 
STEWART— J. M. BASSETT— BENJAMIN F. LOAN— A. W. DONIPHAN— NAMES OF OTHER 
ATTORNEYS WHO CAME AT A MORE RECENT DATE. 

We here submit a few memorials of the bench and bar of Buchanan 
Count)- and the " Platte Purchase." Every hour diminishes our recol- 
lections of by-gone days; but a few glimpses remain, and a few short 
years will obliterate every view and vestige of what, in the passing 
pageants of life, has been so interesting to us all. 

To one of the oldest representative members of the legal fraternity 
are we indebted for the following sketches of the men who were the 
pioneer attorneys of Buchanan County. 

GENERAL ANDREW S. HUGHES. 

"The first lawyer in the Platte country was General Andrew S. 
Hughes. General Hughes was said to have been a resident lawyer of 
Buchanan County, from the fact that he was an Indian agent in the 
county up to the annexation of the Platte Purchase to the State. 

He owned a large farm and servants in Clay County, on which his 
wife and only son. General Bela M. Hughes, now of Denver, Colorado, 
resided, and on which he spent a portion of his time when not engaged 
at Agency. 

I first knew General Hughes in Kentucky. He resided in Nicholas 
County; was a lawyer of some eminence and a brilliant advocate. Early 
as 1824, he represented the Senatorial district composed of the counties 
of Nicholas and Breckenridge in the Legislature of Kentucky. I resided 
at Augusta, Breckenridge County, and first met him when he was can- 
vassing for the Senate. He was appointed an Indian agent under the 
administration of John 0. Adams, in 1826. 

He was one of the most remarkable men, in many respects, of this 
or any other age. Kind of heart, cheerful, mirthful to hilarity, genial in 
manners, indeed geniality itself. He possessed an inexhaustible fund of 
brilliant anecdotes, and a wit as keen and merciless as Swift's and a sar- 



230 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

casm as blighting as Randolph's. One of the few men of real genius I 
ever met. The emanations of real genius come from the Creator. Elab- 
oration is man's work and merely art. General Hughes was a man of 
real genius. I think he died in 1843, at Plattsburg, attending court. He 
got wet while crossing the Platte River and caught cold, and died from 
the eflfects of it, at the age of about 60 years. 

WILLIAM B. ALMOND. 

I think the next lawyer that settled in the Platte Purchase was Wil- 
liam B. Almond, who first settled in Platte City, and then removed to 
Sparta, Buchanan County, in 1839. Mr. Almond was a Virginian by 
birth, from Prince Edward County, and a graduate of Hampton Sidney 
College. He and Sterling "Price were natives of the same county, and 
graduated at the same institution at about the same time. He was edu- 
cated with some care for a Presbyterian minister, but being of an adven- 
turous disposition, he went with the old fur company of Smith, Sublett 
& Jackson, to their depot in the Rocky Mountains, on the head waters 
of the Yellowstone. With the wages he received, (which were high, as 
the trip was dangerous), he returned to Virginia and studied law. He 
then returned to Missouri, and as soon as the Platte country was annexed 
to the state, he settled in Platte County. He had a very good practice 
in Buchanan County for a few years, and in 1844 he formed a partnership 
with Henry M. Vories, late Judge of the Supreme Court, which continued 
until 1849, when Almond went to California, still following his disposi- 
tion for travel and adventure. On his arrival there, through the influ- 
ence of Governor Burnett, of California, he was appointed Judge. He 
remained in California for several years. Having accumulated about 
$20,000 while there, he returned and permanently located in Platte City. 
He was elected Judge of that circuit, comprising the Platte country, in 
1854. He only held the office a short time, resigning to return to Cali- 
fornia, to attend to some pecuniary matters. 

After his second return from California he practiced law in Platte 
City and Leavenworth until his death, which I think occurred in 1861. 
dying suddenly at the breakfast table in Leavenworth, while there 
attending court. 

Almond was a fluent speaker, without approaching or approximat- 
ing eloquence. He was a fair lawyer, and, while not an orator, was an 
honorable and successful advocate. 

THEODORE D. WHEATON. 

Theodore D. Wheaton came to St. Joseph just before or about the 
time Almond came to Sparta. Wheaton was from Connecticut, and was 
raised in the same town and educated at the same institution with Gov- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 23 1 

ernor Phelps. When he finished his education, he went to Virginia as a 
schooh-naster, seeking employment. Having taught there acceptably 
for some years he immigrated to Saline County, Missouri, with a colony, 
at the head of whom was Maj. Harney, who was afterward Speaker of 
the General Assembly of Missouri. He taught school in Saline and in 
the interim studied law and then remov^ed to St. Joseph, where he 
remained for several years until he removed to Sa\annah. He repre- 
sented the County of Andrew once or twice in the Legislature. As a 
practitioner he displayed the coolness and tact incident to the Yankee 
character. He finally volunteered in the Second Missouri Regiment, 
under Colonel Price and went to Mexico, arriving while I was there. 
He remained in New Mexico and became a distinguished member of the 
bar of that territory, as well as a member of the House of Territorial 
Delegfates. His success there as here was the result more of tact and 
shrewdness than real talent. 

PETER H. BURNETT. 

Peter H. Burnett, of San PVancisco, was the first prosecuting 
attorney in the Buchanan County District. He has since been Governor 
of California, and Judge of the Supreme Court of that state. Few men 
have had a more eventful life than Governor Burnett. He was a native 
of Tennessee. His father emigrated to Missouri when he was small, 
located in Clay County, which was then the extreme western county in 
Missouri. At about seventeen or eighteen years of age, he returned to 
Tennessee and acquired a very good English education, by the kindness 
of his mother's relative (the Hardamans), a very distinguished family, 
after whom Hardaman County, Tennessee, was named. He partially 
studied law in Tennessee, but engaged in merchandizing as a sort of 
episode in his life. He was not successful and quit merchandising about 
as poor as he was when he began. He then returned to Missouri and com- 
menced merchandising in Liberty, when he again failed. In the interim, 
he had read law, carefully, and was really a very excellent lawyer for his 
age. After a few years practice he was appointed Circuit Attorney for 
that district. I brought him his commission from Jefferson City in the 
spring of 1841. He was one of the ablest prosecutors I ever met; the 
most industrious and indefatigable. No defendant ever found the state 
napjDing while Burnett was prosecutor. Having become largely involved 
by merchandising and seeing no speedy way of paying off his debts by 
the mere practice of law, he determined to go to (Jregon. In 1843, with 
a large colony from Missouri, he and his family emigrated to Oregon. 
After many hardships, and some accidents, he arrived in that wild coun- 
try, located his land, and cut and split every rail himself that enclosed a 
quarter section of land that winter, and built a house etc. He engaged 



232 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNrV. 

actively and industrioush- in farming-. In 1846, when the Oregon ques- 
tion was settled between England and America, locating the new line, 
the British Fur Company was compelled to remove further north. 
They emplo}-ed Burnett to wind up their business. The remuneration 
received enabled him to purchase cattle and go more largely into farm- 
ing. 

When the gold fever commenced in California in 1848-9, it afforded 
a good market for his cattle, and he at once engaged in business there, 
from which he became wealthy. Out of the first moneys made he paid 
off his old debts, although barred by the statute of limitation. After he 
resigned as judge of the Supreme Court, he accepted the position of 
president of the Pacific Bank, at a salary of five thousand dollars per 
year, being a large stockholder himself in the bank. 

Last year, 1880. having grown feeble from age. and unwilling to 
attend to business any longer, he declined a re-election to the presidenc\- 
of the bank, which was unanimously tendered him. He told them for 
the last year (1880) he had not rendered more than half service to the 
bank and declined to take but half his salar\'; the\-. however, passed a 
resolution tendering him all of the salary. He still declined to receixe 
more than half. Thus the\- parted. He then retired from business and 
is spending a qmet old age. 

His family of four children are all in prosperous circumstances. In 
California, a few \-ears ago. I met his youngest daughter, a very beautiful 
and accomplished woman, the wife of Chief Justice Wallace of that 
state, and a man of more power and vigor of intellect, than an\- nian I 
met in California. 

To sum up Governor Burnett: He was a man of spotless integrity, 
real philanthropy, indomitable energy, and a very high order of intellect. 

HENRY M. VORIES. 

Henr}- M. Vories was a native of Henry County, Kentuck)', where 
he received a very common education in the common schools of that 
state. He emigrated to Indiana, where he led a varied life for some 
years, engaged in merchandising at a small village, combining farming" 
and trading generally, and especially trading in hogs in the Cincinnati 
market, in which last business he declared to me that he broke three 
times in one week. When, growing tired of these employments, which 
were bootless and abortive, he studied law with Oliver Smith, of Indiana, 
who afterward became a United States Senator, and commenced 
the practice of law in a circuit abounding with good lawyers. Although 
he was only able to make a living, the contact with these men made him 
a sharp, ready practitioner, and a perfect master of the science of plead- 
ing under the old Chitty practice. He emigrated to Sparta, Missouri. 



HISTORV OF HUCHANAN COUNTY. 233 

in 1843 or '44, where he commenced the practice of law, in partnership 
with Wm. B. Ahnond. I practiced with him in all the courts of North- 
western Missouri. We were often together and often opposed to each 
other. I may safely say he was the most unhandy man as an opponent 
I ever met. His early vocations in life had rendered him perfectly 
familiar with the prejudices, the habits, and the peculiar tastes of com- 
mon people, and therefore in selectinij and addressing a jury he was a 
very formidable advocate. He was quick, shrewd, always cool and self- 
reliant. When the testimony of a witness happened to be the reverse 
of what he expected, he never showed any mark or trait of his disap- 
pointment in his face or manners. He remained in St. Joseph until 1855, 
moving there, I think, in 1846. He then removed to San Jose, Cali- 
nia. He remained in California two years, and, although he succeeded 
well in his profession, he preferred St. Joseph as a permanent home. 
After his return, he built a handsome suburban residence in St. Joseph, 
in which he resided until his death, which occurred iij 1876. After a 
most successful practice in St. Joseph for some years, he was elected a 
judge of the Supreme Court of the State, which office he held until just 
before his death. Judge Vories was essentially a lawyer. He had a 
lawyer's mind. Some members of the profession are good lawyers theo- 
retically, but never successful practitioners, and others are quite superficial 
as lawyers, but by tact and energy succeed very well. The world rates 
them as good lawyers. Judge Vories was good in theory and in prac- 
tice. He was a thorough lawyer and the most formidable practitioner 
I ever met. He knew little of politics and had but little taste for gen- 
eral literature. 

His convictions, however, were always strong and fearlessly 
expressed. He was a Democrat of the old school and an unflinching 
Union man during the whole war. He lived as nearly up to the golden 
rule as any man I ever knew. 

JAMES B. GARDENHIRE. 

James B. Gardenhire came to Sparta soon after the county seat was 
located there, from Tennessee. Commenced the practice of law as a 
competitor of Almond, Vories and Hall ; was very modest and seemed 
to lack self-confidence, and was of a sensitive nature. He impressed me 
as having acquired a rather superficial knowledge of the law hastily, but 
had energy and industry, which soon enabled him to overcome these 
deficiencies of his early education. 

I could form no estimate of his early education. He used good lan- 
guage — pure English — and seemed to have the ordinary literary acquire- 
ments of young men of that age. He was graceful in his manners and 
deportment, which evinced the fact that he had seen good society, but I 



2 34 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

never heard him speak of his early life, his advantages, or want of edu- 
cation. H-e soon became a good lawyer, and was really an orator, although 
he occasionally failed to come up to what his friends expected. I have 
lieard him make as brilliant speeches as any man I have heard in the 
Platte country. Very effective in law arguments before courts, and as 
an advocate very effective before juries. He had considerable taste for 
politics and once represented Buchanan County in the Legislature, and 
was once a candidate for Congress. During his candidacy for Congress I 
heard him make two speeches, remarkable for their brilliancy, and in 
one of these he drew a parallel between Marshal Ney and Col. Benton. 
It was so thrillingly eloquent and pathetic that old men sobbed aloud. 
He became Attorney General of the state, and finally died at the head 
of some bureau in Washington, under Mr. Lincoln's administration. 

Owing to his delicate health, his efforts were not always equal ; 
indeed, frequently, dissimilar. When his physique was all right, his 
efforts never disappointed his friends. He was as delicately constructed 
as a sensitive plant., in relation to his honor. 

GENERAL DAYHJ R. ATCHI.SON 

was the first judge of the new circuit, composed of the Platte Purchase 
and Clinton County. I drafted the bill forming the circuit, which was 
passed during the session of 1840-41. General Atchison was commis- 
sioned in February, 1841, by Governor Reynolds. I brought him his 
commission. 

General Atchison is so well known in the history of the state and 
nation that much labor is saved in giving a sketch of his life. His life 
forms an important part in the history of the state, and his name will 
live in his land's language. 

Genei^l Atchison was born in August, 1807, in Fayette County, 
Kentucky, a few miles from Lexington, at a locality bearing the euphonious 
and poetical appellation of Frogtown. He was a graduate of Transyl- 
vania University, in its palmy days, under President Holly. His father 
afforded him every advantage in acquiring a very liberal education. 
He was a very ripe scholar; of fine literary taste and very familiar with 
all the English classics. He emigrated to Missouri in the Spring ot 
1830, and located at Liberty. He commenced practicing law at the 
same bar with me, and so continued until he was appointed judge. 
After I removed to Liberty, in 1833, we kept our ofiFices together, although 
never partners, and were very warm personal friends, although politically, 
we were as wide apart as the poles. He was a strong State Rights Dem- 
ocrat, while I was a Whig of the most orthodox school. 

After he was appointed Judge, he removed to Platte Cit)*. I prac- 
ticed before him in all his courts durinsr the whole time that he was 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 237 

Judge. I was in the Court House engaged in a case, at Platte City, 
when he received his mail on the bench. I suspended the case in which 
I was engaged for a moment, until he could look at his letters, and I saw 
at once from his face, that there was something very unusual in one of 
them. He is too honest and straight-forward to have any concealments, 
and his face is of the same tell-tale order, suffusing readily under any 
excitement. I proceeded with the case, and when court adjourned for 
dinner, the Judge handed me a letter from Governor Reynolds, tender- 
ing him the U. S. Senatorship, for the unexpired term of Dr. Linn, who 
had died. This tender was made, I know, from subsequent conversations 
with Governor Reynolds, who was from the same county with me from 
Kentucky, without any request from Atchison or his friends. It was a 
spontaneous tender from an intellectual and patriotic Governor, to a 
man who was in every way worthy of the high position of United States 
Senator. 

I know that the Judge hesitated honestly and candidly in his accept- 
ance of the position, and offered reasons which were candid and, to him, 
were forcible. After his having submitted them very fully to me, I said : 
"Judge, fortune does not shower her favors on us very often, and a man 
should not turn his plate bottom upwards when it does happen, but 
should turn the right side up and catch all he can. Your refusal will 
mortify Governor Reynolds, and as you have some political ambition, 
you ought to accept. It is your duty to do it. We have never had any 
Senator from the western half of the State." 

The Judge and I were rooming together at the hotel. I do not know 
that he did or did not, consult any other person on the subject. He 
wrote a very modest letter to the Governor, thanking him and accepting 
the position. 

He served not only acceptably in the Senate for twelve years, but 
served in that august body as its President, and acted as Vice-President 
of the United States, after the death of King. While practicing law in 
Liberty, he was fond of hunting, and very successful as a hunter, fond 
of social life, and indulged in the excitement of politics, so that with a 
portion of the community who do not know what it takes to constitute a 
lawyer, he did not rate so high as he would have done if he had stayed 
in his office, although not professionally employed. He had a clear, 
bright, logical mind ; had studied law well, and kept up with his profes- 
sion by constant reading, when he was not engaged actively out of doors. 

The position he took in any case he sustained with ability, and when 
he was on the right side he rarely failed of success. I deemed him one 
of the best lawyers, and consulted him more frequently than I did any 
one else. As a judge he was quick, expeditious and industrious ; seemed 
to arrive at his conclusions almost intuitively, and his high sense of jus- 
.tice always enabled him to decide equitably. I never knew a judge who 

15 



238 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

gave such universal satisfaction, and although his friends were glad to 
see him elevated to a higher sphere they regretted to see him abandon 
the bench. 

General Atchison went into the Southern arm)- and remained until 
he became dissatisfied, not with the cause, but the management of the 
army. He was essentially a State Rights Democrat of the Calhoun 
school. 

General Atchison was never married, and since the war has been 
living on his farm in Clinton County, enjoying the privacy of quiet life, 
deriving his enjoyment from the associations of numerous warm personal 
friends and a large library. He has warm patriotism enough to make him 
anxious for the future welfare of his country, and is Cincinnatus enough 
to be satisfied with his herd, his fields and his household gods. 

WH.LARD P. HALL 

Was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, at Harper's Ferry, in 18 — , and 
is, therefore, sixty years of age. He was educated partly in Balti- 
more, and graduated at Yale College. His education, of course, was 
very thorough and ample, coming from such an institution. The family, 
(his father having died,) removed, shortly after he graduated, to Randolph 
County, Missouri. He studied law, probably with his brother. Judge 
William Hall, Judge of the Circuit Court in Missouri. He was very 
industrious and energetic and devoted his energies, physical and mental, 
to his profession. I am not aware that he ever practiced law before he 
came to Sparta. He was then a very ripe lawyer for his age, and one of 
the best lawyers I ever met. 

System and order and logical arrangement were natural with him. 
His eyes soon became diseased and annoyed him for some years. This, 
I always supposed, came from intense over-study, using his eyes too 
much by lamp or gas light. He succeeded at once. Plain and simple 
in his manners as a child, naturally frank and easy with every one, he 
soon became a favorite, and from his youthful appearance, even a pet 
with his older friends. He succeeded, I think. Governor Burnett, as 
Prosecuting Attorney, and was a very efficient officer. He prevented 
grand juries from presenting anything that could not be sustained and 
prosecuted with great energy those he believed guilty. He was as an 
officer very conscientious. In 1844 he was selected by the State Demo- 
cratic Convention as one of the Electors, and I was a candidate for 
Elector on the Whig side. I met him often. He conducted the canvass 
with marked ability for one so young. 

He had the criminal law, and especially the statutes of the State, at 
his finger ends, and could readily refer to them in a moment's time. During 
this canvas Governor Hall's speeches would greatly astonish those who 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 239 

have only known him in the past twenty years. He then, not without suc- 
cess, essayed the higher realms of oratory, and, although he occasionally let 
the eagle loose, he was clear, bright, logical and concise. For the last 
twenty years his style has been but little more than conversational, still, 
marked with even more of its original terseness, vigor and logical con- 
ciseness. He never thinks of indulging in pathos, or poetry or mere dec- 
oration. He gained a very high rank during the canvass, of which I have 
spoken, as a public speaker and as a well informed politician. To this, 
added to his high reputation as a lawyer, he was indebted for his first 
nomination to Congress, over many older and able politicians of his part}'. 
This was in the spring of 1846, and during the canvas Col. James H. Birch 
(late Judge Birch,) was his opponent as an Independent Democrat. Gov- 
ernor Hall volunteered as a private in the First Regiment of Missouri 
Cavalry. This he was induced to do, because he had been a strong advo- 
cate of the annexation of Texas, and the Mexican War having grown 
out of that annexation, he was taunted as not being willing to incur the con- 
sequences, which his course and that of his friends had brought on the 
country. 

He went with us as far as Santa Fe, New Mexico, doing duty as a 
private faithfully. Soon after we arrived in Santa Fe I received a letter 
from my father-in-law. Colonel Thornton, giving a sufficient number of 
the returns to ensure the election of Mr. Hall by a very large majority. 
I showed that letter to Mr. Hall and to General Harney, and General 
Harney at once, as a matter of courtesy, and as he should have done, 
released Governor Hall from all involuntary duty. General Harney hav- 
ing orders to go to N^w Mexico with a part of the troops, in the dis- 
charge of an order he received from Washington, to devise temporary 
laws for the people of that territory, requested Governor Hall and myself 
to prepare laws for that territory to conform to the conditions of the 
territory, and to be in conformity with the civil institutions of our own 
country. We organizfed a Legislature consisting of Governor Hall and 
myself, and about six clerks, and the work of legislation was never more 
rapidly performed, each of us frequently dictating to two or three clerks 
at a time. In a few days we were able to present to General Harney a 
code of laws, which he was kind enough to approve, sign, as- military 
Governor, and promulgate for the government of the people. It is aston- 
ishing, considering tHe short time we had been there and our limited 
means of information, that we should have written a code that Congress, 
after the annexation of the territory, re-enacted, and which after thirty- 
five years I found still in vogue in 1881. Governor Hall determined not 
to return to the states until after he had seen more of the west, so that 
he might be more capable to legislate for its wants. 

Colonel Philip St. George Cook, having been left by General Kear- 
ney, when he started to California, to take command of a battalion of 500 



240 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Mormon soldiers and conduct them to California as soon as they arrived 
and were outfitted, now took up the line of march and Hall accompanied 
Colonel Cook to the Pacific Ocean, going by the route of the Heyla 
River. He came back with Kearney the next spring to the states. It 
is a fact not generally known that the first gold discovered in California 
was discovered by two of the soldiers under Cook's command at Sutter's 
Mills. Hall returned and took his seat in Congress in the winter of 
1847 and remained there till March, 1853, having been elected three 
times. 

He made a very industrious, efficient and popular representative of 
his district and at the end of his third term declined to become a candidate 
for re-election. He remained in private life, devoting himself assidu- 
ously to the study and practice of his profession, and attained as high a 
reputation as a lawyer as any man in the state. ^ 

In February, 1861, he was elected to the state convention, which 
convention was called by an act of the General Assembly for the pur- 
pose of ascertaining the position the state should take in reference to the 
secession of the cotton states. He was elected and took his seat as an 
avowed Union man, and after Governor Jackson had abandoned the 
state, that convention proceeded to form a provisional government, and 
proceeded to elect state officers. Hamilton R. Gamble, of St. Louis, 
was elected Governor, and Willard P. Hall, Lieutenant Governor. Gov- 
ernor Gamble died during his term and the office of Governor was filled 
by Mr. Hall. Times were exceedingly exciting, as the war was still rag- 
ing in Missouri, as well as elsewhere, and much trouble and anxiety nec- 
essarily devolved upon the Governor. It is imposible to give any detail 
of his asts while Governor, as any one month of which would more than 
fill this sketch. 

His administration was as satisfactory as it could have been to all 
conservative men. At the expiration of his term of office, he resumed 
the practice of law in St. Joseph, which he has followed ever since. He 
has been employed in all the important cases since his return to the 
practice, and has added greatly to his well earned reputation as a law- 
yer before the war. He has sought no office or position since. On the 
contrary. Governor Hardin told me that he had twice offered him the 
position of Supreme Judge since the death of Judge Vories, but that Mr. 
Hall had declined both times. 

SOLOMON I.. LEONARD 

was one of the early immigrants to the Platte country. He had been 
engaged in teaching school at the time of his coming. He was in mod- 
erate circumstances, indeed might be termed poor, but he had pluck and 
perseverance enough for two men, but succeeded rather slowl)- at the 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 24 1 

practice of law. He lived on a small farm two miles from Platte City, 
about twenty acres of which he cleared and cultivated. From these two 
sources he made barely a comfortable subsistence. In 1843, I think, the 
state was entitled to five hundred thousand acres of public land, and 
Solomon L. Leonard was appointed a commissioner to select land for 
the state. The compensation he received for the same enabled him to 
purchase the land on which he resided and on which his wife now resides, 
east of St. Joseph. 

In 1844 or '45, he was appointed judge of that circuit to fill a vacancy 
occasioned by the resignation of Henderson Young, who had been judge 
for about one year after General Atchison's resignation. He continued 
in office until 1852, when he declined being a candidate for re-election. 
In most respects he was a model judge ; commencing court every morn- 
ing early at the very moment to which it was adjourned. Every day he 
got through the docket of that day, if it could be done by dark. 

Lawyers had to work hard, and those who were not fond of hard 
work found fault. I always found him courteous and respectful to all 
members of the bar. The hard work imposed on the bar was not the 
result of any arbitrary feeling on his part, but a determination and an 
honest purpose to subserve the interest of the public properly. It would 
be better for the bar and public if more judges would follow the same 
course. 

After he retired from the bench he formed a partnerthip in the prac- 
tice of law with General Bela M. Hughes. It was a very able firm, aixi 
while it continued it had as much practice as it could attend to. Judge Leon- 
ard's wealth gradually increased, and the property he left made all his 
family rich. The increase of his property and the business consequent 
upon it, induced him to abandon the practice almost entirely. 

During the first year of the war, in 1861, he went south, whether to 
carry his negroes south or to engage in the Southern cause, I do not know. 
He was drowned at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, in Grand River, in that 
year. 

Judge Leonard had as much will-power as any man I ever knew, and 
a large volume of brain power. He was a man of strong prejudices — 
his enemies could hardly do right, and his friends could scarcely do 
wrong. He was aware of these prejudices, and brought his strong will- 
power to control them on the bench, which he did successfully. He was 
devoted to his family, and educated his daughters with a great deal of 
care, regardless of expense. Rather impatient by nature, yet he was 
fond of legal and logical discussion, and listened with patience to lawyers 
of any ability. We were warm personal friends, and I deemed him a 
just and able judge. 

GENERAL BELA M. HUGHES 

was the son of General Andrew S. Hughes, herein mentioned, and born 



242 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

in Nicholas County, Kentucky., His mother was a sister to Thomas 
Metcalf, who was a captain in the war of 1812, a Member of Congress for 
many years, Governor of the State, and then a United States Senator. 

Coming from such a stock on the respective sides, it would naturalh' 
be supposed that General Hughes would be a man of high order of intel- 
lect. Those whose anticipations were the highest have not been disap- 
pointed. He graduated at Augusta College, Kentucky. 

Immediately after he graduated he went to Wisconsin Territory as 
a private secretary of the Territorial Governor. He was introduced into 
social and political life under favorable auspices. While there he 
improved his learning much from men and books. Coming to Missouri, 
he commenced the study of law, but having married when he was very 
Voung, and having six or eight thousand dollars in his own right, he 
thought it would be better to accumulate a fortune rapidly by engaging 
in merchandising and commerce. He located at Weston, Platte County. 
As he knew nothing of business, it did not take him long to lose half of 
his fortune. He sold out, re-engaged in the study, and finally in the 
practice of his profession. 

He succeeded very well from the start ; was elected to the Legisla- 
ture from that county ; and appointed Receiver of Public Moneys at the 
United States Land Office at Plattsburg, Missouri. He remained there 
until General Taylor was elected in 1848, and although his uncle, who was 
then a Whig Senator from Kentucky, and myself and others, who knew 
General Taylor well, assured him he would not be removed, his delicate 
sense of propriety induced him to resign (he being a Democrat), saying 
that he " would not hold an office which, under the custom of parties, 
belonged to some Whig." He removed to St. Joseph, and lived there as 
long as he remained in the State. He formed a partnership, first with 
Solomon L. Leonard, and afterwards with Silas Woodson. Both these 
partnerships were remunerative. Governor Woodson was appointed 
Judge of that circuit, and General Hughes went to Atchison, Kansas, 
more for the purpose of attending to the varied interests of his cousin, 
Benjamin Holliday, the distinguished pioneer in steamship lines, rail- 
roads, and overland mail. . This business required many long and dan- 
gerous voyages to Colorado, Salt Lake, and San Francisco, in connection 
with the Holliday mail route. Selecting Denver as a central position 
for the route, he finally located there, removed his family and made it 
his permanent home. When his connection with Holliday had term- 
inated, he resumed his profession, and at a bound placed himself at the 
head of the able bar of Colorado, which position he maintains now 
(1881). He is employed in all the im[)ortant suits arising from railroads, 
mines, telegraphs, and stock operations. He has acquired a fortune by 
his close attention to business, and with the wonderful sucess with which 
he has met. I have spent si.\ summers in Colorado ; have often heard 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 243 

him in courts, and was there when he was nominated by the Democrats 
of that state for Governor, and durin<^ his brilliant canvas. His speeches 
were marked by the caustic wit, sharp repartee, and boundless humor 
that characterized his father, with much more learning and general 
attainments. He may be deemed an eminent jurist and orator, and I 
know personally of his receiving a letter from one of the most distin- 
guished jurists in New York asking his opinion in relation to his con- 
struction of a very ambiguous statute, saying "that he would rather 
have his opinion than any other lawyer, and that his clients would pay 
him liberally for it." 

His great ability, integrity, and attention to business, assures us 
that he will always retain his business and practice as large as he 
desires. 

SILAS WOODSON. 

My first acquaintance with Silas Woodson was at Plattsburg, in the 
fall of 1854. I was then attending court and was employed to assist 
Hughes and Leonard and General Loan in the defense of Wm. Langston, 
charged with murder. The case had been pending some time in 
Buchanan County, and finally had been taken to Clinton County; but I 
was only employed in the case at the term at which it was tried. Gov- 
ernor Woodson had recently emigrated from Knox County, Kentucky, 
to St. Joseph, and some of the citizens of St. Joseph had employed him 
to assist in the prosecution of Langston. We had been several days 
■engaged in examining the testimony and had closed on both sides. 
While I was writing some instructions at my room, General Loan and 
Judge Leonard came in and told me Mr. Woodson complained of being- 
sick, and desired to make the closing argument in the case instead of 
the opening. I told them that I had an invariable rule that I would not 
depart from, that the circuit attorney must make the closing argument 
in every criminal case in which Lwas engaged. Li a few minutes after 
they left Mr. Woodson came in, and told me he was not well, and being 
a stranger did not like to address a jury under disadvantageous circum- 
stances. It was a strong appeal to my courtesy and I felt somewhat 
inclined to accede to his request, but I had read the trial of Dr. Baker, 
who was tried and convicted for murder in Kentucky, and a Mr. Wood- 
son had been the prosecuting attorney. It occurred to me me that he 
might possibly be the man. I asked him if he had been prosecuting 
attorney when Dr. Baker was tried. He said he had. I said, "Mr. 
Woodson, a prosecutor who was able to meet and gain a victory over 
the most eminent attorneys and advocates in the Union, is able to pros- 
ecute against such lawyers as Langston has, even though he is sick. I 
regret that my duty to my client compels me to be apparently discour- 



244 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. • 

teous. You cannot make the closing argument in tliis case." An hour 
afterward, the instructions had been given by the court, and Mr. Wood- 
son commenced his address, which for ability, brilliancy and pathos T 
have never heard equaled. I regret that I have not language that will' 
convey even the faintest idea of this torrent of eloquent invective. 

In i860, he was elected judge of the 12th Judicial Circuit, in which- 
position he gave universal satisfaction, and at the expiration of his term,, 
with a most enviable reputation, again resumed the practice of law. 

As a practitioner, he takes rank among the leading lawyers of the 
state, and his professional associates cheerfully concede his eminent 
ability in criminal cases. The vital interests of the largest corporations,, 
the equally important rights of the humblest citizen, alike command his 
services, and whether the fee is a fortune or a farthing, he devotes his 
best abilities and his constant attention to the success of his client. 

In August, 1872, quite unexpectedly to himself, he was nominated 
by the State Democratic Convention as candidate for Governor of Mis- 
souri, and was elected to that office by a large majority, and served for 
two years with distinguished ability. 

No blemish mars the purity of his private life. He is one of the few 
men, who, through a long public career, have nev'er once neglected or 
betrayed any trust reposed in them. His motto is, and his action has 
always been, to do what right and justice demand, leaving consequences 
to take care of themselves. 

He possesses an earnest nature, great energy and firmness, a clear 
judgment, with comprehensive and analytical mind and a heart full of 
true charity and noble impulses. 

ROBERT M. STEWART. 

The name of Robert M. Stewart has been familiar not only to the 
people of Buchanan County, but of the State of Missouri, for over forty 
years. In fact it has been completely indentified wMth the history of the- 
state. He was born in Truxton, Courtland County, New York, on the 
I2th day of March, 1815. His parents being in limited circumstances, he 
was compelled to depend upon his own exertions for an education, a task- 
faithfully performed. From the time he was seventeen until twenty-one 
years of age, he taught school part of each year, devoting the remainder 
of his time to preparing himself for the practice of the law. At the age 
of twenty-one he graduated in the legal profession and was admitted to 
the bar. In the spring of 1837, ^^^ removed to Louisville, Kentucky, and 
engaged in the practice of his profession, but suffering from sickness most 
of the summer, he removed to his old home in New York and remained 
during the winter, returning to Louisville again in the spring of 1838- 
During that summer, in addition to the practice of tlie law, he was^ 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COaNT^^ 245 

engaged in the newspaper business with James Birney Marshall. In the 
fall of that year he removed to St. Charles, Missouri, where he remained 
some two years. 

In 1839, Governor Stewart came to Buchanan County, and located at 
what was then known as Bloomington, but is now DeKalb, where he 
entered a claim. Here he continued the practice of his profession, at the 
same time taking an active part in every movement to advance the pros- 
perity of the country, until 1845. He then removed to St. Joseph, and 
was shortly thereafter elected a delegate from the Senatorial District to- 
the Convention to amend the State Constitution, over Jesse B. Thomp- 
son, one of the best men in the county. In the proceedings of that body 
his fine talents and excellent judgment gave him a prominent position. 
In 1846, he was elected to the State Senate, again beating Mr. Thomp- 
son, and continued to hold the office until 1857, when he was elected 
Governor of Missouri, to fill a vacancy, occasioned by the selection of 
Governor Trusten Polk to the United States Senate. The duties of the 
latter office he discharged with ability for three years. In 1847, Governor 
Stewart raised a company for the "Oregon Battalion," for service in the 
Mexican war, and was elected as its Captain over the late Colonel Samuel 
Hall. He went with the battalion as far as Fort Kearney, but was com- 
pelled to return on account of ill-health. For some two years thereafter 
he suffered from severe illness, but managed to discharge hi's duties as 
State Senator. In 1848 he was appointed Register of the Land Office at 
Savannah, but resigned the position in a few weeks, for the purpose of 
engaging in the preliminary survey of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Rail- 
road, a task which he completed at his own expense. 

In 1861, he was elected member of the convention called to consider 
the question of secession, in which body he took strong grounds in favor 
of retaining the state in the Union. His last appearance in political life 
was in 1862, when he announced his name as a candidate for Congress 
in this district, but withdrew from the race shortly after the announce- 
ment. 

Almost immediately after his election to the Senate, Governor Stew- 
art was appointed chairman of the committee on internal improvements, 
a position he continued to occupy as long as he remained a member of 
that body. He was the first to inaugurate the grand system of public 
improvements which has contributed so much to the prosperity of our 
state, and devoted himself particularly to the railroad interests. It is prin- 
cipally owing to his exertions that the construction of the Hannibal & St. 
Joseph road is due, and he was also the author of the "Omnibus bill," 
under which the railroad system of the state was projected and built up. 
Every measure looking to improvement and the development of the 
resources of Missouri received his hearty support, both while in the Sen- 
ate and in the executive chair. 



■246 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Governor Stewart was a man of a hiyh order of intellect. His pros- 
pects at one time were by no means limited to this state. It was within 
his grasp to have not only made his influence more powerful in Missouri, 
but felt throughout the Union. In a national point of view his unrelent- 
ing hostility to Colonel Thos. H. Benton, effecting his defeat for the 
Senate, and his decided stand against secession when the great contest 
seemed to hinge upon the action of Missouri, were the most important 
passages in his history. 

GENERAL J. M. BASSETT. 

J. M. Bassett was born in New Haven, Connecticut, Februar)- 7, 
1 8 17. He came with his father, when a small boy, to Ohio, and at the 
age often years removed to Springfield, Illinois, where he completed his 
■education. He read law with Governor Cailin, and was admitted to the 
bar by Judge Stephen A. Douglas. Afterward he opened an office in 
Quincy, Illinois, and after several years of successful practice came to 
Plattsburg, Clinton County, Missouri, in 1844, where he remained two 
years. While here he was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Con- 
vention, and came to St. Joseph shortly after the labors of that convention 
were closed. 

He soon became one of the leading lawyers of the Platte country. 
He served four years as prosecuting attorney of this judicial district. 
Was elected Mayor of St. Joseph in 1855. At the breaking out of the 
-war he espoused the cause of the Union, and did much to rally the loyal 
sentiment of Northwest Missouri. He was captain of a compan)' of mili- 
tia and was for two years Provost Marshal of this district. 

General Bassett was a ready and powerful writer ; generous, pleas- 
.ant, social and charitable. He was a fluent speaker, and strong in argu- 
ment, and his success before juries and judges was proverbial. 

Keen, cool, shrewd and cautious, his speeches in court often veined 
with glowing sarcasm, were not only models of terseness and force, but 
revealed a background of study, reflection and special preparation, 
which stamped him as one of the foremost lawyers of Northwest Mis- 
souri. He seemed to rise with the occasion when the subject in hand 
•demanded intellect and power. Then it was he would pour forth argu- 
ment, and hurl invective and eloquent appeals to the jur}% sweeping 
■everything before him. 

Whenever he devoted his full powers to a case, no client in the 
West had a more safe, competent and successful advocate. General 
Bassett died in 1871. 

BKNJANHN V. LOAN. 

I first knew the late General Loan in Platte County. He was born 
in Hardensburg, Breckenridge. County, Kentucky, in 18 19. He remained 



HISTORY OF UUCIIANAN COUNT V. 



247 



at the old home in Kentucky until 1838, when he came to Missouri and 
settled in Platte County. He commenced reading law in Platte City 
with Isaac N. Jones, in 1842. After two years spent in close study, he 
obtained a license and located in Buchanan County. He was an active, 
industrious, painstaking and conscientious attorney. He was a deep 
thinker and a ripe scholar in legal and political lore, and possessed 
great personal honor and integrity, and was admired by not only his 
brother attorneys but no one spoke of him but to praise. 

When the late civil war broke out he took an active part in military 
-affairs, and was appointed Brigadier General. In 1862 he was elected to 
a seat in the Thirty-eighth Congress, and served as a member of the 
committees on Pacific railroads, and Freedmen, and Debts of loyal states, 
and other committees. During the Fortieth Congress he was chairman 
•of the committee on revolutionary pensions and on that of Freedmen's 
affairs. In 1869 he was appointed visitor to West Point. He was the 
Republican candidate for Congress in 1876, and was defeated by Hon. 
David Rea. These in brief are the salient points of one of the most pop- 
ular, one of the ablest and best known lawyers in the " Platte Purchase." 

General Loan died at his home in St. Joseph on the 30th day of 
March, 1881, at the age of sixty-two years. The St. Joseph bar held a 
meeting on the occasion of his death, the proceedings of which we here 
give: 

" The adjourned meeting of the Bar Association of St. Joseph was 
Tield in the Circuit Court room yesterday afternoon at half-past four. 
General Craig, as chairman, called the meeting to order, and requested 
the chairman of the committee, appointed to wait upon the family of 
General Loan to ascertain their desire as to the funeral arrangements, to 
report. Mr. Allen H. Vories then informed the meeting that General 
Loan's family had expressed their wish that the bar should take charge 
of the funeral, which was to take place at two o'clock this afternoon. 
Mr. Vories suggested that the bar should not monopolize the funeral 
arrangements, but should invite a number of citizens to assist in the 
obsequies. 

It was moved and seconded that six members of the bar be appointed 
pall bearers, with authority to select four citizens to act with them in the 
same capacity. 

Messrs. Vories and Vineyard were appointed by the chair to select 
the legal pall bearers, and made choice of the following gentlemen : 
Gov. Woodson, Gen. Craig, Judge Tutt, Gov. Hall, John D. Strong and 
A. H. Vories. 

The committee on resolutions was then called upon to report and 
did so through Mr. Benj. R. Vineyard, as follows : 

Whereas, We have learned with profound sorrow of the death of 
our friend and professional brother, Hon. B. F. Loan, and 



248 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Whereas, We deem it fitting that the living should suitably com- 
memorate the virtues of the dead, therefore 

Rcso/vcd, That we, the members of the bar of St. Joseph bear wit- 
ness that through the crucial test of a long and active practice in a pro- 
fession which, more than any other, tries and makes known to his fellows 
the real character of a man, Benjamin F. Loan has passed, without an 
imputation of the slightest neglect of a client's interest or of the courte- 
sies and fair dealings due to an opponent ; that his life is a noble illus- 
tration of the truth that untiring industry and unswerving honesty are 
the essential elements of real success in our own, no less than in the 
other avocations of life ; and we direct the attention of every young man 
who would gain an enviable distinction in the legal profession to the 
course and career of the deceased as worthy of the highest emulation. 

Resolved, That our departed brother was true to the interests com- 
mitted to him in all the relations of life ; that he was a faithful public 
servant, a steadfast friend, a devoted husband, an estimable citizen and 
an honest man. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, 
we request the Judge to adjourn the Circuit Court of this county, now in 
session, during the day of the funeral, and that the members of this bar 
attend the funeral in a body. 

Resolved, That the secretary of this meeting furnish a copj- of these 
resolutions to the press of the city for publication, also a copy thereof to 
the family of the deceased, and also a copy thereof to Alex, D. Vories, 
by him to be presented to the Judge of the Buchanan Circuit Court, with 
a request that they may, with other proceedings of this meeting, be 
spread in full upon the records of said court. 

B. R. VINEYARD. 
JOHN S. CROSBY, 

w. H. shp:rman, 

H. M. RAMEY, ;- Committee. 

JAMES CRAIG, 
M. R. SINGLETON, 
W. P. HALL. Jr. I 

RESOLUTIONS OF THE :MERCHANTS' HANK DIRECTORS. 

At a meeting of the directors of the Merchants' Bank, with which 
General Loan had long been identified, held \-esterday. the following 
resolutions were adopted : 

Whereas. It has pleased Almighty God, in His divine providence, 
to remove from our midst our valued friend and associate, the Hon. 
Benjamin F. Loan, therefore be it 

Resolved, by the Board of Directors of the IVIerchants' Bank, that in 
the death of the Hon. Benjamin F. Loan, this board has lost a member 
whose counsels were of the utmost value to the interests of the institu- 
tion, and that we. individually, have lost a friend and associate whose 
death is deeply and sincerely deplored ; and be it further 

Resolved, That we sympathize most sincerely with the family and 
relatives of our deceased friend in this hour of their sad bereavement ; 
and be it further 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 249 

Resolved, That these resolutions be spread at length upon the min- 
utes of the board, and that a copy signed by the president be sent to the 
family of our deceased friend. 

St. Joseph, Mo., March 31, 1881. 

After reading the resolutions Mr. Vineyard said that it seemed 
strange to him to stand among his professional brethren and miss the 
form of General Loan. Only two days ago he was engaged in the active 
duties of his profession, and now he was no longer among us. Not ver)- 
long ago General Loan had said to him that he would go soon and go 
suddenly, and his foreboding had proved true. He had known the 
deceased since 1866, and had enjoyed his disinterested friendship. Of 
his military and congressional record, he would let others speak, but as 
a lawyer he had found him frank, upright and sincere. General Loan 
never made a promise to a brother lawyer that he did not faithfully keep^ 
His zeal for his clients was unbounded, while he was ever an indefatiga- 
ble worker. To pronounce this eulogy was a sad task, not because the 
subject did not deserve it, but because he was no more. 

The chairman here suggested that the youngest member of the bar 
be selected to present the resolutions to the Circuit Court. The sug- 
gestion was adopted. 

Mr. R. T. Davis then addressed the meeting and recalled his last 
conversation with General Loan. It was the opinion of the deceased 
that young lawyers should stick to their practice and avoid politics. He 
had such a high appreciation of the bar of St. Joseph that he told the 
speaker that nothing could induce him to reside away from this city. 
Free passes to Chicago and New York, a large income and nothing to 
do would have no temptation to him, compared with the society of his 
friends, if he had to give up the latter to enjoy the former. 

Mr. Allen Vories next addressed the meeting ; General Loan's 
death had not been altogether unexpected by him, but by that death he 
had lost his most confidential friend and he could not reconcile himself 
to his loss. For thirty years a close friendship had existed between 
himself and the deceased. If ever there was an honest man General 
Loan was that man. Ever faithful to his clients he was the soul of honor 
in his dealings with all men. Among the members of this bar he had 
not one enemy. Outside of his professional career he had no enjoyments, 
and was so attached to the members of the St. Joseph bar that he had 
determined to spend all his days among them. Of his proficiency as a 
lawyer it was not necessary to speak. The harder the case the better 
lawyer General Loan proved himself to be. His courtesy to other 
attorneys was remarkable. "By his death," concluded Mr. Vories, "I 
have lost my best friend." 

Mr. Thomas had known General Loan for eleven )ears, and had 
frequently, as a young man, applied to him for advice, and had always 



250 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

found him i^racious and courteous. Wiiethcr oppo.sed to him or associ- 
ated with him, he always exhibited a courtesy which was extended to 
all the attorneys with whom he cams in contact. His loss will be greatly 
felt. Mr. Thomas endorsed the sentim:^nts of the resolutions. 

Mr. H. K. White said that General Loan had attained the hi^^h 
degree of philosophy which enabled him to endure differences of opinion 
without giving up personal regard. In his adherence to the ideas of the 
past upon legal matters, General Loan had many sharp conflicts with the 
rising generation, but from these antagonisms an unkind personal feel- 
ing had never once been developed. 

Mr. John S. Crosby, as a younger member of the bar, paid an earnest 
tribute to the friendliness toward young members of his profession, which 
characterized General Loan. He also referred to the strong domestic 
affections of the deceased, which he had had occasion to witness. Carry- 
ing with him a heavy and constant burden of disease and suffering which 
would have made most men morose, he was ahvaj's cheerful and good 
natured. 

Mr. P. V. Wise said that he had so long associated with General 
Loan that he did not consider it inappropriate on his part to make a few 
remarks. The deceased was a man who took for his motto "deeds not 
words." He acted justly from a principle of right and not from the hope 
of future reward. He was satisfied to practice the golden rule. Not- 
withstanding the industrious habits of the deceased he enjoyed philo- 
sophical contemplation, and believed that the best of all lives was to so 
live here that when the great change came there would be nothing to 
repent of. He fulfilled William CuUen Bryant's noble lines : 

"So live that when thy summons come to join 
The innumerable caravan which moves 
To that mysterious realm where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death. 
Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, 
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one that wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 

The chairman then said that he ftrst knew General Loan thirty-five 
years ago, when he was struggling to earn his first town lot. In those 
days he had traveled the circuit with him, had observed his course dur- 
ing the war, and had known him intimately as a Congressman, and he 
had always found him honest. During the days of political corruption 
that followed the war, no man had ever dared to say that General Loan 
had taken a dollar that was not his own. His home life was full of ten- 
der affection, one long honeymoon. It has been said that he was not 
without a presentiment of his approaching end, and on Tuesday called 



HISTORY OF BUCHAXAX COUNTY. 25 I 

at the bank and transferred some bonds from his own name to that of 
his wife. In all the relations of life he, General Craig, had never known 
a better man than Benjamin F. Loan. 

Mr. J. F. Pitt said that he was with the deceased in his last labors, and 
gave some details of his sudden illness. Mr. Mosman paid a brief tri- 
bute to the worth of General Loan, and the meeting adjourned to meet 
at the funeral to-day at 2 o'clock." 

Among those who attended the first courts in this judicial district 
at Old Sparta and St. Joseph was 

GENERAL A. W. DONIPHAN, 

who was born in Mason County, Kentucky, July 9th. 1808. His ances- 
tors on both paternal and maternal lines were of English extraction. 
His father and mother were natives of Virginia, his father being a revo- 
lutionary soldier. His mother was a woman of extraordinary mental 
powers and sparkling wit. He graduated at Augusta College, Kentucky, 
at the early age of eighteen years, with distinction, especially in the 
classics. He studied law in the office of Martin P. Marshall, of Ken- 
tucky. After a period of two years he was licensed to practice law b>' 
the Supreme Court of Ohio. In March, 1830, he came to Missouri, and 
was licensed to practice by its Supreme Court, at Fayette, in the suc- 
ceeding month. On the 19th of April, 1830, he settled in Lexington. 
Missouri, and began his long, successful and brilliant forensic career. 
At the age of twenty-two, without experience, he was placed in collision 
with Abiel Leonard, Robert W. Wells, Peyton R. Hayden and others, 
gentlemen eminent for ability and legal attainments. 

His maiden speech at the bar was made in 1830, in defense of a man 
indicted for murder. His conduct in this trial was modest, and gave 
evidence of the dawning of that reputation as a criminal lawyer which 
he afterward attained. 

In 1837, he removed to Liberty, Missouri, which he made his home 
for the succeeding thirty years. There he found, already established in 
the practice of law, those distinguished lawyers, D. R. Atchison, Amos 
Rees and James M. Hughes. His experience at Lexington had been 
preparator)/ ; at Liberty his reputation attained its zenith. Doniphan 
was young, ambitious, highly cultured, and his mind expanded with 
ease to meet the magnitude of each new occasion. The faculty of ready, 
powerful and tempestuous speech — the flashes of brilliant thought had 
come to him, and the people of the state at once recognized him as an 
orator. 

In 1836, 1840 and in 1854 he represented Clay County in the Legis- 
lature without opposition. He was a member of the Peace Conference 
of 1 86 1. In 1846, occurred the war with Mexico, and in May, 1846, he 
was elected Colonel of the First regiment Missouri Mounted Volunteers. 



252 



HISTORV OF BrCIIAXAX COUNTY 



The laurels won by Colonel Doniphan and his men durini^' the Mex- 
ican war are among the brightest that grace the American arms, and 
the memory of them will be as enduring as time itself. 

In the \'aried circumstances of life Colonel Doniphan has exerted a 
great influence. In parliamentary bodies he has done this mainly through 
social impress and personal contact. He is fascinating in conversation, 
and his society is sought wherever he goes. His mind acts with quick- 
ness and precision. His temperament is poetic, even romantic, but is 
guarded by fine taste and the most delicate sense of the ludicrous. His 
mind is so well organized, so nicely balanced, its machinery so happily 
fitted, its stores of information so well digested, and so completely made a 
part of the brain, that its riches, without apparent effort, flow or flash 
forth on all occasions, and it places each subject or object it touches in a 
flood of light. 

Nature has endowed him munificently. He now leads a quiet life 
at Richmond. Missouri, devoting himself entirely to the amusements of 
reading, correspondence and converse with his myriad of friends. 

We have given short biographical sketches of only those members 
of the bar who came to St. Joseph and the " Platte Purchase " at an early 
day. In addition will be found below a short and incomplete list of 
names of other members of the St. Joseph bar. There have been many 
itinerant lawyers and journeymen counselors, many of whom are doubt- 
less still living and known to the reader, and others are dead or have 
removed elsew^here, that have practiced at the St. Joseph courts. We 
should be glad to give them all, but our limited space will preclude us 
from doing more than merely chronicling their names. 

ATTORNEYS WHO LIYED AT SPARTA. 



Amos Rees, 
Henry M. Vories, 
Lawrence Archer, 
Jas. B. Gardenhire. 
Robert M. Stewart. 
Peter H. Burnett. 



Wm. B. Almond. 
Benj. F. Loan. 
Wm. Cannon, 
W. P. Hall. 
Andrew Hughes, 



AT ST. [OSEPH. 



Sol. L. Leonard. 
Jonathan M. Bassett, 
Washington Jones. 
W. A. Cunningham, 
M. Jeff Thompson, 
A. P. Hereford. 
I. B. Hereford, 



Sam'l Ensworth. 
John Wilson, 
W. Broadus Thompson, 
B. M. Hughes, 
Thomas P. Conner. 
Thomas Harbine. 
Isaac C. Parker, 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, 



253 



J. J. Wyatt. 

George Baxter, 

John C. C. Thornton, 

A. W. Slayback, 

E. I. Montague, 

T. A. Green, 

G. D. Green, 

H. L. Harrington, 

A. D. Reed. 

Thomas Thoroughman, 

Alex. Davis, 

S. Judson, 

Charles W. Wright, 

Thomas Parish, 

T. W. Collins, 

A. D. May, 
Wm. H. Miller, 
Peter T. Able, 
Murat Masterson, 
John T. Baldwin, 
L. L. Richmond, 
Wm. H. Campbell, 
Wm. Moore, 
Theodore Wheaton, 
Geo. H. Hall, 

B. O. Diskoll, 
Jas. M. Dunning, 

C. M. Lincoln, 
Bruce Toole, 
W. G. Swan, 
W. C. Smith, 
J. M. Breaker, 
A. Y. Shields, 
Wm. Loan, 
Philloman Bliss, 
Capt. Lee, 

A. D. Maderia, 
Jos. Terrill, 

Hunter, 

Jos. H. Burnett, 
J. Hodges, 
Wm. H. Fagan, 
John Ritchie, 
Fred. Brown, 



L. M. Lawson, 
Bennett Pike, 
Jeff Chandler, 
S. A. Young. 
Jos. Early, 
W. S. Everett, 

E. O. Hill, 
Jas. M. Strong, 
Wm. Henry, 
Andrew Royal, 
W. D. Webb, 

F. Van Waters, 
Tobias Mitchell, 
David Rea, 
Wm. T. Hughes, 
Daniel Sullivan, 
John R. Boyd, 

P. V. Wise, 
Wilson Shannon, 

Foote, 

Wise, 

Frank Ransom, 
F. Babcock, 
Samuel Irvine, 
D. M. Johnson, 
James C. Roberts, 
John Donovan, 
Warren Toole, 
Samuel Word, 
James Shields, 
James Davis, 
Jas. T. Beach, 
C. C. Colt, 
Wm. Bliss, 
Thomas Parker, 
A. W. Terrill, 
James Hunter, 
James Lucas, 
Wm. M. Albin, 
John K. Cravens, 
Jas. A. Owen, 
John B. Rea, 
John Jones, 
R. Lewis, 

16 



254 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



Wm. D. O'Toole, 
Fin. R. Hanna, 
R. H. Lykins, 
Mordicai Oliver, Sr., 
M. Oliver, Jr., 
John D. Strong, 
E. S. Gosney, 
J. C. Heddenberg, 
S. B. Green, 
Enos Crowthers, 

A. Saltzman, 
H. K. White, 
E. H. Fudge, 
O. M. Spencer, 
W. P. Hall, Sr., 
L. E. Carter, 
Vinton Pike, 
James W. Boyd, 
W. D. B. Motter, 
W. E. Sherwood, 
W. Fitzgerald, 
W. K. James, 
John S. Crosby, 

Suffler, 

James H. Pratt, 
John M. Stewart, 
Franklin Porter, 

B. R. Vineyard, 
Minor Shortridge, 
A. D. Kirk, 

E. G. Adams, 
W. H. Sherman, 
John Doniphan, 
W. C. Toole, 
W. Hoynes, 
James Sutherland, 
James W. Porch, 



T. E. Battoin, 
S. A. Gilbert, 
W. Gilbert, 
R. P. Giles. 
C. A. Mosman, 
E. C. Zimmerman, 
Henry Martin, 
A. D. Green, 
James Ringo, 
H. E. Barnard, 
Litt R. Lancaster, 
Joseph P. Grubb, 
W. P. Hall Jr., 

Stone, 

John F. Tyler, 
James F. Pitt, 
Winslow Judson, 
Robert Musser, 
John Ryan, 
James P. Thomas, 
Silas Woodson, 

Anderson, 

Allen H. Vories, 
H. M. Ramey, 
F. S. Winn, 
A. D. Vories, 
Thomas F. Ryan, 
L. H. Moss, 
H. Tutt, 

Harrison Branch, 
George Burgess, 
M. A. Reed, 
Benjamin J. Woodson, 
J. L. Sutherland, 
M. R. Singleton, 
Georee W. Burgess. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CRIMES, INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS. 

All organized counties and communities, it matters not what may 
be their geographical location or what may be their general moral and 
religious status, have a criminal record. Some of these records are 
replete with deeds of violence and blood.shed, while others are not so bad. 

Buchanan County is no exception to this universal rule, yet from the 
date of its settlement to the present time it has been comparatively 
exempt, not only as to the number of crimes committed in proportion to 
population, but in the degree of atrocity with which they have been per- 
petrated. There are, however, some facts of a criminal character which 
belong to the legitimate history of the county, and are of such import- 
ance that they may be narrated in this work. 

The most noted murder ever committed in the county was that of 

EDWARD H. WILLARD. 

The facts connected therewith are, we presume, all set forth in the con- 
fession of Augustus Otis Jennings, one of the parties to the murder, and 
who was executed near St. Joseph on the second day of September, 
1853. Before, however, giving the confession, we shall here insert the 
letter of Sterling Price, at the time Governor of Missouri, written to 
General Bela M. Hughes and others, declining to commute the death 
sentence which had by the courts been passed upon Jennings. 

The following is a copy of the Governor's letter which we take from 
an old number of the Jefferson City Examiner of that date : 

Executive Department, ] 

City of Jefferson, Mo., >- 

August 20, 1853. j 

To Captain Bela M. Hughes, and six hundred other citizens of Buchanan 
County: 

Sir : Having received from yourself and many other citizens of 
Buchanan County, very large petitions praying the commutation of the 
sentence of death which was passed upon Augustus Jennings, convicted 
at the last term of the Circuit Court of said county, and whose da)' of 
execution is rapidly approaching, I embrace the opportunity thus afforded 
of presenting my conclusions, after having bestowed upon the subject 
that serious consideration which its great importance demands. 



256 HISTORY OF I'.UCIIANAN COUNTY. 

In the exercise of the varied powers with which I have been clothed 
b\- \'irtue of the responsible position to which mj' fellow citizens have 
called me. it is needless for me to say more, than that I have endeavored 
to discharge them with an eye single to the honor of our state, and with 
a proper regard for the supremacy of the law. Among the multiplied 
duties which surround me, there are none which demands greater inxes- 
tigation, or more serious thought, than such cases as are presented to 
my consideration, growing out of the enforcement of the criminal code. 
The executive officer who will undertake a disposition of the almost 
numberless cases of this character, which are from time to time pre- 
sented for his action, must necessarily clothe himself with the great 
attribute of merc}'. But notwithstanding its claims, there is still another 
attribute— justice — which cannot be disregarded without a sacrifice of 
the great encis of good government. And here permit me to add that 
my own experience has taught me that nothing is more natural, or 
savors more strongly of true nobilit}' of heart, than exhibitions of true 
sympath}- for other's woes ; while on the other hand a few dangers are 
greater than such as grow out of a too liberal disposition to witness the 
violation of law. In this da)' we too frequently see the gross offender 
escaping the penalty which he has justly incurred. 

Crimes of the deepest dye are being constantly committed, and in 
far too many instances, for the public good, the offender goes unwhipt of 
justice. Is there not, then, great danger, judging from the increasing 
amount of crime throughout our land, that the too frequent interposition 
of executive clemency will have the effect to increase, rather than dimin- 
ish, the number of those who seek to become its subjects ? Impressed 
with these considerations, and believing that our laws are based upon 
the great principles of human justice, it rarely occurs that executive 
interpositions are attended with happy results. With reference to the 
case of young Jennings, after a strict examination of the evidence, I am 
unable to see one extenuating circumstance — but, on the other hand, the 
whole plan of rrturder seems to have been conceived in cold blood and 
executed with a love of vengeance which is absolute!}' astounding and 
revolting. The deliberation of the act, the cruel and tortuous manner 
which was selected of murdering the deceased, surpasses anything in 
the annals of crime. With a due regard, therefore, to all the facts, 
which in this case assumes far more than ordinary consequence, invoK- 
ing, as it does, human life itself, my best convictions of duty prompt me 
to decline any interference with the course of justice which has already 
been prescribed by the properly constituted authorities under our law. 

I ha\e the honor to be \er\' respectfully. 

Your obedient ser\ant, 

STERLING PRICE. 

The following is the confession of Jennings: 

St. JosKi'ii, Mo., September 1st, 1853. 

The following is the \oluntar)' confession of Augustus Otis Jennings, 
condemned for the murder of Edward 11. Willard. made in the presence 
of several witnesses : 

I ha\e thought that the ends of justice, the claims of humanity, and 
the honor of my family require this, a frank confession on m\' part, of 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 257 

the part I and others acted in the unfortunate murder of Willard. My 
conscience prompts me to such a course, and although a man in my con- 
dition —condemned to die for a high crime, may not enjoy the public 
confidence, so far as his word is concerned, I am persuaded, corroborated 
as my confession is by the testimony of others, the power of simple truth 
will place me right before the bar of public opinion. 

In the fear of God, with the certain prospect of death before mc in 
few days, I make this confession and exposure. 

I became acquainted with Willard, if my memory serves me right, 
in the spring of 1852, some four or five months before his death. I never 
saw his family — his wife, that I know of, nor did he ever see my family. 
They were never acquainted ; and his acquaintance and mine was what 
we might call a street acquaintance — knew each other on the street. We 
also had some little business transaction, as the sequel will develop. 

With Langston, Jones and Anderson, who stand charged with the 
sume offense with myself, I became acquainted at different periods. 
With Langston about twelve months, with Jones and Anderson only a 
few days before Willard's death. Between them and myself, or their 
families and mine, there never has been any particular intimacy. 

Willard professed to be a carpenter by trade, but was doing business 
in St. Joseph as an auctioneer. He was also settling up the business of 
a Mr. Miller, deceased, at least so I understood from him, and as such 
employed me to make ajid set a paling round the grave of the deceased 
Miller. For that labor I charged Willard twenty dollars. In addition to 
this I had another account charged on my books against him, of two dol- 
lars and a half — making in all twenty-two dollars and fifty cents. This 
debt was incurred in June, 1852. 

I believed him to be an honorable man, and had no doubt that he 
would pay me for this labor. He promised to pay me as soon as the 
work should be finished. I had to pay the money out of my own pocket 
for the materials. I was poor, and had a family to maintain entirely by 
my own labor, and consequently needed the pay. I called on him at a 
suitable time and told him my wants, and he promised to pay me soon. 
I called again, and again, and he always told me the same thing. I soon 
began to have doubts about his paying me at all. I thought he had 
means and was able, but did not intend to pay what he justly owed me. 
This somewhat soured my feelings, and led me into, or to take that part 
I did in the affair that unfortunately ended in his death. For here, per- 
mit me to anticipate the sequel by remarking that in all that painful affair, 
my only and constant motive was to use some coercive measures to terrify 
Willard and make him pay me what he owed me — not even to lynch, 
much less to kill, but merely to frighten, was my whole object when I 
began the affair. Nor did I, up to the very moment of his death, intend 
doing anything else than frighten him into the payment of his debts. I 
believed him to able, but unwilling to pay. Subsequent developments 
have, however, satisfied me that the poor fellow had not means to pay 
his debts. 

The very first intimation that I had, from any source whatever, that 
Willard was to be lynched till he would pay his debts, was in the office of 
Craig & Jones, on the morning of his death. The first explicit declara- 
tion of an intent to whip Willard was as we went out to the woods, where 
he was whipped to death. If Langston, Anderson and Jones either or 



258 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

all of them intended anything more than terrify him, or perhaps whip 
him, they would have told me of it. 

With the cowhide and rope which I purchased, circumstantially as 
related by the witness on my trial, I intended to frighten Willard, and if 
used at all, only in lynching him. 

Before we started out to the woods Langston told me that Willard 
said that he had forty-five dollars hid out there in the neighborhood of 
the grave yard ; that he had buried it there while I was setting the paling 
around Miller's grave. I asked Willard in Langston's presence if he had, 
and he answered, " I said it." 

I understood from Anderson, on the day of Willard's death, that 
Willard owed him fifteen dollars, borrowed money. Of Langston I 
understood that he went Willard's security for license to auctioneer, per- 
haps forty-five dollars. From Jones I never understood that Willard 
was in his debt at all. 

With this preface, I will go back and detail the transactions of that 
day, that ended in Willard's death. 

Of the sale of Willard's property, and the confusion and scramble 
among his creditors, that took place the day before Willard's death, it is 
not necessary for me to say much, as that is all well known to the pub- 
lic, and, in fact, I know but very little about it. I was there but a few 
moments. The sale was entirely over when I went to the railroad depot. 
Purchasers were then carrying away the property when I came up. 

Of the many threats against Willard, said to have been on that 
occasion, I heard none. I heard Dr. Harding using scurrilous language 
and contemptuous epithets to Willard, and I saw the doctor wring Wil- 
lard's nose. I told the doctor to let him alone ; that he owed me more 
money than he did him, that it was best to let him alone, &c., about as 
detailed by the witnesses on my trial. If Copeland made any threats 
against Willard that day, I did not hear them ; nor did I ever hear him 
make an}'. Willard seemed to be drunk, and made no reply to Harding, 
nor to anybody, that I heard. 

That night I expected that some division would be made of the result 
of Willard's sale, and being unwell myself, I went to see my partner in 
business, Mr. Beal, to get him to go and attend to getting our propor- 
tion of Willard's property, or the money that it brought at the sale. 
Beal was himself unable to go ; he was that evening sunstuck danger- 
ously ill, and he could not go. Then I returned home, and, after spend- 
mg a few minutes, went to the depot to learn what had been done, or 
what was likely to be done. Here I learned that Willard had gone to 
his residence and reported himself sick, and had sent for a physician, 
and that the doctor (Howard) had reported him to be drunk, or that 
Willard's wife had put her head out of the window and stated to persons 
outside that he was drunk, and when drunk he was a fool, and to wait till 
morning, and all things should be right. With this information, satis- 
fied that matters would be satisfactorily arranged in the morning, I 
returned back home. I should suppose it to have been between ten and 
eleven at night, when I returned home. I did not leave my residence 
till after breakfast next morning. 

I did not see, hear from or correspond with Langston, Anderson, 
Jones, one nor all, nor with an)- body else that night, in reference to 
Willard. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 259 

I was not apprized of any design or intent to coerce Williard into a 
payment of his debts. I had not then thought of such a thing myself. 
I was acting only with the view to secure my own rights. I was not 
very well. I remained at home through the night, and till after breakfast 
the next morning. 

The next morning, early after breakfast, I saw Langston, Anderson 
and Willard, all three together, going in the direction of McNew's cab- 
inet shop. After they entered McNew's shop I went across the street to 
the shop and met them coming out of the shop. McNew was not in at 
the time. As they came out they saw McNew coming up, and they 
wanted to see McNew. Willard and McNew went into the vvareroom 
for a private conversation. They remained ten or fifteen minutes in the 
private room before they came out. During this private conversation, 
Langston and Anderson walked across the square, I do not now recol- 
lect where. I remained in front of the shop till they came out. 

Of the purport of that private conversation, or what Willard wished 
to see McNew for I then had no idea. 

At the time they came out I was walking back and fro before the 
shop door. I was a stranger to McNew — never had spoken to him, and 
was waiting to speak to Willard on my own business. Up to this hour 
there was no concert among us ; at least none that I knew of in refer- 
ence to taking Willard to the woods. 

Some eighteen paces from McNew's shop, as they came out I met 
them, and asked them "where they were going." One of them, (I do 
not know which) said " they were going up street." I paused about the 
shop door awhile to see where they were going, thinking they were 
going to get something to drink. After they passed all the drinking- 
houses without stopping, I then started after them. They walked slow, 
appeared to be engaged in conversation, and I overtook them about the 
time they entered Craig & Jones' law office. 

Their business in Craig & Jones' office I did not know, nor have I 
since been informed. Nothing that occurred during the subsequent part 
of the day threw any light on that part of their conduct. McNew, 
he understood, went with him from his shop to the law office. 

During the time that Willard was conversing in the back room with 
Craig or Jones, McNew, Langston, Anderson and myself were sitting in 
the office, and there was no remark, as I recollect, made by any of us in 
reference to Willard at all. Langston made some remark about the 
*' jewelry," "if they were ready," or something to that import. Ander- 
son then by the movement of his hands towards his pantaloons pocket, 
which he partly opened, exposed partly to view what I then supposed to 
be a pair of handcuffs. I afterwards learned that they were handcuffs. 
This was the first intimation I had of any intent even to frighten Willard. 
I remarked to Anderson that he had better not show that. He then 
pushed it back into his pocket. I knew that McNew was an officer — as 
such it flashed into my mind, immediately, that they intended to take 
Willard into the bushes and frighten him till he would agree to pay his 
-debts, and I thought it was foolish to expose these handcuffs before 
McNew, was my reason for cautioning Anderson not to show them. 

I here formed in my own mind, what I have since found was a very 
imperfect idea of what was intended to be done with Williard. Had I 



26o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTS'. 

been aware of the results I never should have gone into it. Believing 
it was only to take him out and frighten him, and at furtherest only to 
lynch him, I connived at it. Here my guilt began. Up to this hour I 
was an innocent man. In conniving at this I lost my innocence. I have 
ruined myself. I have ruined my family. I shall lose my life. Would 
to God I had left the room, left the company, and gone to my business. 
About the time that Anderson exposed his handcuffs, Langston 
called me across the room to him, and privately slipped a dime into my 
hand, making no remark whatever. I had an idea that he meant some- 
thing by that act, but was not certain what ; but thought it meant to go 
and treat myself I went out a square or two, meditating on the mean- 
ing of the act of Langston. It had something peculiar and undefinable 
about it. I returned without treating myself They appeared to be 
waiting for my return. And Langston asked if I had the instrument. I 
asked what instrument.'* He whispered to me and said, "a cowhide and 
a rope, too." He said he had no more change or he would give it to me. 
I told him I had change enough to buy a rope — pretty nearly as detailed 
by the witness. I then went and bought the rope and the cowhide. 
Whilst gone after the rope and cowhide, or on my return with them, I 
came up the alley to the Copeland House, and went into the side door 
into the billiard room, passed through the bar-room, out at the door, 
and there I saw Finney, the Deputy Constable ; asked him if he had 
seen Copeland within an hour or so. He said he had not. I told him 
Copeland wished to see him down on Main Street. This I told him, to 
get him off in another part of town, that he might not see what was going 
on. Copeland was township Constable. 

On my return to Craig's office they were ready waiting, and they 
came out, and Langston asked, "If I were ready.'*" I answered I was. 
They then stepped out into the middle of the street together, and had a 
short conversation, while I lingered on the sidewalk. Here Wjllard 
seemed reluctant to go, and said something about going back to the 
Mayor's office. Langston told him that "he had been there once; that 
the Mayor would do nothing for him." 

McNew was not there when I returned, and I saw him no more till 
after Willard's death. It was during this conversation, in the middle of 
the street, before the law office, Langston, seeing that I hesitated about 
going any further, called me to them, and remarked that W^illard had 
forty-five dollars hid out by the grave-yard. Whereupon I asked Willard 
if he had. He answered, "I said it." Langston told Jones, or remarked 
in general, that we ought to have some whisky to carry along, and asked 
Jones "if he could go and get some." Jones answered, "he could," and 
started off down street in the direction of the Copeland House. We 
then started off up street in the direction of the grave-yard, Willard 
walking between Langston and Anderson, while I lingered some ten or 
fifteen paces behind. I did not notice any threatening or menacing 
actions or language upon the part of Langston or Anderson towards 
Willard till after we passed the last house on the road towards the grave- 
yard or the woods, where Willard was whipped. During this time, as 
we walked out to the woods, as I lingered behind, I run over in my mind 
the object of our visit out there, with what might follow, and had some 
misgivings in mind about going any further, but thought that Willard 
needed some chastisement ; perhaps he might have the monc)- hid out 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 261 

there ; that I had commenced, and that I would at least go out and see 
the sequel. 

When we arrived at the foot of the hill, they stopped in the middle 
of the road till I came up, and Langston remarked to me, "we might as 
well show him the varment^' meaning the cowhide. Whereupon I drew 
out the cowhide. Langston took it out of my hand and rather flourished 
it before Willard's face, asking him how he liked the looks of it. Wil- 
lard remarked to me "Jennings that's not for me, is it .'" I answered, I 
hope not ; show us the money, and do the thing that is right and it shall 
not be." 

We then went on to the top of the hill some three hundred yards 
and stopped in the middle of the road. Willard seemed to be indiffer- 
ent about going to where he said the money was hid, and here said he had 
none, and wanted to come to town — wanted to go and see old Johnny 
Crooms. Said he could get the money of him, &c. I told him that was 
only a come off, and that Crooms would not let him have the money. 
Other remarks of the same character were made for a few minutes, when 
Langston remarked, "Willard, you have lied long enough — it is time you 
had shed your linsey." With this remark, Langston commenced unbut- 
toning Willard's vest. Unbuttoning his vest, Langston discovered in 
Willard's bosom, or under the waistband of his pantaloons, a butcher knife. 
Langston snatched it out of Willard's clothes and drew it back behind 
him. He did not draw it back in such a way as to lead me to suppose 
that he intended to stick it into Willard. But Jones seemed to appre- 
hend something of the kind, for he snatched it out of Langston's hand 
and gave it to me, and told me to keep it and not let Langston have it. 
I did so— put it in my bosom and kept it until after Willard was dead, 
and then put it in his hat and set it near his head, with his coat and 
vest, after we had packed him away from where he had died to the place 
where he was found by the crowd that went out. 

About the time that I took the butcher knife (it was an old one, 
looked like it had been much used about the house ; it was loosely hung 
in his pants, without any scabbard) Langston slapped Willard in the 
face with his open hand. Jones interfered, laid his hand on Langston 
and said, "don't strike him that way, Billy." 

Langston desisted — struck him no more ; but pulled off Willard's 
coat and vest and laid them down in the woods. Here Jones came up 
with a man whose name I understood was Matthews. I never saw him 
before nor heard of him, and have never seen him since Willard's death, 
and do not know what become of him. I shall speak more about him 
directly. 

Jones produced his bottle of whisky and we all took a drink round, 
Willard, Matthews and all. I, however, put the bottle to my mouth but 
could not drink, it was too hot. I had been sick, and was then salivated 
and my mouth was quite sore. 

Langston then took Willard by the arm and led him off into the 
bushes. Willard made no resistance. I picked up Willard's coat and 
vest and carried them with me, and we all, Anderson, Jones, Matthews 
and myself followed a few steps behind. We went some twenty-five or 
thirty paces into the thicket west of the road, when Langston stopped 
with Willard, and we all clustered around them. Langston then asked 
for the " ymW/'j/, " and Anderson pulled out the hand-cuffs. Langston 



262 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

told Willard to pull off his shirt. I stepped up and said it would answer 
to turn it up. Langston said it would be in the way. Anderson said it 
was not worth while to tear up his shirt. Willard then pulled of his shirt 
and hat and laid them down near where he stood. Anderson then 
stepped up with the hand-cuffs and tried to put them on Willard but 
could not do it right. Langston then took the hand-cuffs from Ander- 
son and put them on Willard hiniself. Here I produced the rope and 
Anderson fastended it to the hand-cuffs and looked around for a suitable, 
tree to tie Willard to. A little red-bud sapling stood not far off Ander- 
son looked at it and said, "I guess this will do," and tied the other end 
■of the rope to the tree. Willard now standing up with his hands 
stretched up nearly on a level with the top of his head and a foot or two 
of loose rope to play on from the tree. His suspenders tied round his 
waist to keep up his pants, with his back naked. 

Langston now took the cowhide in his right hand, standing by Wil- 
lard's left side, and gave him ten or twelve or fifteen stripes. I did not 
think the stripes were severe. They left stripes on his flesh but did not 
draw blood. Willard, however, begged, and every time the cowhide hit 
him he hallooed. It seemed to hurt him considerably. 

Anderson then took the cowhide and gave him about as many stripes 
and about as hard, with about the same effect as did Langston. The}' 
then handed me the cowhide and said, "ain't you going to give him some 
too.^" I took the cowhide, Willard said, "Jennings, you ain't going to 
whip me, too .^" I said, "Willard, I am a poor man, have to work hard 
for my living and you are cheating me out of my just rights ; you ought 
to be whipped ; I owe it to you ; it is just." And with this I gave him 
about as many stripes, about as hard, and with about the same effect as 
had Langston and Anderson. 

There was no proposition made to Jones to whip him that I now 
recollect of Whether there was or not, Jones did not whip him then, 
or at any time afterwards. Jones did not strike him at all, at least while 
I was present. Jones helped us to take the body of Willard off after he 
was dead, to the place of concealment, but so far as I know did not touch 
him so as to hurt him during the whole day. When Willard died Jones 
w^as the worst frightened man I ever saw. 

We now desisted, and Anderson untied him from the tree and we 
all sat down to talk the matter over. We all drank of the whisky. Wil- 
lard drank also. Something was now said about the forty-five dollars 
buried in the grave-yard. He now said he had none, but still wanted to 
go and see old Johnny Crooms — said he could get the money of him, &c., 
and said something about going to see a man down towards Lexington, 
Mo., that he could get the money of him, &c., with various subterfuges 
to get off I believe that I now remarked, "that a little more would set 
him right." Anderson and Langston both then tied him up to the tree, 
and I told him, while I held the cowhide in my hands, "Willard, if you 
have any means to pay us, do so, and save yourself all this." He made 
no reply. I then gave him about as many stripes as I had done before. 
This time, however, as he would pass to and fro, so as to avoid the 
stripes, (for it seemed to hurt this time worse than before, though I am 
not conscious that I struck him any harder,) I changed the cowhide from 
my right hand to my left, giving him four or five licks with the right and 
then that many with the left. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 263 

While I was now whipping him Anderson had gone off a few steps 
and cut some switches ; several, I don't know how man)' ; they were 
three or four feet long. I don't recollect what kind of wood they were, 
and came up with them about the time that I finished. He threw them 
down on th» ground, all of them but one, which he retained in his hand. 
Langston now took the cowhide, and picked up the switches, and used 
Doth, first one and then the other on Willard. This time Langston hurt 
him much worse, and he complained, begged and hallooed louder, 
especially when Langston used the switches. They were heavier and 
hurt worse than the cowhide. 

I now interposed, and told them that Willard had enough ; I was 
satisfied and my sympathies now began to be with him. I persuaded 
Langston to stop, and I went and untied Willard, and we all set down. 
Willard was now bleeding pretty freely. I thought he had enough. My 
feelings were now bad. The sight of his blood hurt my feelings — I 
struck the poor fellow no more after this ; and from that time till his 
death I did all I could to save him. By this time, however, the others, 
Langston and Anderson, seemed to be under vindictive feelings, and 
were evidently under the influence of whisky. 

I now proposed to turn him loose and let him go, stating that he 
would leave the country no doubt, and not appear against any of us for 
whipping him. He said he would go immediately away and never come 
back. 

I then asked Willard " //" he really had 110 uioiuy T' He said "he 
had not a cent in the world ! That his wife had given him a dime that 
morning to pay for his letters, and that he had not another cent." Here 
something w-as said about his wife having money. Some of us asked " if 
she had any.' whether she kept the money.' where she kept it.' what 
had become of the money that his furniture brought the day before," etc. 
He then said that he had some eight hundred dollars hid in Dr. Keedy's 
field. I knew nothing about the field. Some of the others did. The>' 
seemed to understand it, and we all agreed that it was a come off. 

He then intimated that perhaps his wife might have as much as 
seventy-five or eighty dollars in the bureau drawer. I then proposed 
that he should send an order to his wife for it. He said his hands were 
so paralyzed that he could not write. I then told him that I would write 
it for him. To this he agreed, and I did write the order myself, and he 
took the pencil and signed his name to it. Jones took the order to Wil- 
lard's wife, and after being gone a suitable length of time he returned 
with no money — said the woman had no money — that she said she had 
but a few cents, twenty or thirty cents — some small sum, at least. That 
she said she had given her husband a dime that morning, and had only 
that much left. 

What Jones told the woman I know not, but to the best of my 
recollection, the order contained nothing threatening. After Jones 
returned, we upbraided Willard for deceiving us. Langston said 
"Snatch him up again." Langston and Anderson tied him up again. 
Then Willard begged and entreated for God's sake to whip him no more. 
He said "he had enough !" He begged hard, poor fellow ! I now begged 
for the poor fellow ! I felt bad. I did not know what to do. I walked 
off a few steps. They commenced whipping him again. Langston was 
now whipping him, but I thought not so hard as before. But Willard 



264 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

complained most bitterly. I started off with an intent to leave entirely^ 
when Langston asked me where I was going. I replied " after a drink." 
Willard said, "Jennings, for God's sake, bring me some water!" Langs- 
ton now handed me the bottle, and said, "bring also some whisky." I 
came then down to the grocery, as stated by the witness •on my trial,, 
and purchased a jug with the privilege of returning it that evening, and 
getting my money back (which I did), and the bottle of whisky, and 
returned immediately. I should not have returned at all but to carry 
the water to Willard, with some desire that I might interfere for him. 
I now began to fear the thing might be pushed too far. I was not 
absent, I should think, more than thirty minutes. 

On my return I found them all setting down on the ground, Willard 
looked bad ; he showed signs of exhaustion ; looked languid. I did not 
ask them but they had evidently been whipping him pretty severely 
while I was absent. I gave Willard some whisky but he did not seem to 
relish it. He drank freely of the water and said it was g^ood. The 
others drank freely of the whisky. I now took Langston and Anderson 
to one side and begged them to desist — told them that they had given 
him enough — too much. I poured the water on Willard's head. I 
remained with them twenty or thirty minutes. While I was there they 
did not whip him any more. 

I took the jug to go after more water and Langston handed me the 
the bottle and told me to bring more whisky. I then came down to the 
Farmer's House and lingered about there a few minutes, when three 
young men asked me to join them in a game of cards. I consented and 
set down in the bar-room and played cards for perhaps an hour. I was 
at the Farmer's House at least an hour and a half Jones came in about 
this time. I saw him as he came up. He had been down town and was 
returning to the woods. I met him at the door. He had a little tin 
bucket in his hands, and said that he had been after their dinners. I 
previously understood that morning that they had not had their break- 
fast. I requested Jones to take the jug of water and bottle of whisky 
with him, that I did not intend to return any more. Jones said that he 
could not very well take them and the dinner. And he further said that 
he would like to have me go up anyhow, saying, " I think that they have 
given him enough, and if you will go up perhaps we can persuade them 
to quit." And with this view only I went up. When we arrived they 
were all setting down on the ground. I looked at Willard and the poor 
fellow looked horribly bad. He was now badly blooded and I saw that 
they had beaten him desperately while I was gone. He was setting on 
the ground with his head rather resting on his hands, which were sup- 
ported by his knees. I approached him and asked him if he would have 
some whisky. He said nothing, but shook his head. 1 told him to 
smell of it and held it to his nose. He merely breathed over it. I 
insisted that he should taste of it and held it to his mouth. He took 
some in his mouth but spit it out again. He did not swallow any of it. 
I again told Langston and Anderson that they had gnven him encfugh — 
too much. So said Jones. Langston and Anderson both said they 
intended to give him more. I told them to eat their dinners first, per- 
haps they might feel in a better humor after dinner. Li the meantime 
1 had given Willard a drink of water. He drank heartily but did not 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, 265 

seem to relish it — it did not revive him. I poured some of the water 
upon him, and also poured some of the whisky upon his head. 

Langston and Anderson now stepped some ten or twelve paces to 
one side and set down to eat their dinner. They asked me to join them 
in eating dinner. My mouth was too sore to eat the victuals that Jones had 
brought ; it was bread, meat and potatoes. Nor did I feel in the humor to 
eat. " I stepped aside with them, however. Jones said that he had eaten 
his dinner at home and could not eat any more. Jones seemed to sym- 
pathize with Willard, and while we stepped aside to eat, Jones remained 
with him, and stood not very far from him, governed by no other motive 
I think, but sympathy. He stood a few feet from him. Langston and 
Anderson had just begun to eat, had eaten but a few mouthfuls, w4ien 
Jones remarked, "Willard is dying !" We all sprung to our feet and run 
to him, and by the time that we got to him he had lain down on his back, 
and afterwards breathed not a single breath. His vital powers were all 
exhausted. He had lost much blood, had been some hours in indescrib- 
able physical suffering, and now died as easy as going to sleep. I never 
saw anybody die any easier than he died. 

Here we all stood around the fellow% and it came upon us in an 
instant, with all its terrible reality, that we had murdered him! 

I believe that I was more self-possessed in this awful crisis than 
either of the others. Jones was the worst frightened man I ever saw in 
my life ! Langston was considerably agitated and alarmed. So was 
Anderson. It was a terrible time. The reader cannot possibly appre- 
ciate our feelings. 

I think that I first broke silence by asking, " Boys, what will you do ?" 
Langston spoke and said, "We will take him off and conceal^ him, and 
at night we will come and throw him into the Missouri River." Langs- 
ton said, " Let no man reveal this," or words to that effect. I then took 
Willard's shirt, while the rest held him up, and put it on him. I also 
drew up his pantaloons around his waist. They were down around his 
ankles. In putting on his shirt and drawing up his pants I noticed that 
the fellow w^as awfully whipped. I know nothing about the wounds on 
Willard's head, as spoken of by the surgeons that made the post mortem 
examination. I did not notice them, but I have no doubt but the whip- 
ping was sufficient and did produce his death. 

After putting on his shirt and adjusting his pants, Langston took 
hold of one arm and I the other; Anderson took hold of one leg and 
Jones the other, and we bore him off some forty or fifty yards into the 
thicket to the place of concealment. I don't now recollect that a word 
was spoken by any of us as we bore him away. We did not drag him 
that I recollect of, though we might have let some part of his body touch 
the ground as we went through the thicket, but I think not. After lay- 
ing him down in the thicket, as he was subsequently found by the crowd 
that went out that afternoon, we all returned to the place of whipping. 
I then took Willard's hat, his vest, coat and boots, and returned with 
them to the dead body, as it lay in the thicket, and laid them all dow^n 
together, not far from his head. I turned round to go back, and then 
remembered that I had Willard's butcher knife in my bosom, and I 
turned about and put the knife in his hat, and then left and went to the 
place of whipping, and found them standing about. Jones, I think, at this 
time was throwing the switches away, and other ways trying to obliterate 



266 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

the evidence of the transaction. Some short conversation now took place 
between us, about the best way to act so as to keep the thing concealed. 
We soon agreed in the manner of separately going into town. Jones 
handed me the rope and I subsequently threw it into Blacksnake. I 
don't know who took the cowhide nor the hand-cuffs. Jones took the 
bucket that had the dinner in it. I took the jug ; I don't know who took 
the bottle. Jones now struck off into the bushes by himself Langston, 
Anderson and I came down the road together to the Farmers' House. 
Here Langston went in, and Anderson and I came on to the grocery, 
where I had got the jug. Matthews, spoken of before, had not been with 
us from the time the whipping began in the morning ; I did not perceive 
when nor how he left us. I have since understood from my fellow suf- 
ferers that he lay round there in the thicket and saw all that took place, 
and then left for parts unknown. He took no part in the matter what- 
ever, and the only motive that he could have had in being present was a 
curiosity to see what was going on. Of Jones, the motive that took him 
there, I have never been able to comprehend. He seemed to have no 
ill-feeling whatever towards Willard, did not a thing under the heavens 
to hurt him, seemed to sympathize with him, took his part, evidently 
kept Langston from hurting him, and yet took out the first bottle of 
whisky, took the order to Willard's wife, went after the dinner, and 
helped us carry the body to the place of concealment after the man was 
dead, and the only pay he seemed to have received at all. as Willard 
owed him not a cent, w^as the most terrible fright mortal man, perhaps^ 
ever got. 

At the grocery where I got the jug, Anderson and I remained but 
a minute or two, just long enough for me to hand up the jug and get 
back my money, when we went back to the Farmers' House. Here we 
found Langston, and joined him in taking a drink of whisky. Mr. Heed, 
about this time, stepped in, and some of us asked him to take a drink 
with us. He thanked us, and remarked that he was in a hurry; took a 
drink of w^ater only, and started off in the direction that we had just come. 
Langston now stepped out at one door, Anderson and I at the other ; 
we soon fell in together on the street, and came down town. About 
halfway between the Farmers' House and the bridge across Blacksnake 
we met and passed a woman. Just after we passed her Langston 
remarked, "that is Willard's wife." Anderson nor I knew her. I 
turned, however, and looked at her as she walked in the direction that we 
had just come. As soon as we crossed the bridge on Blacksnake we sepa- 
rated. I went down on to Main Street, and Langston and Anderson in 
the direction of their houses, and I saw no more of them till I saw them 
in prison. 

We left Craig's law office in the morning, I should think, between 
eight and nine o'clock. We parted at the bridge across Blacksnake, I 
should think, not later than two o'clock in the afternoon — it was the 27th 
day of July, 1852. I well remember that it was a beautiful, bright, sun- 
shiny day, but rather warm. The whole of the transaction as detailed 
above, in reference to Willard's death, took place just as I have here 
stated, in manner and order of time, with the part that I and others 
took in it, to the best of my recollection. So help me God ! Freely, 
frankly, and honestly made, without reservation or concealment. And 
oh, what a day's work that was ! 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 267 

The first place that I stopped at on Main Street was in a black- 
smith's shop. I stepped in and talked a few minutes with a man about 
doing some painting for me. From there I went directly to my own 
residence. My wife was at home by herself, pleasant and kind in feeling, 
knowing nothing about the transactions of the day. She asked me what 
detained me that I was not home to dinner ? I made some ev^asive 
reply. She spread dinner on the table for me, and I sat down and eat a 
bite by myself; remained only a few minutes at home, and then went 
round to my shop. I remained a short time in my shop, then took my 
book and went to Estes' tin shop, to have some settlement with him. 
There was some business transactions between us. Estes was not in ; I 
was told that he had just stepped out but would be in in a few minutes. 
I waited till he came in — quite a good while. When he did come in I 
learned of him. that the murder of Willard had been found out, that the 
body had been found, and that a great crowd had gone out there, and 
that he had been and seen the body. He was very much excited, and 
could not talk of anything else but the murder of Willard. Of him I 
received ten dollars, and he said at some other time we would have a 
settlement. I then went back to my shop, put my book in the chest, 
locked it up, made some other little arrangements about the shop, and 
returned home. It was now supper time. I eat a light supper and was 
sitting in the front door of my house, with my wife and family, just at 
dusk, when Jacob Langston, son of the old gentleman, came in at the back 
door, (this was the first time that he ever came to my house), and said 
he wanted to see me. He appeared to be somewhat excited and much 
affected. W^e stepped aside into the little porch, and he told me of Wil- 
lard's murder, that his body had been found, etc., and that his father had 
been arrested on suspicion of being engaged in the murder, and he 
wanted to know of me, "if I knew whether his father had any hand in 
the matter." I gave him some evasive answer, which, however, did not 
seem to satisfy him. He soon went away, and I then went round to my 
partner, Mr. Beal's. He had recovered from his "sun-stroke," and was 
up. He told me that I was suspicioned of having some hand of Willard's 
murder, and asked me if it were so ! Said he hoped it was not so ! I 
denied it, and somewhat evaded the conversation. I remained at Mr. 
Beal's but a short time, when I returned back to my residence. A few 
steps from my door, young Langston met me, and seemed much inter- 
ested, and wanted to find out whether his father was concerned in it. 
Let me depart from the thread of my narrative here, just long enough to 
say that young Langston had no part in the murder of Willard whatever. 
I am almost certain that he knew nothing about it. He was entirely 
innocent of the whole matter. 

When young Langston came to my house the second time, he and I 
walked out on Main Street to see what was going on, and to make what 
observations we could. I still held out to young Langston that if his 
father had any hand in it that I was not aware of it, still affecting an 
innocence on my part. We walked down Main Street to Robidoux' 
corner ; paused there awhile, and then went on to the Public Square. 
There were a good many people on the PublicSquareatthetime, and there 
had been more excitement about Willard's murder than I was aware of 
at the time. The people were somewhat scattered and scattering at the 
time. They were collecting and had collected in little groups in differ- 



268 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

ent parts of the Square, and were in low, under-toned conversation. 
There was evidently quite an indignant feeling in the public towards the 
perpetrators of the deed. Young Langston and I mixed not with any 
of these little squads of folks, but passed through — made but a short 
walk, and returned. I saw and recognized several persons during this 
walk. Dr. Crane particularly I recollect passing, and spoke to him, and 
I think he returned the salutation, "Good evening," or something like 
that. Young Langston and I soon separated. He went on and I returned 
to my own house, not later than ten at night, I should think, and went 
to bed. My wife in the meantime had heard of the murder of Willard — 
that Langston, Anderson and Jones had been arrested, and that rumor 
and suspicion connected me with them. She was uneasy and mentioned 
it to me. I denied knowing anything about it, and quieted her as best 
I could, and then went to sleep. I was not very stout, being unwell, as 
I have before stated ; had been on my feet all day, and the part I had 
borne in Willard's death was taxing my powers pretty heavily. In my 
mind I was not apprehending any danger. I knew that there would be 
a trial the next day of Langston, Anderson and Jones, and supposed 
that I should be called on as a witness only. I had no dread of being 
apprehended myself Under all these circumstances I slept very quietly 
during the night. 

I remained in doors next morning, with the exception of doing what 
we call " chores," till after breakfast. I then went round to my shop, 
intending to work a little. I made some start at work — brought in a few- 
plank ; made some directions in relation to business with one or two 
persons, and began perhaps to use the saw on some of the plank, when 
friends began to come in. One and another and another stepped in. 
The conversation was almost entirely about the murder of Willard. 
There was an intense feeling about it. Several persons told me that sus- 
picion strongly rested on me as being engaged in the affair. Mr. Hoag- 
land, I recollect, told me that I was strongly suspected, and asked me : 
•'Jennings, are you guilty or not guilty.''" I denied it. Others told me 
the same. At length some person came into the shop and took me out 
to one side and told me that a warrant was out for me, and that I would 
soon be apprehended, and said: "Jennings, the excitement is very high, 
and I would advise you to leave for a few days, till the excitement is 
over, and then return. Others soon advised the same thing. And I 
reflected on the matter — thought perhaps I had better leave for awhile. 
There was no Judge then in this district. I did not know how long I 
might have to be in jail. The public feeling ran very high, and I thought 
best to absent myself at least for a few days. 

I made it convenient to see a few^ friends with whom I had business, 
obtained a little money, went to a store and purchased a pair of shoes, 
and went round home. There I met my sister, Mrs. Hebron. She had 
heard of all these things, and had come round to see about them. She and 
my wife were both much alarmed, and wept bitterly. I told them not to 
be alarmed ; that all things would come round right. I told them that I 
would withdraw for a few days, till the excitement was o\-er, etc. I put 
on clean linen, and immediately left. I took the road out by the rope- 
walk. . At the forks of the road I took the Savannah road ; then again 
took the Rochester road till out a mile or two; I left the main road and 
took the prairie, brush, woods and by-paths. Without taxing the patience 



HISTOR\' OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 269 

of the reader with an uninteresting narrative of this adventure, in which 
in fact nothing remarkable or that would be interesting to the public 
occurred. I worked my way into DeKalb County. From Maysville, on 
Friday morning, I wrote back to my brother-in-law, Mr. Hebron. This 
letter was soon at hand, and by it my whereabouts was soon known. On 
Saturday morning I was arrested, some six or seven miles north of Maj's- 
ville, by Officers Heed and Finney, and brought back to St. Joseph the 
same day. We arrived in town about sunset. On our arrival in town I 
was put in prison. In prison I found already Langston, Anderson and 
Jones. They had been apprehended and put in prison on Tuesda}- night, 
and had been brought before Justices Wash and Lewis, and their trial 
before this examing court begun. The next Monday being election, the 
further proceeding in their trial was postponed till Thursday, there being 
three days of election. I now was placed with them for trial, and the trial 
^et for Thursday. 

When I was introduced into prison I found Langston, Anderson and 
Jones. They appeared tolerably cheerful — were disappointed at seeing 
me — said they supposed that I was entirely gone, and seemed rather to 
regret that I had been apprehended. 

Thirteen long months have these poor fellows, Langston, Anderson, 
Jones and myself lain in prison together. Always, except when separated 
b}' the officers for a few hours, or days at furtherest, during my trial, in the 
same room. These thirteen months have been to me an age ! Nor has 
the time dragged less heavily with them. During this wearisome time 
we have lived in peace with one another. There has been no recrimina- 
tion, no censuring each other, no bickering, and but very seldom has the 
matter been spoken of at all. We all understand ourselves — know the 
part each acted in that tragedy, and have generally been silent about it. 
To-morrow I shall separate from them — my companions in guilt — my 
■companions in suffering, and from my very soul I pity them ! I pity 
their families ! I wish I could help them ! But I cannot. I bear against 
them no bad feelings in the world. Myself, and myself only, do I blame 
for this that now hangs over me — there never has been a hard word 
passed between us in prison. 

I know not what disposition, of course, that the court will make of 
Langston, Anderson and Jones. It would meet my hearty approbation, 
and I wish I knew such were the case, that they might be acquitted and 
restored to their families. Willard is dead — was most inhumanly mur- 
dered ; his family is ruined. I have laid in jail thirteen long months and 
suffered more than a thousand deaths. They, too, have suffered equally 
as much ; our families are all crushed down to rise no more — ruined 
forever. I have to die. The blood of a thousand men would not make 
atonement for W^illard's. If the divine claims of "Eye for an eye, tooth 
for tooth," be just, my death ought to satisfy the claims of justice, how- 
ever others may have bore a conspicuous and even leading part in the 
crime. I say then, if it could be compatible with the claims of the law, and 
the ends of justice could be satisfied without their blood, I would rather 
Langston, Anderson and Jones could be spared. 

Thursday came and we were all four arraigned before the examining 
court — Wash and Lewis presiding. Gen. Gardenhire, assisted by Vories, 
appeared for the State and Hughes, Leonard and Loan appeared for 
Langston and Jones, and Jones for Anderson, and Johnson for me. 



270 HISTORY OF I'.UCHANAN COUNTY. 

The examination before the court lasted several days. Excitement 
was high, feelings intense, and of course a great many things said all 
round that would not have been said under less exciting circumstances. 
The prosecution was conducted with ability and firmness. And I can 
now reflect back and believe, that it was as impartially conducted as it 
could have been done under the circumstances. 

The attorneys for the defense were and are men of talents, profes- 
sional ability and zeal and were true and faithful to their clients. I 
believe that they have done their duty. At the end of the examination 
we all stood committed to the ne.xt term of the Circuit Court, which 
would have come off in September, but their being no judge in this dis- 
trict our trials remained over to the spring term. However, in the 
meantime, the judge was elected and a called term of court held in 
November on our cases. Before the grand jury our cases were brought, 
true bills found and our trials set for spring. 

At the March term. Judge Norton presiding, our cases came up. 
Langston took a change of venue to Clinton County. Langston stood 
before the Clinton term, but the State was not ready and his case was 
continued till the fall term, and he remanded back to this prison for safe 
keeping. Jones put his trial off till the fall term. Anderson's case was 
brought before an adjourned term in June and put over to the fall term, 
and my friends thought my trial had better come off then. My lawyers 
obtained the aid of Judge Wyatt and my friends employed Mr. Wilson of 
Platte City. Craig, assisted by Vories, appeared for the state. A day 
or two was spent in settling the preliminaries of my trial. Nearly a day 
was occupied in empannelling a jury. Morris and Smith were the only 
men on the jury I knew. To the others I was an entire stranger. The 
jury, I thought, was composed of honorable, intelligent men. My lawyers 
w^ere satisfied with them and so was I. The prosecution also was satis- 
fied. Several days were occupied in the trial. The witnesses were 
numerous and the examination and cross-examination close and rigid. 

During the trial, many questions, purely legal, came up before the 
court that had a bearing on the case. My attorneys took exceptions to 
some of Judge Norton's decisions ; whereupon I afterwards appealed to 
the Supreme Court, which, however, availed me nothing, only the post- 
ponement of the time of execution. 

The testimony on my trial gave as little grounds for animadversion 
on my part, now that death is before me, I believe, as I could have 
expected. 

When the witnesses were all examined, the counsel, both for the 
state and for me, made able, learned, eloquent and powerful addresses to 
the jury. Late on Friday evening the jury took the case and retired. 
They were out not exceeding thirty minutes when they returned with a 
verdict of ''Guilty of murder in the first degree, as charged in the indict- 
ment!' Saturday I received sentence of the court, and the third day of 
June set for my execution ; while I was remanded back to prison. 

Some of my friends have thought that my feelings, during my trial, 
were not suitable, and did not comport with a correct taste and a noble 
mind. That I was indifferent, &c. These things, I now presume, were 
so. I was not then able to appreciate my true condition. 1 had passed 
the most severe ordeal the last eight or ten months that man could pos- 
sibly pass. All earth seemed to be against me. The scorn and con- 



HISTORV OF i3UCHANAN COUNTY. 2/1 

tempt of public sentiment poured in on my crushed soul like the flood- 
tide. My wife and family I knew were ruined. My intimate companions 
in prison were not able to help me — all these things threw my whole 
feelings into the defensive — they were bad. Now that the storm has 
somewhat passed over, and I crushed to the very earth — prostrated low, 
humbled to the dust, 1 can look back and see my own errors ; and oh, 
will the reader spare me the mentioning them ! 

I had not proper feelings, and consequently did not act myself. 1 
was advised that the Supreme Court would order me a new trial, and 
looked forward to the new trial in hope, for the chance of being released. 
Thus held up I did not take the correct view of my true and proper con- 
dition. I had all the time, however, misgivings about the issue — some- 
thing terribly Jiaiinted me the ivJiole time. 

In July the Supreme Court set in Jefferson City, and the case came 
up. On hearing the case the court affirmed the decision of the Circuit 
Court and fixed the 2nd day of September (to-morrow) for my execution. 
This decision of the Supreme Court somewhat disappointed me and 
greatly crushed my feelings. No one can realize what my feelings were 
that never had the trial of it. A black cloud now began to gather over 
my horizon- and hang over my pathway. Only one ray of hope now pen- 
etrated this dark cloud. That was an appeal to the Governor— to beg 
for executive interference. Here'was my last hope. 

My friends went to work ; petitions were drawn up and numerously 
signed by good and worthy citizens in my behalf. Among a host of 
others who generously came to my assistance on this occasion, I must 
mention the name of the Rev. William Prottsman, of Dover, Mo. He 
generously gave me all the assistance that a noble mind could have 
given. In the success of an application for executive interference (the 
petition set forth a desire for a change of punishment to imprisonment 
for life in the penitentiary,) I had hope — desire; but my hopes were 
not very sanguine. Many friends advised me not to look forward with 
much reliance to that source, particularly the Rev. Mr. Boyakin, whose 
sympathy for me has been worthy of the man and his high calling, and 
whose views and judgment were always right on this matter. He told 
me from the beginning that the Governor would not interfere. The 
petitions were, however, laid at his feet and a condemned man asked the 
poor boon which could have been constitutionally given, to be allowed 
to live his lifetime at hard service in the penitentiary. But to live, after 
I have thought the whole matter dispassionately over, and my mind 
made up to die, and have become almost willing to die, I hardly know 
whether I would now accept the boon if offered. Perhaps I might. 

Anyhow, when the telegraph brought word from my friends at the 
court of Governor Price, that the Governor, after examining my papers, 
said he could "see no reason for the interference of executive clemency," 
that last ray of hope was cut off. 

At first I was disposed to give way to bad feelings towards the 
Governor, and said things about him and others I am now sorry for. A 
paroxysm of disappointed hope, despair and crushed feelings dro\e me 
nearly to desperation. At this time Christian friends came to my relief. 
They gave good counsel, sympathized with me and prayed for me. 
Among a great many others I will mention Rev. Mr. Vandeventer, and 
Boyakin ; I believe that they have done their whole duty to me. Tlicir 



272 IIISTOKV OV hUCHAXAX COl'N'TV. 

counsel, attention, visits and synipath}' have been well timed and wise. 
Under God, to them I am indebted for what I think to be a proper frame 
of mind to die in. They have pointed to the Lamb of God. They have 
gone there with me. Honestly I have tried to confess my sins ; I deplore 
them, from my very heart I abhor them. I hope for divine merc}- ; I 
believe that I shall have it. I shall die a penitent, trusting only on the 
blood of Christ for salvation. And I have in my bosom a consciousness 
that my suit to him has not been in vain. These gentlemen I have 
invited to attend with me to-morrow at my execution, and painful as it 
may be and will be to them, they have consented to be present. 

I wish my amanuensis, who is better acquainted with my motixes 
and heart than any man living, who has been with me the last three or 
four days constantly ; into whose bosom I have poured the whole secret 
treasury of my own heart, to gather such materials of a biographical 
character as may be furnished him by my wife and brother, concerning 
me, and append it to this, my confession, and to give such assistance as 
may be needed in correcting the proof-sheet of the same for publication. 
And I furthermore wish that he will see that after the expenses of tli^e 
publication of this, my confession, shall be defrayed, if anything is fur- 
ther realized by the sale of the same, that it go to the benefit of my wife. 
I also request of those gentlemen who were present the other evening, 
and heard from my own lips the details of Willard's murder, and who 
are now present and hear this confession read and acknowledged,, to 
assist in carrying out these my wishes on this subject. I trust in them ; 
I know they will do so. 

As the last day that I am to live wears away, and I am endeavoring 
to prepare for all the awful realities of to-morrow, I must do myself the 
justice and give my friends the satisfaction to know //m/ / avi in peace 
ivith all mankind! Towards the Governor, and the attorneys who have 
plead against me, and the court, judge, jury and witnesses, one and all, I 
have no ill feelings whatever. My mind is easier on this subject than I 
thought possible for it to be. I have had my enemies and this affair has 
of course made me many, and the}' have been very virulent in their lan- 
guage and bitter in their feelings against me ; I heartily forgive them. 

To my friends what shall I say .-^ I have not language to express my 
wishes. They have been everything that friends could be, said every- 
thing that friends could have said, and have done everything that 
friends could have done. From the first hour of my incarceration in 
prison, I have enjoyed the attention of friends, man}-, very many ! Oh, 
that I could reward them. In the officers I have found sympathizing 
friends. Sheriff Smith has been to me like a brother. While he has 
faithfully i)erformed the duties of his office, he has done ever}-thing in 
his power to make my circumstances as comfortable as possible. I 
•deeply sympathize with him in his late heavy affliction. I hope he wilT 
not let his feelings be mortified at that painful duty devolving on him 
to-morrow. I shall have no unkind feelings towards him for it. I 
believe Smith to be a Christian man, and T hope to meet him in heaven. 
Mr. Crcal, the jailer, and his fiimily, ha\e brought me under infinite obli- 
gations to them. A man condemned to be hung, perhaps never had the 
kind attention paid to him in jail as Creal and his family have paid to 
me and to my family, my wife in her deep affliction, and at the same 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 2/5 

time he has been faithful as an officer. Creal is a man of unbounded 
sympathy. He is one of the best men in the world. 

My lawyers, Johnson, VVyatt and Wilson, have done all that talents 
and faithfulness could have done for me. They are now suffering in feel- 
ings for me. Adieu, gentlemen. I regret that your affections could not 
have found a worthier object ! I know your feelings, you cannot come 
to see me ; I appreciate them. Adieu ! Adieu ! 

My brother and sister Hebron are prostrated I know in feeling. 
What shall I say to them ! They have my kindest feelings. May God 
bless you. 

My brother, Wesley Jennings, in all this affair, has shown himself to 
be more than an ordinary man for his age, and such I am advised is the 
estimate that the public puts on his conduct before this community. He 
came to my assistance early in last March, and from that time to the 
present he has been more than a brother to me. He has stuck close to 
me, administered to all my wants; constantly sympathized with me. 
He has nobly braved the storm of public indignation ; stood up solitar}/ 
and alone for his brother, yet he has, so far as I have heard, acted pru- 
dent. I am happy that he enjoys the public confidence. His noble, 
innocent, manly young heart is now bleeding at every pore. From my 
very soul I pity him. I can only say to him look up my brother! go on, 
act manly, form no bad habits, keep no evil company, and a bright sun 
will yet light up your pathway. You are worthy of a better brother 
than I am. 

My wife, Nancy, is here with me, and from the day that my hands 
were stained with Willard's blood, to this day, she has been faithful in 
her attention to my wants ; her attachment and love has been as con- 
stant and as true as a magnet. Her troubles have been overwhelming, 
poor, broken-up, without friends, husband in jail, charged with a high 
crime, public contempt sweeping in on us like a mighty flood. Her 
infant she buried in November, in April she became a mother again. 
Exposed without a home, friendless, from first one boarding-house to- 
another, she finally, propelled by the present motives that ever swelled 
a woman's heart, by the permission of the Sheriff and Jailer, she come tO' 
to the jail, and has been with me constantly, and has said and done 
everything under the heavens that a wife could do, for my welfare ; 
through the hot sun and driving winds, and pelting storms, with a sick 
child at home, and a broken heart, pale, wan, emaciated, trembling 
limbs and a worn down constitution, has that woman gone all over this 
town in my behalf, and when the last only hope remained, woman-like. 
with the crisis, she rose above it, and held me up in her affections, and 
in every part of this town did she canvas with a petition, and begged 
the names of the citizens in my behalf, through the whole storm of pub- 
lic contempt did she, by the majesty of true devotion to her husband,, 
press her way to their affections. Public sentiment can never do her 
justice, she is worthy of a better husband than she has had. Her last 
and only child fell a victim to her devotion to me. Noble woman !. 
Three years ago this day (the 1st of September), she pledged herself to- 
me ; hand and heart she gave before the marriage altar to me. and most 
faithful has she been to this present hour. 

By an arrangement, and an understanding between my wife and her 
brother, Mr. Oliver Beall, who is now present with me — has lately come 



274 HISrORV OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

to sec me, and be with me and pay his last tribute of respect — she will 
go home with him to live. He will henceforth become her adviser and 
protector. To him she will look for advice and protection, and I beg of 
her to live so in the future as to merit the esteem of the good ; to give 
her heart to God ; to make Him her friend, and though your troubles 
are overwhelming. He will sustain \'ou. I pray you to forgive me all my 
want of kindness to you. All that I can do is to beg forgiveness for it ; 
I know that your noble heart will and has already forgiven me. Let us 
prepare to meet together in Heaven. Farewell, Nancy! farewell, till we 
meet in a better world than this! 

In Mr. Beall I have the utmost confidence ; he is a prudent, safe 
man, and will be kind to mv wife. 

AUGUSTUS OTIS JENNINGS. 

The following is a copy of a note, dictated and written b\^ himself 
an hour and a half before he left the prison for the scaffold : 

Being possessed of nothing more valuable, and being desirous, from 
the numerous acts of kindness and benevolence, of which I have been 
the happy recipient, from the Rev. W. F. Boyakin, I herewith present 
him with my portemonie, in order that he may kindly bear in remem- 
brance the grateful thanks of an unfortunate man, in whose present and 
future welfare he has taken such deep and lively interest. 

And may the God of mercy abundant!}' reward and bless the con- 
demned man's friend. 

AUGUSTUS OTIS JENNINGS. 
September 2. 1853. 

Immediately after penning the abo\e touching lines, he wrote with 
his own hand the following, to Mrs. Beall, wife of O. E. Beall, brother to 
Mrs. Jennings : 

St. Joseph, Mo., September 2, 1853. 

Dear Sister : In a few hours I shall exclaim, "This is the last of 
earth !" It is painful to be thus rudely torn from dearly cherished 
friends and relations. But it is a blissful consolation to reflect that in a 
few days, or a few short years at most, we shall again be united in that 
happy world, \vhere heart-rending separations arc nc\er known — nor 
cannot come. I cannot write any more. Be kind to Nanc)'. She has 
been a guardian angel to me through all my trials and difficulties. Her 
heart is broken — her spirit is crushed. Oh, Cornelia, comfort and con- 
sole her in her affliction. 

I know your kind heart and generous nature will afford her all the 
consolation in your power. Adieu ! Adieu ! Adieu ! May your kind 
and affectionate husband share a better fate than mine — is the prayer of 
your affectionate brother. 

AUGUSTUS OTIS JENNINGS. 
Mary C. Beall. 

The Rev. W. F. Boyakin was v\'ith him in his cell, from eight till 
ten o'clock of the morning of his execution. The prisoner was then left 



inSTORV OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 2/5 

for an hour to enjoy a private interview with his brother and brother-in- 
law, his wife having taken leave of him at seven in the morning. At 
eleven, Rev. Mr. Boyakin returned to his cell, and remained with him till 
they went to the place of execution. 

At nine in the morning, the Robidoux Grays, commanded by Cap- 
tain Hughes, being summoned by Sheriff Smith to keep order and assist 
in the execution of the laws, filed into the prison yard, with martial 
music, in military dress and arms, and took a position in front and round 
the prison. At this time the prisoner was dictating the address that he 
subsequently delivered on the scaffold, and remarked to his amanuensis, 
" martial music excites me — it brings to my mind the Mexican war. I 
wish they would have no more of it." His wish was immediately com- 
municated to Captain Hughes, and kindly complied with. 

At twelve precisely, the sheriff entered his cell, in the presence of 
his spiritual adviser, with the remark, "Mr. Jennings I have another 
painful duty to perform," and began unfolding some papers. The pris- 
oner anticipated his business, and said : " My death warrant I suppose. 
Save yourself the pain ; you need not read it." But on being informed 
that the law made it obligatory on the sheriff, he consented, and remained 
silent till it was read. After reading it, the sheriff turned to one side 
and wept, and the prisoner said in a calm tone to his spiritual adviser, 
" All life is a shade. This is a dark spot in the shade of life." The car- 
riage now drove to the front door of the jail, the militar}' paraded in 
proper Order around it, and, preceded by Sheriff Smith, the prisoner, arm 
in arm with the Rev. Mr. Boyakin, left the jail door and entered the car- 
riage, immediately followed by the Revs. Messrs. Vandeventer and 
Hurst and Drs. Crane and Chambers— all took seats in the same open 
carriage. The immense concourse of people, already assembled round the 
prison yard, now slowly opened a passage way, through which the carriage, 
escorted by the military, passed in slow and solemn silence ; and then, 
in the same funeral-like procession, proceeded to the place of execution, 
some three-quarters of a mile southeast of town. The place of execu- 
tion was out in the open prairie, east of Mr. Patee's farm, in the valley, 
surrounded by a splendid amphitheatre of hills — those picturesque hills 
of Blacksnake. The scaffold was formed in the centre of the valley, 
with a convenient platform seven or eight feet high, upon which six or 
eight persons might conveniently stand. A part of this scaffold was so 
adjusted, trap-door fashion, as to fall at the cutting of a rope. With 
this the prisoner fell about five feet, and then swung, suspended with his 
feet several feet above the ground. 

From the time the prisoner left the jail yard to the place of execu- 
tion, a conversation was kept up between the prisoner and the gentle- 
men with him in the carriage. The conversation was mostly, but not 
entirely, about the dread realities soon to occur. The Mexican war, 



276 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

General Scott, his character, military talents, and bravery, were descanted 
on freely by the prisoner. 

The whole tenor of that part of his conversation upon religion on 
the way, called out but the one sentiment from the prisoner, and that 
was, that he was happy, thought he would die happy, hoped he would 
die easy, &c. 

On approaching the place of execution, as the carriage reached the 
hill in view of the scaffold, an immense multitude, already assembled, 
spread over the surrounding hillsides, presented themselves to view. One 
of the company asked the prisoner, " if this scene had ever been presented 
to his imagination, either asleep or awake .-'" " A thousand times," was 
the reply. " How does the real compare with the imaginary .''" was fur- 
ther asked. " I was not prepared to see so many," was the calm reply- 
On arriving at the scaffold, the carriage halted, and the prisoner, 
with the gentlemen with him, remained some ten minutes in the car- 
riage, while the military was forming in proper order. Captain Hughes 
then ascended the platform, and gave notice that " he had been sum- 
moned, with his company, to see that the laws were faithfully executed ;. 
that he expected order, and was able and determined to enforce it." 

The gentlemen, surgeons, sheriff and prisoner then ascended the 
platform ; all kneeling, while the Rev. Mr. Vandeventer prayed. The 
prisoner then read in a firm, clear, distinct voice, a statement written 
just before he left his cell, immediately after which he took an affection- 
ate leave of those with him on the platform. During this, every one on 
the platform but the prisoner wept. He begged them not to weep ; said 
he was ready, firm ; should suffer but a few minutes ; would soon be happ}',. 
&c. The sheriff then adjusted the rope round his neck, and tied his 
arms back, and placed a cap over his head and face. His last remark 
was in answer to Rev. Mr. Boyakin, who asked him " if the rope seemed 
that it worked well, and if he now, on the threshold of eternity, was 
firm in his Christian faith .'" " The rope works easy," he remarked^ 
moving round his head, so as to try it. " I think I shall die easy, and 
I am firm in my trust in Christ." The Rev. Mr. Hoyakin then prayed. 
At the close of this prayer the trap-door fell, and the prisoner was sus- 
pended. 

Contrary to his expectation and desire, the prisoner struggled long 
and died hard — awfully hard. Twenty-five minutes after the trap-door 
fell, the surgeons pronounced him dead, and in a (cw minutes more hi.s 
body was taken down, coffined, and borne to the graveyard and decently 
buried by the side of his two infant children, mentioned in his confes- 
sion. When it was announced by the surgeons that the prisoner was 
dead, the concourse, which must have numbered some eight thousand 
persons, slowly retired, all oppressed at the awful exhibition just wit- 
nessed. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, 277- 

The manly deportment of the prisoner, while going to and at the 
scaffold, and high moral demeanor the whole week preceding, his chaste 
and honorable sentiments, freely expressed to all who visited him,, 
created a deep sympathy in his behalf, and satisfied the community that 
he possessed noble traits of character. Dying, as he did, a criminal, yet 
he merited a better fate. 

PLATTE RIVER BRIDGE DISASTER. 

At the bridge, where the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad crosses 
Platte River, ten miles east of the city of St. Joseph, occurred one of 
the most appalling calamities ever known in the annals of railroad dis- 
asters. 

In the fall of 1861, the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad had been; 
so often torn up at different points, along the route between the former 
and latter cities, that for several days the trains had not been passing 
over the entire length of the road. 

Upon a certain day, however, it was known that a passenger train 
from Hannibal would arrive at St. Joseph during the next night, at the 
hour of 1 1 o'clock. 

Late in the evening, before the arrival of the cars, the bridge was 
saturated with turpentine, then set on fire, and completely destroyed. 
Near the hour of midnight, the peculiar rumbling sound, which tells of 
an approaching train, was heard. The night was intensely dark, and 
, the conductor, not dreaming of danger, quickened the speed of the traim 
as he neared the city. Onward rushed the cars with their precious bur- 
den of human life. Mothers with slumbering infants in their arms, never 
dreaming of the yawning abyss into which they would so soon plunge ; 
fathers watching the happy faces of their children ; the beauty of youth, 
the strength of manhood, and the decrepitude of age, all were there, 
numbering about one hundred and fifty souls. 

As the train came swiftly, thundering along its iron trackway 
towards the chasm of death, a lady remarked to her husband : "Don't 
you think we are all out of danger.'" "Yes," he replied, "our journey 
is nearly over." The next moment he lay mangled and dead, and she 
had barely escaped with life. Ominous words ! His journey of life was 
indeed over. The cars had made the fatal leap. From the abutments 
of the burned bridge down to the bed of the river, a distance of more 
than twenty feet, one car, dashed down upon another, crushing, mang- 
ling, and killing a large number of passengers. 

Of all that numerous company, but few escaped without receiving- 
such severe injuries, as made it impossible for them to assist their fellow- 
sufferers. The night was chilly and cold, and from near eleven to three 
o'clock in the morning, the wounded screamed for aid, and struggled for 



27S HISTORY OF HL'CHANAN COL'NTV. 

relief. Some attempted to free themselves from their dead companions, 
and from the debris of the crushed cars. Otliers with broken legs or 
arms, were endeaving to creep from the deep mud and stagnant waters 
of the stream. Here occurred an incident that illustrates with what self- 
possession, fearless men can cooh>- await approaching death. 

Stephen Cutler, the conductor, was a favorite with all. Without 
being severely injured, he was so firmly caught between the timbers that 
no assistance then available could release him. The locomotive was 
leaning partialK- over his bod\-, and the supports upon which the 
machinery rested were gradualh- giving away. It was evident, tiiat in 
a few moments the locomotive would fall completeh' o\er and crush 
him. The unfortunate man quickly saw his sad destinj-. Taking out 
his watch, he passed it to a friend, to be given to his wife ; then, in hur- 
ried words, he instructed that friend what to say to her. Whilst so 
engaged, the terrific weight fell, and one more brave and intrepid man 
was added to the list of the dead. On the da}- after the sad e\ent, those 
who were badh- wounded were brought to St. Joseph and kindh" nursed. 
Nearly all the dead were too much mangled and disfigured to be identi- 
fied. These were placed in coffins and buried by the cit\'. 

MURDER OF DOCTOR JONKS. 

On Monday night, June i8th, 1848, between the hours of ten and 
and ele\'en o'clock, a man by the name of Gibson went to the residence 
of Dr. Jones, at the Rockhouse Prairie, in Buchanan County. While 
there he made use of very offensive and abusive language to the Doctor 
and his lady, whereupon he was ordered to leave the premises. Gibson, 
after reaching the porch, refused to go an\- further. As the Doctor 
(without any weapons) approached him, Gibson caught him by the col- 
lar of his coat, and inflicted a mortal wound, which terminated in death 
the next evening. 

Dr. McDonald, who now resides in St. Joseph, was immediatel)' 
sent for to administer to the necessities of the suffering and dying man. 
All efforts, however, were una\ailing; the Doctor died the next after- 
noon, and w'as buried in a neighboring cemeter\-, his corpse being fol- 
lowed to its last resting place b}- many friends, who sincerely mourned 
the loss of a kind neighbor, a leading citizen and a thoroughbred phys- 
ician. 

The Doctor was a graduate of one of the prominent medical schools 
of Philadelphia ; was a native of North Carolina, and highly respected, 
not only by the i)eople of the countv, but b\' his professional brethren. 
His family now live in Cla)- Count}, Missouri. His murderer, Gibson, 
although hotly pursued for days b}' scores of indignant citizens, finally 
made his escape and has never been heard of. 



HISTORY OF fJaCtlANAX COUNTV. 2/9 

DROWNIXO OF THV: WEST IJROTIIERS. 

On the 2nd day of January, 1874, two brothers, Richard and Elijah 
West, while skating on the Missouri River, opposite to St. Joseph, broke 
through the ice and were drowned. 

It is said that Richard might have escaped had he been alone, but 
in a heroic effort to save his brother, whom he greatly loved, they both 
went down together. Their bodies were recovered the next day and 
taken to the residence of their deeply afflicted parents. What a warning 
to those who carelesslx- indulge in the amusement of skating! 

ArCIUKNT O.N" LAKE CONTRAR^■. 

On the 23d of July, 1876, several German families, residents of St. 
Joseph, went to Lake Contrary on a pleasure excursion. On the way 
thither, and for hours after arriving at their place of destination, joy and 
rgladness seemed to fill each heart. But how true is the saying, that "in 
the midst of life we are in death." 

P>e the close of that summer day, the merry voices of five beautiful 
young ladies belonging to that happy company were suddenly and unex- 
pectedly silenced in death. The story of the sad calamity is easily told. 

They went upon the lake for a ride, and shortly after leaving the 
shore the frail boat, in which they had embarked for pleasure, went down, 
and they were drowned. Their bodies were recovered and interred in 
""Mount Mora" in the presence of a large concourse of sorrowing rel- 
latives and friends. Thus ended the young and innocent lives of Rosa 
Afunch. Tillie Grobs. Clara Kratle, Sopha Leitz and Tillie Zinnor. 

" How Heeling all beneath the skies; 
How transient every earthly bliss; 
How slender all the fondest ties 

That bind us to a world like this. 
But though Earth's fairest blossoms die, 

And all beneath the skies is vain, 
There is a brighter world on high, 
* Beyond the reach of care and pain." 

BURNING OF THE FRIEND FAMIEV. 

On the night of May 28. 1856, occurred one of the most terrible 
•calamities ever known in the history of Buchanan County. 

Jacob Friend and family, one daughter excepted, were burned to 
ashes in their dwelling, three-and-a-half miles south of St. Joseph. The 
family consisted of the father, mother and four children. One of the 
children, (the daughter above mentioned), was away fram home at the 
time, and knew nothing of the sad fate of her friends until she was 
informed of the facts the dav following. 



280 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Hundreds of people from St. Joseph, and the surrounding country-,, 
visited the place of the accident, and so great was the excitment, that 
Amos Davis, George Lincoln, John Patton, Henry Ingers and Monroe 
Hoof, five men, residing in the vicinity of the fire, were arrested and 
incarcerated on the charge of arson and murder. 

Some difficulty was said to have existed between the family of Friend 
and the parties arrested. This, with other circumstances, caused their 
apprehension and imprisonment. The parties accused were indicted, 
tried and acquitted, but there was nothing proved against them showing 
that they were guilty of the atrocious act. The burning of Friend and 
his family has ever since remained a mystery, many persons believinc: 
that the fire was caused by accident. 

TRIAL OF JOHN DOY. 

In the month of January, 1859, Wm. A. Newman, of Platte Countv , 
had a favorite servant to run away from his home, in Weston, to Law- 
rence, Kansas. Dick being an active, intelligent and skillful carpenter, 
Newman offered a large reward, and in the month of February, 1859, at 
a point fourteen miles above Lawrence, near the Kansas River, two co\ - 
ered wagons were captured by a party of eight Missourians, as thev' 
were passing northward from Lawrence to Nebraska. One of these 
wagons was driven by Dr. John Doy, and the other by his son Charles,, 
a young man of nineteen, and contained besides the Newman slave, 
Dick, thirteen women and children, who were slaves escaping from 
Jackson County, Missouri, towards freedom. The wagons and their con- 
tents were driven rapidly towards Leavenworth City, which they passed 
at nine P. M. and reached the ferry, at Rialto, at eleven at night. Capt. 
Z. T. Washburn, the ferryman, crossed the party over, and they arrived 
at Weston at one A. M. and were kept under guard. In the morning 
the slaves were re-delivered to their owners and a \\arrant was issued 
by a justice for the holding of Dr. Doy and his son as criminals, for steal- 
ing the negro man Dick from his owner, in Platte County, and after an 
examination before two justices, they were held for trial and imprisoned 
in the Platte County jail, at Platte City, and at the March term follow- 
ing, within about three weeks afterwards, they were indicted b)- the 
grand jury of Platte County and plead not guilty. 

When the news of the arrest of Doy was received at Topeka, tlic 
Legislature of Kansas, then in session, appropriated one thousand dol- 
lars to pay the Attorney General of the state, A. C. Davis (afterwards 
Colonel of the 12th Kansas volunteers, and who died in July, 1881, in 
New York, where he then resided) and Wilson Shannon, the old Gover- 
nor of Ohio and Minister to Mexico, to defend the Doys, at the court in 
Platte City. General Bassett, the circuit attorney for the 12th Judicial 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 28 1 

District, being sick, Judge Norton appointed Col. John Doniphan, now 
of St. Joseph, to prosecute the indictment. A change of venue to 
Buchanan County was granted the defendants, and on the 25th day of 
March, 1859, they were put on trial at St. Joseph, before the following 
jury: S. S. Allen. Edward Pace, Judge Thomas W. Keys. Thomas P- 
Booth, Sinclair R. Miller, Caswell Goodman, Israel Landis, James 
Highly. Samuel Lockwood. Abner Copeland. Lewis F. Weimer and 
Lawson Rodgers. 

This jury, after being out two days, were discharged, as being unable 
to agree — the principal ground of defense relied upon being that the 
Doys were not seen in Missouri, and no cvidense except, of a circum- 
stantial character, to show the court had any jurisdiction. 

At the request of the defendant's attorneys, the court adjourned until 
the 2 1st day of June, 1859, to again try the defendant. Dr. Doy, the State 
having dismissed as to Charles. 

At the appointed time, Governor Shannon and General Davis 
appeared with a number of witnesses and man)- depositions from Kan- 
sas, and the trial was commenced, and for three days was heard, amid 
an immense crowd, which packed the old court house to repletion. 

The jury were Samuel B. Tolin, George Boyer, Jacob Boyer, H. D. 
Louthen, Merrill Willis, Henson Devoss, George Clark, Henry P. Smith, 
John Modrill. Ortin M. Loomis. William W. Mitchell and James Hill. 

At the close of the evidence, Judge Norton, (now of the Supreme 
Court of Missouri), who had presided with great dignit)- and fairness, 
instructed the jury as to the law of the case. 

The case was then opened by General Bassett for the state, in a 
speech of masterly power and searching analysis of the evidence. He 
was followed by General Davis in a speech of two hours, and then Gov- 
ernor Shannon, in a speech of three hours. Both of these speeches were 
brilliant, pathetic and logical, and vindicated the judgment of the Kansas 
Legislature in their selection, as both of them were Democrats. 

After supper the Court House was packed to hear the closing of the 
case by Col. Doniphan, which was done in a speech of one hour and a 
half, of singular power of argument and analysis, and when he closed 
there was scarcely a doubt of the guilt of the prisoner, and the effect of 
it was announced in a verdict of guilt)' within a short time after the 
retirement of the jury. 

The defendant, Dr. Doy, appealed to the Supreme Court, and. pend- 
ing the appeal, he was released from jail by a part}' of Kansans, headed 
by John Brown who, afterwards, vindicated his faith as a martyr at Har- 
per's Ferry. They crossed from Elwood, on a dark night in skiffs, and 
approached the old jail during a heavy storm, and induced the jailor to 
open the door by presenting one of their number as a supposed horse- 
thief, recentl}- caught in Andrew County, and, once within the jail, they 



282 HISTORV OF BrCIIANAN COUNTV. 

captured the jailor, released Dr. Day, leaving, the jail locked and thrc\^' 
the key away and returned to Kansas without an\- pursuit or molesta- 
tion. The statute, under which the indictment was found, is section 27. 
page 576. vol. I, o( the statutes of Missouri of 1S33. and is as follows: 

Sec. 27. If any person shall entice, tlecoy. ov carry awa)- out of this 
state, any slave belonging to another, w ith intent to deprive the owner 
thereof of the services of such slaxe. or with intent to procure or" effect 
the freedom of such slave, he shall be adjudged guilt\- of grand larcen)- 
and punished by imprisonment in the penitentiar\- not less than fi\"e 
years. 

Dr. Doy, soon after his escape, left Lawrence for Rochester, Xew 
York, where he published a book gi\ing an account of his trial and con- 
viction. His book spoke kindly of the witnesses and attorney's w1k> 
prosecuted him, but bitterl\' of the officers and jiu'\" which con\icted him. 
It is reported he died in New York some \-ears since. His son Charles 
was hanged in southern Kansas, in the fall of i860, for horse stealing.. 
by a vigilance committee, at the command of Judge Lxnch. 

KARI.V REMINISCENCES. 



One of the earliest and most respected pioneers of Huchanan Count)' 
relates the following incidents : 

"In 1838 I came to the 'Platte Purchase,' and for a short time after 
my arrixal resided with my brother, who had located some seven or eight 
miles north of Blacksnake Hills. At that time the countr\- was new and 
wild. The land was unsurveyed. and the squatter erected his cabin 
wherever he pleased, provided he diil not put it w ithin a quarter of a 
mile of his nearest neighbor. 

'Disputes about claims were of frequent occurrence, and sometimes 
resulted in violence and bloodshed. But upon the whole, the people, 
though poor, were quite friendl\- and were ever ready to throw open 
their cabin doors to the passing stranger. One of the earU' acquaint- 
ances formed by me after I came, was Solomon L. Leonard, who was 
afterwards Judge of this judicial tiistrict. This earl\' acquaintance 
ripened into lasting friendship, and Judge Leonard, though differing with 
his friends in politics, could alwa\s rel\- upon them for support in his 
struggles for official position. He was a stern man, hut a true friend to 
the upright in life. In the fall of 1862, he was accidentally drowned in 
the Indian Territory. 

The mania for town sites which spread all o\er the western 
states did not afflict the early settlers of the Platte country, for there 
were no towns or villages worthy of being called such north of Weston. 
in the Platte Countrv. 



IIISIOKV OK P,IJ(I1ANAN COUNTV. 2S3 

I was frequently on the i)resent town site of St. Joseph, five years 
before the town was located. In tlie fall of 1839 I was here attending 
the second court ever held in Buchanan County. The officers of the 
court were Judg"eKing; Burnett, Prosecuting Attorney ; Kdwin Toole, 
Circuit Clerk, and Samuel M. Gilmore, Sheriff. The attorneys in attend- 
ance were Andrew S. Hughes, Alexander VV. Doniphan, David R. Atchi- 
son, William Wood, Amos Rees, Prince r>. Hudgers, Theodore D. 
Wheaton and Solomon L. Leonard. The court house w'as a log struc- 
ture, owned by Joseph Robidou.K and located on the ground now occu- 
pied by the Occidental Hotel. There was no difficulty in obtaining 
meals, but many persons were compelled to sleep on the bare floor, 
without quilt or blanket, in the log court house above mentioned. An 
incident occurred at this term of court which came very near resulting 
in a serious riot. Under an act of Congress, the sixteenth section of the 
public land was donated for school purposes, and the county courts were 
authorized to sell the land and control the money. The sheriff had 
advertised some of this land for sale, and there was a general feeling in 
the community that the persons who had settled ujjon it before the sur- 
vey should be allowed to purchase their homes at one dollar and a quar- 
ter per acre, the amount charged by the government for other lands. 

"The sheriff now announced his purpose to commence the sale. He 
was immediately surrounded by a ring of strong men, and there rang 
out upon the assembled crowd, the cry 'that no one should bid against the 
claimant of the land." The excited squatter bid one dollar and a quarter 
for his home, now under the sheriff's hammer. The bid was announced 
again and again. P^or a moment breathless silence reigned on every 
hand, but, to the amazement of all present, some daring fellow stepped 
forward with a weapon of death clutched in his hand, said : 'T will give 
one dollar and fifty cents per acre." In an instant the coats flew from 
more than a dozen stalwart shoulders and the indications were unmis- 
takable that some one would be hurt. The opposing bidder now walked 
quietly away, remarking that he ' did not want the land ; that he only 
desired to show these gentlemen that he was not afraid to bid." 

In the summer of 1838, while passing through a sparsely settled por- 
tion of Buchanan County, I suddenly came upon fifteen or twenty Indi- 
ans. They were either passing though the country, or had returned to 
their old hunting grounds for the purpose of taking game. Without 
doubt, they were friendly Indians, but the unexpected discovery of such 
a company, far away from any human habitation, created in my jnind a 
desire for some other locality just about that time. 

Suspecting m\' trepidation, one of the red.skins dashed after me like 
an arrovv, but from some inexplicable cause to me, suddenly stopped and 
retraced his steps. The latter movement met with my decided approval, 



284 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

and the Indian now returned to his comrades, with an apparent sardonic 
grin upon his duslcY countenance, and pursued the even tenor of his w^ay. 
The first political meeting I attended in Buchanan County was held 
a few miles north of the Blacksnake Hills. Two candidates for the Leg- 
islature were present, and at once proceeded to present their claims to 
the assembled voters. They were both Democrats, but one of them had 
conceived the idea of charging his opponent with being a Whig, well- 
J<nowing that even a suspicion of this kind would defeat his election. 
He supported his charge by the following arguments : First, his oppo- 
nent was from a Whig State ; second, he handed a notice for public 
speaking to a Whig, with the request that he would post it up at the 
place of meeting, and third, the Whigs to a man were giving him their 
support. The speaker here distinctly proclaimed that he did not desire 
Whig support ; that if any Whig voted for him it would be without his 
consent. The other candidate now took the stand, and unequivocally 
denied the charge of being a Whig, but admitted the specifications. 
He said it was true, he was from a Whig State ; that he did hand a 
notice to a Whig, with the request that he would post it up at their place 
of meeting, and, moreover, he thought it altogether probable that the 
Whigs intended to give him their support at the approaching election, 
and he was quite willing they should do so. Here the speaker reminded 
his opponent that there might be satisfactory reasons why one gentle- 
man should be preferred to another for an official position, independent 
of all political considerations. The man who was willing to receive 
Whig support, and not sufficiently cautious to conceal it, was defeated, 
and the demagogue was triumphant" 



CHAPTER XVII 



REVIfcW OF THE PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISE— FAIRS AN'O EXPdSITIO NTS- 
STATE FISH HATCHERY. 



The progress of agricultural enterprise in the past quarter of a cen- 
tury, evident all over our land, in no section has developed more marked 
advancement than that displayed in the condition of Northwest Missouri 
to-day. 

Buchanan County, in common with others of the earlier settled 
portions of the Platte Purchase, enjoyed the advantage of numbering 
among her original settlers men of means, intelligence and enterprise. 
This fact is abundantly evident in the character of some of the earliest 
attempts at improvement to-day extant within her limits. 

Naturally the first settlements were made in the timbered districts 
of the county, and it was not till a very large proportion of this part of 
the same was settled that the pioneers from the older states, many of 
whom had never seen a prairie till their arrival in Mirsouri, began to 
venture settlements in that, in those days, doubtful region of treeless 
expanse. Indeed there are to-day living in the county, on well-improved 
and valuable prairie farms, men who at the period of their first arrival in 
the country, thirty-five or forty years ago, declared the opinion that the 
timberless prairies would never be settled. These now include some of 
the best improved and most desirable sections of the county. 

The cultivation of cleared timber land with the necessary presence 
of stumps, precluded the application of machinery, long after the use of 
the same had become comparatively common in the older settled dis- 
tricts. Slave labor was extensively, indeed, generally, employed, and the 
hoe, an implement almost obsolete in this advanced day, \vas the indis- 
pensable means of cultivating every crop which required tillage after 
planting. Notwithstanding the comparativel}' careless character of farm- 
ing which soon succeeded the first efforts of the pioneers, even in that 
early day, the returns from agricultural labor were enormous. The very 
fact of the generous soil so readil}' responding to the efforts of the hus- 
bandman induced this lack of diligence and laborious care in farming 
which was indeed unnecessary. Men from the older states, who were 
accustomed in their former homes to manuring and preparing for seed 
with the most scrupulous care the soil which they afterwards hoed and 
plowed repeatedly to secure a scanty yield of corn or of some other pro- 



286 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

duct, soon learned that prairie sod-corn planted in the simply upturned 
glebe, without any subsequent attention, yielded crops which, in their 
former homes in the older states, would have been regarded as enormous. 

Many of the early settlers of the county, who brought their slaves 
with them, came from districts of Kentucky and Virginia, where 
hemp was a staple product. The first attempt to introduce the culture 
of this crop, which was soon to become the great staple of Buchanan, in 
common with other counties of the state, proved an unqualified success. 

We state, on the authority of Dr. Silas McDonald, of St. Joseph, that 
he raised in Buchanan County, the first crop of hemp ever produced in 
th*e Platte Purchase. This was in the year 1840. The seed he procured 
from Clay County, and the yield he afterward sold at the rate of $4 per 
hundred, to Charles A. Perry, of Weston. 

This success soon induced others to the culture of this crop, and. in 
a few years, hemp was recognized as the great staple of the county. It 
so continued until the breaking out of the civil war, when, in default of 
slave labor, the raising of this product was gradually discontinued. 

Other commodities were imported as substitutes, and. in a few years, 
the amount raised in the county of what had for years constituted its 
great staple became so insignificant as to be entirely omitted in com- 
mercial quotations. 

There probably never was a country adapted, by soil and climate, 
to as various a character of products, as much confined, for years, to one 
yield. The culture of hemp seemed to have absorbed almost every other 
agricultural enterprise. 

Nothing raised in the country either before its introduction or since 
its abandonment has paid as well. The average price for years was 
$100 per ton, and the average yield per acre 800 pounds. Aside from 
the remunerative character of the crop, many advantages contributed to 
its popularity. Being invariably cut before it went to seed, it failed, as 
with other crops, to impoverish the soil ; indeed, it was a generally 
admitted fact that from the decomposition of the foliage, old hemp land, 
instead of deteriorating in quality from constant cropping, steadih" 
improved, and 1,000 pounds to the acre on such lands was no uncommon 
yield. 

Another advantage in the raising of hemp was that its culture did 
not in any way interfere with the corn crop. Sowed early in the spring 
before corn planting time, it was not ready for cutting before August, 
when all the corn was "laid by." 

In the palmiest days of hemp raising, but a comparatively small 
amount of wheat was produced in the county. The rich alluvial soil of 
the river bottoms, fathomless in the depths of its ex'haustless fccundit\% 
as well as that of the scarcely less productive uplands, was ill adapted to 
the yielding of wheat, which, at best, Commanded no such return as did 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 287 

hemp. Indeed, so insignificant was the quantity of wheat raised in the 
county in those days, that a considerable amount of the flour consumed 
was imported. 

In the matter of breaking' hemp, ii2 pounds was considered a day's 
work. The slave was paid at the rate of one dollar per hundred for all 
he broke over and above this, the standard task. It was not unusual to 
find negroes in those days who broke from 200 to 300 pounds per day, 
and in this way often earning $100 during the course of a winter. 
Besides this there were occasionally found masters who allowed such of 
their slaves as displayed unusual industry, patches of ground, on which 
they raised hemp for their own exclusive and personal benefit. 

This patriarchal character of servitude was the rule rather than the 
exception in Buchanan County. 

C. A. and E. H. Perry, hemp dealers of Weston, had a branch house, 
in St. Joseph, and for many years shipped on an average 500 tons of 
hemp from that port. This, of course, was but a small portion of the 
annual yield of the county. It was nothing uncommon to get as high as 
20 tons of hemp from one farmer. 

The extraordinarily remunerative business of hemp-raising induced 
many to purchase farming lands in the county on credit. About the 
period of the breaking out of the civil war, these enterprising citizens 
had, many of them, about succeded in paying for these lands, and were 
beginning to contemplate improvements in the way of building, etc., 
when the distracted condition of the country put a sudden and protracted 
stop to every class and character of improvement. This, in a great 
measure, accounts for the inferior character of farm residences in the 
county, compared with those of Platte and other neighboring counties, 
about the period of the revival of business, after the close of the war. 
The demand for hemp ceased, and the farmers of the county began to 
direct their attention to the culture of other products. Wheat, though 
an uncertain crop in the county, began to claim attention, and the extra- 
ordinary yield of one season, shortly after the close of the war, and a 
-price of some two dollars per bushel, started everybody to raising 
wheat. Experience has demonstrated, however, the truth that while an 
occasionally excellent crop may be raised, Buchanan is by no means a 
wheat country. Enterprise in the business of farming, in all its various 
expressions has, from time to time, been manifested within the county. 
All the latest appliances of art in the way of machinery for lightening 
and expediting labor, are tested, and rejected or adopted on the basis of 
their respective merits, as soon as presented to the public. 

The spirit of old fogyism on the part of the farming communit)' is 
found to exist only in rare and isolated cases. 

The circumstance of Buchanan, having, for so many years of her 
earlier history, been pre-eminently a hemp county, serves to account, in 



288 HIsrOKV OF r.L'CHANAN COUNTY. 

a considerable degree, for the comparatively small interest manifested 
in the raising of cattle. Improvement in the different breeds of live 
stock of all kinds is an entei prise of comparatively- recent date among 
the farmers of this county, though a lively interest has, of late years, 
been awakened in this direction. The hog crop especially compares 
favorably with that of most counties of the State. 

The matter of fruit culture as a pursuit of general interest, is also a 
recent step in the march of rural progress, though there have existed, 
from a comparatively recent day, some extensive and valuable orchards 
of apple trees in the county. Noteworthy among these is an orchard of 
several thousand trees, the propert)' of Major Feland, in Crawford 
Township, before referred to. 

There is no corn country in the state superior to the Missouri and 
Platte River bottoms of Buchanan, and, with the exception of wheat, 
small grains of all kinds may be said to yield unfailing crops. 

HOkTICULTURE, 

of recent years, has become a pursuit as remunerative as it is popular, 
and several large and well stocked market gardens exist in the environs 
of the city of St. Joseph. 

UVA CLfLTURE. 

has for many years claimed the attention of amateurs, as well as of 
specialists. Several vineyards of considerable size are found in the 
county, and wine of a superior quality is manufactured. The indications 
are that the culture of the grape and its manufacture into wine will one 
day become an important industry of the county. 

Buchanan County, in common with other districts of the Great West, 
has had her trying vicissitudes. Her native strength, and the indomit- 
able spirit of perseverance on the part of her people, however, have 
risen superior to each and every calamit)-; her trials only demonstrating 
the magnitude of her splendid resources. 

In the Gazette of 1845, under head of " The Crops," we find the fol- 
lowing : 

"We were fearful that the crops in the county would be injured by 
the excessive rains that have fallen lately, but are gratified to learn that 
the wheat has suffered no damage, as it is now generally ready for cut- 
ting. The corn and hemp looks very fine and promises an abundant 
yield. The comfort of the people and the immediate prosperity of our 
town depend very much upon the present crop. The farmers lost almost 
everything last year, and the year before, and could not well bear a third 
failure. But the wheat is good and safe, and the corn and hemp promise 
well." 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 289 

Besides the terrible backset to the entire country from the conse- 
quences of the civil war, Buchanan County suffered her full share of the 
evils of the grasshopper scourge, the desolating effects of which were 
felt, with brief intervals of cessation, from 1866 to 1874. Confident in 
the power of her grand resources, and ever hopeful of better days, her 
people scorned, in the hour of their calamity, to solicit the aid of their 
more fortunate neighbors, and ultimately triumphed proudly over the ills 
upon her poured by malignant fortune. Phcenix-like she has risen from 
the wreck of every calamity, more beautiful and enduring than before, 
and to-day she presents to the world a spectacle of solid growth and 
substantial wealth of which many an older and more fortunate country 
might be justly proud. 

As before intimated, many of the earliest settlers of the county 
were men of intelligence, as well as of a fair share of pecuniary means. 
These early recognized the importance of competitive exhibitions of 
native products in advancing the spirit of enterprise and consequent 
improvement of all that pertains to excellence in rural or agricultural 
pursuits. 

Accordingly, in the Gazette of August 2d, 1854, we find the fol- 
lowing : 

"The Agricultural Fair of Buchanan County will come off on the 
19th, 20th and 2ist September next. The committee have sent east for 
about seven hundred dollars worth of gold and silver plate premiums." 

The issue of the same paper, under date of Wednesday, September 
20th, 1854, says : 

" Yesterday was a proud day for our county. It was the first day of 
the first Agricultural Fair ever held in the county. There was a large 
concourse of ladies and gentlemen present. , Great interest was mani- 
fested. The St. Joseph Band was there, and added much to the interest 
of the occasion. Mr. Silas Woodson delivered a very able and eloquent 
address on the subject of agriculture, and, though he had but little time 
for preparation, he did himself and the subject great credit." 

In the Gazette of Wednesday, September 27th, 1854, appears the fol- 
lowing : 

"BUCHANAN COUNTY FAH<. 

"On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last, were the days of the 
first Agricultural and Mechanical Fair ever held in Buchanan, or any of 
the counties above in what is known as the Platte Purchase. It was 
attended each day by a large concourse of people from this and the sur- 
rounding counties. The fezir — we mean the /air sc:v — were present and 
lent 'enchantment to the view' that was already beautiful ; but the spark- 
ling eyes and smiling faces of the fair ones attracted many to the spot, 
where were to be seen the rich and varied products of our country, who 
otherwise might not have been there. 



290 HISrOKV OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

The weather was deli<^-htful— the fair ground in a beautiful grove, 
peculiarly adapted to the purpose — where thronged the great crowd, all 
seeming to manifest much interest in the occasion. The whole scene 
was enlivened by the music of the St. Joseph brass band. 

Everything passed off decent!}' and in order. General satisfaction 
given, and a noble spirit of emulation aroused that will be productive of 
much good. 

Many of the articles exhibited by the ladies on the first da}- would 
reflect credit upon the best fairs in Kentucky. 

At the close of the exhibition of the first day, Mr. Silas Woodson 
delivered a truly eloquent address on the subject of agriculture. 

The associate editor of the Cycle, being the secretar}- of the Associ- 
ation, we copy from his paper: 

FIRST DAY — MANUFACTURES. 

Best specimen mixed jeans, a beautiful article — premium to Mrs. J. 
P. Bryan, of Buchanan. 

Plaid linsey — premium to same lad}-, $2. 

White linsey — premium to William Gartin, of Buchanan. $2. 

Woolen Blankets — premium to Mrs. J. P. Bryan, of Buchanan, $5. 

Half hose — premium to same. $1. 

Satinet — premium to N. Buel, of Buchanan. $5. 

Cotton quilt — premium to Mrs. Rosanna Porter, of Buchanan, $10. 
This was a rich quilt evidencing great skill and toil in the manufacture. 

Cotton quilt — certificate to Mrs. Mar}- A. Mosely. This is a beauti- 
ful article. 

Silk quilt, patchwork — premium to Mrs. E. C. Davis. St. Joseph, $10. 
The design of this quilt was the "American Confederacy," as represented 
in its constellation of stars, the States of the Union. Its pattern was 
after the style of quilted and knotted work. (See Godey for September.) 

Silk quilt, a rich hexagon, exhibiting great skill and beaut}' in its 
execution, and much admired — certificate to Miss Betty F. Cunningham, 
of Jackson County. 

Worsted patch-work, also a magnificent hexagon, universally 
admired, and pronounced a most elegant specimen of art — premium to 
Mrs. W. L. Irvine, of Buchanan. $10. 

Worsted patch-work quilt, also a rich article — -certificate to Miss 
Betty F. Cunningham, of Jackson. 

Worsted bed cover — premium to Mrs. Amanda Kelly. $3. This was 
a delicate and beautiful article. 

Needle-work and embroidery — premium to Mrs. Capt. Jas. Craig, 
$2 ; certificate to Mrs. C. M. Thompson. 

Worsted rug — certificate to Mrs. J. P. R}an. 



HISTORY OK BUCHANAN COUNTY. 29! 

Linen shirt — premium $1. Mrs. M. Britton. 

Shirt by girl under 12 — ^premium $i, to Miss A. G. Long. 

Half hose — premium $1. to Mrs. J. P. Bryan ; certificate to Mrs. Jen- 
kins. 

Two pair hose — premium $1 each, by two orphan girls, Sarah and 
Catharine Lewis. 

Best two-horse wagon — premium $5, to J. A. Forest. 

Sofa — premium to D. J. Heaton. $2. 

Set chairs — premium to D. J. Heaton, $2. 

Tin ware — premium $2, to F. B. Kercheval. 

Single harness — premium $2. to Wm. Keer. This specimen of har- 
ness was indeed beautiful. 

Single harness — certificate to I. Landis. 

Side saddle — certificate to C. A. Shoultz. No premium offered. 

Single buggy — a magnificent article, premium $5, to A. Dolph. 

Dentistry — certificate to Dr. J. E. Hewlet. 

Fancy sign board — certificate to E. J. Knapp. No premium offered. 

Best two sacks flour — premium $2, to B.F. Northcutt. 

Two sacks flour — certificate to N. Buel. 

Wheat cleaner — premium to James Cargill. 

POULTRY, FRUITS, ETC. 

Shanghai chickens — premium $1, to R. Mosely. 

Brahma Pootra — premium $1, to Mrs. W. L. Irvine. 

Best display poultry — premium $2, to Mrs. W. L. Irvine. 

Sweet potatoes — premium $1, to A. Dittemore. 

Ham — premium $2, to Mrs. R. Middleton. 

Butter — premium $2, to Mrs. Wm. P. Richardson. 

Peaches, variet)' — premium $2, to Wm. McGrew. 

Grapes — premium $1, to Wm. McGrew. 

Peaches, best i dozen — premium to Mrs. J. P. Bryan. 

Onions — premium $1, to Judge Morris. 

Melons — premium $1. to H. D. Harding. 

SECOND DAY — CATTLE. SIIEEL AND HOGS. 

The second day opened as brilliantly as the first, with as fine an 
exhibition of stock as the most sanguine friend of the association could 
have hoped for. The grounds were again filled with a vast concourse of 
people, and graced with the beauty of Buchanan. We were pleased to 
see so many ladies present. It not only showed their good taste, but 
their high appreciation of what constitutes the true wealth and pros- 
perity of their countr\'. 



292 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN^COUNTY. 

In view of the whole day's exhibition, we venture to say that such a 
galaxy of fine stock has never been, seen in! ^Missouri above the Boon's 
Lick country. 

We append the premiums as follows : 

BULLS. 

Four years and upwards — premium $I0, to W. L. Irvine ; certificate 
to T. H. Irvine. 

Two years and under — premium $6, to J. W. Steel, of Platte. 

One and under two — premium $6, to A. Bowman ; certificate to R. 
C. Mosely. 

Under one year — premium $5, to J. H. Irvine; certificate to W. L. 
Irvine. 

COWS. 

Four years and upwards — premium $10, to D. Shanks ; certificate to> 
J. J. Hart. 

Two years and under three — premium $6, to R. C. Mosely ; certifi- 
cate to same. 

Three years and under four^premium $10, to G. W. Brackenridge ; 
certificate to J. J. Hart. 

One year and under two — premium, $6, to A. Bowman, of Andrew;, 
certificate to W. L. Irvine ; P. Wirthume, white ribbon, for neatness. 

Under one year old — premium $5. to J. J. Hart ; certificate to D. 
Shanks. 

OXKN. 

Best fat bullock or heifer — premium $10, to W. L. Irvine; certifi- 
cate, R. C. Mosely. 

Best yoke work steers — premium $iO, to R. B. Thomas ; certificate 
to William Litz. 

HOGS. 

Best sow — premium $5, to R. Ladd ; certificate to H. D. Morris. 

SHEET — LON(i WOOL. 

Best buck — premium $5, to G. \V. Brackenridge, of Andrew ; cer- 
tificate to J. T. Doughty. 

Best ewe— premium $5, to (i. \V. l^rackenridge ; certificate to J. T, 
Doughty. 

FINK WOOL. 

Best ewe — premium $5. to 13. C. Porter, of Andrew County. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 295 

THIRD DAY — HORSES, MULES, &C. 

The third day opened with increased interest. A disptay of fine 
horses will always attract a crowd, and at an early hour the show grounds 
were again thronged. 

The exhibition of stock this day surpassed the expectations of the 
most sanguine. There were many beautiful animals on the ground — 
animals hard to duplicate in the state. 

We annex awards : 

HORSES. 

Best age stallion for harness— premium $10, to H. D. Harding ; 
certificate to J. W. Martin. 

Stallion, two years old and under — premium to W. Gartin ; certifi- 
cate to Porter and Ardery, St. Joseph. 

Stallion, one year old and under — premium to Isaac Miller. 

Stallion, under one year — premium to J. G. Smith. 

Mare for harness, two years and under three — premium to Milt.. 
Murphey ; certificate to James Noland. 

Filley, under one year — premium to Dr. W. G. Burton ; certificate tO' 
B. C. Porter. 

Best pair carriage horses — premium $10, to Sparks and Talbot, St.. 
Joseph. 

Finest buggy horse — premium $8, to J. O. Fisher ; certificate to 
Wm. Ardery. 

Stallion for saddle, four years and upward — premium $10, to J. 0_ 
Fisher. 

Ditto, two years old and under three — premium $6. to O. H. P.. 
Craig, of Savannah. 

Ditto, under one — premium $3, to Wm. L. Irvine ; certificate to J.. 
D. Burgess. 

Best brood mare for harness — premium $10, to Isaac Miller. 

Best mare for saddle, over four years — premium $10, to K. N. Hart ;. 
certificate to W. L. Irvine. 

Ditto, two years and under — premium $6, to C. F. Hilterbridai, of 
Andrew ; certificate to J. B. Cox. 

Ditto, under one year — premium to Burgess P^lliot ; certificate W. K.. 
Richardson. 

Best saddle animal — premium $10, to H. D. Hardin ; certificate to- 
S. Hill. 

Best draft stallion, two years old and upwards — premium $10, to 
Porter and Arderny ; certificate to Henry Paschal. 

Ditto, two and under three — premium $8, to O. H. P. Craig, of" 
Savannah. 



294 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Best draft mare, three years old and upwards — premium $io, to R. 
C. Mosely ; certificate to J. E. Burgess. 

Ditto, two and under three — premium $8, to Wm. Ardery. 
Ditto, one and under two — premium $6, to Isaac Miller. 
Ditto, under one^premium $5, to B. C. Porter, of Andrew. 

JACKS. . 

Four years and upwards — premium $10, to T. H. Irvine ; certificate 
to P^dwin N. Hart. 

Under one year — premium $5. to C. Todd. 

JENNETS. 

Four years and upwards — premium $10, to T. H. Irxine and C. J- 
Hart ; certificate to C. Todd. 

Two years and under — premium $6, to T. H. and W. L. Irvine. 

MULES. 

Two years and upwards — premium $10, to Preston Richardson; 
certificate to James Carson. 

One year and under two— prmium $8 to A. G. Davis. 

Under one year — premium $5 to W. L. Irvine ; certificate to A. 
Woolverton. 

Finest and best broke mules — premium $10 to Maj. Wm. P. Rich- 
ardson ; certificate to Sparks and Talbott. 

All the premiums were paid at the close of each day, in beautiful 
silver plate. 

Hon. W. P. Hall closed the scenes of the day and the occasion with 
an eloquent and appropriate address. 

Thus has passed off the first annual fair of the Buchanan Agricultu- 
ral Societ}-. It was an epoch in the history of our count)', and the dawn 
of a brighter day upon its agricultural, mechanical and manufacturing 
interests. Heaven vouchsafed bright skies and balmy days. The rem- 
iniscences will be pleasant to dwell upon, and we trust all have gone 
home with the full determination to do all they can to promote the inter- 
est of the society and to extend its usefulness. 

There were many articles exhibited for which no premiums had 
been awarded. Among them we noticed a box of superior candles 
manufactured by Messrs. Pinger, Hauk & Co., of St. Joseph. 

Mr. C. A. Shult/. exhibited a slendid lady's saddle. 

At the next annual fair there will doubtless be a larger list of pre- 
miums than were offered this time. W'e anticipate, then, an occasion 
worthv of man>' of the old states. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COaNTV. 29$ 

The Platte country is unsurpassed in fertility of soil, and all that con- 
stitutes or contributes to the wealth and happiness of a prosperous 
people." 

The officers of the above described, the first fair held in Buchanan 
County, were: General Robert Wilson, President; William L. Irvine, 
Vice President; A. M. Saxton. Treasurer; Wellini^ton A. Cunningham, 
Secretaey. 

The Robert Wilson above referred to, filled, for a brief period, a con- 
spicuous position in our national affairs during the late civil war. 

March 18, 1861, Waldo P. Johnson, a Breckenridge Democrat, was 
elected U. S. Senator for six years, from March 4, 1861. 

Dec. 10, 1861, Solomon Tutt, of Vermont, offered a resolution to the 
U. S. Senate, expelling Mr. Johnson from that bod}-, for sympathy with 
and participation in the rebellion against the goxernment of the United 
States. 

On January 20, 1862, Lyman Trumbull, of Illinois, chairman, made a 
report from the committee in fa\or of the resolution of expulsion, which 
was adopted — yeas, 35 ; nays. none. 

Dec. 18, 1861, Charles Sumner, of Mass., introduced a resolution 
expelling Trusten Polk, also a Senator from Missouri, for the same rea- 
sons given in the case of Mr. Johnson. It was referred to the Judiciary 
Committee, and on January 20, 1862, Lyman Trumbull, of Illinois, chair- 
man, reported in favor of it to the Senate, and it was adopted — yeas, 36; 
nays, none. 

The vacancies thus occurring were filled b}' Lieutenant-Governor 
Willard P. Hall, in the absence of Governor Gamble, he appointing Rob- 
ert Wilson, of Andrew, and John B. Henderson, of Pike. 

The site of the first fair grounds is now (1881) included within the 
limits of the city, near the northern extremity of Eleventh street. 

Fairs continued to be held here for seven successive years, the last 
occurring in the fall of i860. 

The civil war, of course, put an end to everything of the kind ; and 
no move to revive the institution was inaugurated till two years after its 
close. 

July 31, 1867, was organized the 

ST. JOSEPH AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL ASSOCIATION, 

with the following nine directors : Robert Wilson, Leonidas M. Lawson, 
Moses G. Fish, J. R. Willis, Benj. Ullman, Albe M. Saxton. Thos. B. 
Weakly, Washington L. Cundiff, Hugh Lewis. 

The officers of the Association were : General Robert Wilson, Pres- 
ident ; Thos. B. Weakly, Vice-President; A. M. Saxton, Treasurer; C. 
B. PVance, Secretary, 



296 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The preamble of the Articles of Incorporation states that the object 
of the Association is the promotion of agriculture, horticulture and the 
mechanical arts. Amount of capital stock, $15,000, divided in shares of 
$100 each. 

The $15,000 of stock was apportioned as follows : 

R. Wilson, 5 shares $ 500 

J. R. Willis, 10 shares 1,000 

1^. M. Lawson, 10 shares 1,000 

M. G. Fish & Co., 5 shares 500 

M. M. Claggett, 10 shares 1,000 

Hugh Lewis, 5 shares 50C' 

A. M. Saxton, 10 shares 1,000 

T. B. Weakly, 10 shares i,000 

Ben. Ullman. 5 shares 500 

A. Beattie, 5 shares 500 

C. B. France, 10 shares 1,000 

Wm. Ridenbaugh, 10 shares 1,000 

R. L. McDonald, 5 shares 500 

Samuel Ensworth, 10 shares i,ooc^ 

Thos. E. Tootle, 10 shares 1,000 

Isaac Curd, 5 shares 500 

G. W. McAlear, 2 shares 200 

W. L. Cundiff & Co., 8 shares 800- 

Milton Tootle, 5 shares 500 

D. M. McDonald, 10 shares 1 ,ooG 

The records of the association state that at the meeting held 
August I, 1867, the oath of loyalty was signed by all the directors, which 
oath was filed in the office of the County Clerk ; and then followed the 
election of the above-mentioned officers. 

At a meeting held August 6, 1867, on motion of L. M. Lawson, it 
was ordered to purchase the twenty-acre lot on Frederick Avenue,, 
known as the Old Rope Walk, of Bassett «& Ensworth, and accept the 
title as represented by Mr. Ensworth, at four hundred dollars per acre, 
being eight thousand dollars for the twenty acres. 

The first fair was ordered to commence October 29, 1867, and con- 
tinue four days. 

This fair was largely attended and generally pronounced a success. 
Net receipts, $243.55. 

At a meeting held March 21, 1868, by resolution, the stock of the 
company was increased to the sum of twenty thousand dollars, each 
stockholder taking the proportion as now held in the old stock. 

.At a meeting held November, 1867, it was resolved that the next 
annual fair be held on the second Monday of October, 1868, being the 
1 2th of October. The net receipts for this year were $2,030.91. 



HISTORV OP BUCHANAN' COUNTY'. 29/ 

By resolution passed April 11, 1868, it was determined that the fatr 
should be held on the fourth Monday of September every year. 

In the following year the capital stock was increased to $30,000. 

In the spring of 1870, the association sustained a heavy loss in the 
death of its honored president, General Wilson. 

At a meeting of the board of directors of the Agricultural and 
Mechanical Association of St. Joseph, held Wednesday, May 18, 1870, 
the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted, viz. : 

Whereas, We have heard with profound regret of the death of 
General Robert Wilson, President of the Saint Joseph Agricultural and 
Mechanical Association, and 

Whereas, We cherish the memory of his distinguished services in 
the cause of agriculture and the mechanical arts in Northwest Missouri ; 
therefore be it 

Resolved — By the Board of Directors of the Saint Joseph Agri- 
cultural and Mechanical Association — 

First — That in the death of General Wilson, the president of the 
association, we have sustained an irreparable loss. 

Second— -Thdit we will remember with gratitude his faithfnl and noble 
services in behalf of the association, and the self-sacrificing spirit that 
characterized all his labors in its behalf, fostering, as he did, the institu- 
tion with a zeal, care, and devotion truly paternal. 

Third — That in founding and organizing this association (devoted 
to the noblest purposes of man) as the latest public act of his long and 
useful career, he has placed an appropriate crown upon the column of a 
well-earned and honest fame. 

Fourth — That the papers of this city be requested to publish these 
resolutions, and that they be printed in the annual catalogue of the 
approaching annual fair of the St. Joseph Agricultural and Mechanical 
Association. 

T. B. WEAKLY, Acting President. 

D. M. McDonald, Secretary. 

At a meeting held December 17, 1870, R. L. McDonald was elected 
President of the Association. He continued to fill this position till the 
final dissolution of the same. 

The Association continued with various fortunes till September, i87[, 
when its last fair was held. At a meeting of the St. Joseph Agricultural 
and Mechanical Association, held pursuant to notice, at the office of the 
Secretary, Monday, January 15, 1872, on motion, it was unanimously 
resolved that the operations of the Association be discontinued. 

The grounds were at that time mortgaged to the Life Association 
of America; and, at the request of the stockholders, they were sold 
under that deed of trust. Thus terminated the fortunes of the second 
Fair Association of Buchanan County. 

In the fall of 1873, it was determined that Buchanan County should 
no longer be without a fair, and, .accordingly, measures were set on foot 
for the establishing and organizing of an F>xposition. 



29S HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

The place selected for holding the same was a level plain, directly 
east of the machine shops of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council 
Bluffs Railroad, readily accessible by rail and otherwise from the cit\'. 
These grounds were laid out, inclosed and fitted up in superior stj'le, 
with a celerity and dispatch which bespoke the earnestness of those 
interested in the success of the enterprise. Sev^eral hundred hands were 
employed at one time on the buildings, which were lofty, spacious and 
tastefully ornamented. The ground plan of the main Exhibition Hall 
was that of a Latin Cross; its length three hundred feet. Each arm of 
the cross terminated in an octagonal extension eighty feet in diameter. 
Spacious galleries, approached by easy stairwax's, extended along each 
side of the nave of the main hall, affording accommodation for the vast 
display of fruits and vegetable products offered for exhibition. 

Power hall filled a space of eighty by two hundred feet. 

Tire other buildings on the grounds were of corresponding propor- 
tions. No effort was spared to properly advertise the enterprise. Pre- 
mium lists were mailed to every tax-payer in Buchanan County, and 
upwards of fifteen thousand to farmers living in other counties. 

The Missouri Republican of August, 1873, in referring to the 
"approaching St. Joseph Exposition," speaks admiringly of the "beauti- 
ful and permanent buildings on the grounds" and mentions that $25,000 
were offered in premiums. 

Every indication seemed to bespeak a grand and unqualified success 
in the enterprise, when an unexpected calamit}' befel, threatening to 
blast the hopes, so nearly accomplished, of the friends of the Exposition. 

The Morning Herald, of Thursday, September. 4. 1873, came out 
with the following statement : 

"Last night, about 9 o'clock, a tornado struck the Exposition build- 
ings and resulted in seriously damaging the Art and Power halls. These 
were in an unfinished state and could not withstand the severity of the 
storm. The damage will be repaired and no delay be occasioned to 
this grand enterprise. Every one is in sympathy with the Exposition 
project, and we are assured that every citizen will come forward now 
and donate liberally to repair all losses, at whatever cost." 

The assurance was not unfounded. The people responded liberally 
and the work of reconstruction was immediately inaugurated. Such 
was the determined energy with w^iich the labor of rebuilding was con- 
ducted, that before the 29th of September, the appointed period for the 
opening of the Exposition, the damage, amounting to not less than fif- 
teen thousand dollars, was entirely repaired and everything was in 
readiness for the display. 

The books of the Association show that the sum of eight thousand, 
nine hundred and nine dollars was expended for labor alone in recon- 
structing the ruined buildings, to say nothing of material used. 



HISTOR^■ OF BilTHANAN COUNTY. 299 

The officers of this, the grandest exposition ever held in the state, 
outside of St. Louis, were : Captain George Lyon, President ; I. G. 
Kappner, Treasurer ; E. Fleischer, Secretary and Gen'l Superintendent. 

The Sunday preceding the opening was a drear}', dismal day, dawn- 
ing with a drizzling rain, which continued until nightfall. On Monday 
following, the 29th September, 1873, the sun rose in a cloudless sky. A 
more beautiful day for the inauguration could not have been desired. 
The internal appearance of the grand hall was superb. In the centre of 
the cross, formed by the intersection of the transept, appeared a circular 
basin, from which rose the graceful spray of a fountain, while far away 
in the octagonal terminus of the south transept a grotto, embowered 
in a minature forest of rare exotic and other flowering plants, which 
loaded the atmosphere with grateful perfume, lent a pleasing relief to 
the vast display of wares and fabrics on exhibition. By "the middle of 
the afternoon of the first day there were fully ten thousand people on 
the ground. In the matter of patents alone, thirty-three states were 
here represented. The effects of this grand display were long felt in 
the business of the city, and served as an immense advertisement of her 
resources. Interest in the fair continued unabated till its close. The 
Morning Herald stated in its issue on the following day, that on Thurs- 
day, October 2d, the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R. carried 33,000 persons to the 
grounds, and expresses the opinion that there must have been fifty thou- 
sand people present. So great was the throng, that by noon the associ- 
ation was compelled to close its gates to the further admission of vehicles. 

No event of this memorable occasion seemed to attract more gen- 
eral interest than the Great Baby Show, which occurred on the last day, 
Saturday, October 4th. There were fifty-seven entries of babies of 
both sexes, and of all ages, from six weeks to twenty months, including 
one colored specimen, of the female sex. 

The judges, on this important occasion, were Governor Giddings, of 
New Mexico ; Hon. B. M. Austin, of Michigan, and Colonel James N. 
Burnes, of St. Joseph. 

The prize, a one hundred dollar buggy, offered as a special premium 
by C. Kessler & Co., of St. Joseph, was awarded to Kitty Nims, aged 
twenty months, daughter of Ruel and Catherine Nims, of Nebraska. 

The utmost harmony and good feeling prevailed to the close of the 
last day. Everybody seemed to think that the exposition had proved a 
grand success. 

In the enthusiasm of the closing scene. Captain Lyon, the efficient 
popular president of the association, and a man of no small proportions, 
was bodily lifted on the top of a stand and vociferously called on for a 
speech. The captain, in his usual felicitous style, returned thanks 
for the expression of good will, and after a few well-timed remarks, 
retired amid a storm of applause. 



yX) HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

But for the accident of the destruction by wind of the buildings, this 
fair would have been, in every respect, an unqualified success. The 
receipts of the week were over twenty-eight thousand dollars, but the 
■fifteen thousand dollars, necessarily expended in restoring the wrecked 
structures, severely crippled the resources of the association. 

In 1874 a new corporation was formed, they assuming the payment, 
3n four annual installments, of a mortgage of $15,000 or $16,000 on the 
buildings. In view of the financial depression consequent upon the 
grasshopper scourge, the association failed to meet its second payment. 

The second exposition opened on Monday, September 7. 1874, and 
closed Saturday evening. September 12th. The officers of the associa- 
tion that year were : James N. Burnes, President ; George Hall, Vice 
President ; George Lyon, Superintendent and Managing Director ; H. R. 
W. Hartwig, Treasurer ; J. M. Varnum, Secretary ; Captain John A. Dol- 
man, Assistant General Superintendent ; Colonel Elijah Gates, Chief 
Marshal. 

The fair this year was largelj- attended, and its receipts were 
$22,500, A notable feature of this fair was the first old settlers' meet- 
ing, referred to at length under its proper heading. 

In view of the continued visitation of the grasshopper scourge, inter- 
est in the succeeding fairs began to flag, and the attendance, in conse- 
quence, to fall off. 

The officers of the Association in 1875, were: James N. Burnes, 
President ; George Lyon, General Manager ; Wm. M. W)eth. Vice Pres- 
ident ; H. R. W. Hartwig, Treasurer ; J. T. Imbrie, Secretary. 

The receipts of the exposition, which occurred about the usual 
period in September, this year, were nearly twenty thousand dollars. 

The second old settlers' meeting occurred during this fair. 

The fourth annual PLxposition opened Monday, September 25th' 
1876, and continued till Saturday the 30th. This fair was largely 
attended. The officers of the Association that year were : James N. 
Burnes, President ; Wm. M. Wyeth, Vice President : Capt. George Lyon, 
General Manager; J. T. Imbrie, Secretary. 

The fifth and last Exposition of this Association opened Monday, 
September loth, 1877, continuing till Saturday, [5th. 

The officers of the Association during this year were Capt. George 
Lyon, President and General Manager; Wm. M. Wyeth, Vice President; 
J. T. Imbrie, Secretary. 

In the year 1878 Buchanan County had no fair. It was not in the 
nature of things, however, that this should continue long. 

August 29th, 1879, the 

SAINT JOSEPH EXCOSniON ASSOCIATION 
ivas incorporated, with a capital stock of $12,000, divided intu 1.200 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 3OI 

shares of $10 each. This is commonly known by the name and style of 
Saint Joseph Inter-State Exposition. 

The grounds at the terminus of the Citizen's Street Railway are 
leased by the Association. The locality is well shaded with native tim- 
ber and watered by a stream which traverses its entire length. The 
buildings are good and the Association is said to' be in a healthy finan- 
cial condition. 

The incorporators are Samuel Nave, John J. Abell, Edward Kuechle, 
L. G. Hunger, and Dr. J. M. D. France. 

The first officers of this Association were : Samuel Nave, President ; 
H. R. W. Hartwig, Vice President ; Edward J. Kuechle, Treasurer ; J. T. 
Imbrie, Secretary. 

The first fair commenced Monday, September 29th, 1879, and con- 
tinued till Saturday, October 5tK following. It was largely attended 
and generally considered a success, although it rained every day of the 
Exposition. 

The second Exposition of this Association, which opened Monday, 
September 6th, 1880, was liberally patronized. It is claimed that on 
Thursday, the 9th inst., there were present on the grounds 24,000 people. 
The officers were the same as those of the previous year. 

The Association have labored to make the enterprise a success. 
Not less than $16,000 worth of improvements having been placed on the 
grounds in the past two years. The Exposition for 1881 opens Monday, 
September 5th, 188 1. Among other liberal inducements the sum of 
$20,000 is offered in premiums. The officers are the same as those of 
>the two previous years with the exception of the Secretary. Charles F. 
Ernst succeeds Mr. Imbrie in this latter office. The Board of Directors 
for 1 88 1 include Samuel M. Nave, H. R. W. Hartwig, A. C. Dawes, F. 
L. Sommer, A. Steinacker, S. I. Smith, B. F. Buzard, J. J. Abell and 
Edward J. Kuechle. 

SAINT JOSEPH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY AND NORTHWESTERN FRUIT 

GROWERS ASSOCIATION 

was organized in 1866, with ten or twelve members. Judge Henry M. 
Vories, who was elected to the Supreme bench of the State in 1872, w^as 
the first President of the society, and Wm. M. Albin, its first Secre- 
tary. Allen Vories, Esq., was secretary from 1868 to 1875, when, on the 
resignation of Judge H. M. Vories, he was elected to succeed him, 
and D. M. Reichard was elected Secretary of the Association. The 
society, at one time, had a membership of between sixty and seventy. 

At the St. Louis Fair, in 1869, a diploma was awarded this society 
for the "best and largest collection of all kinds of fruits." 

At the Kansas City Fair of 1871, a diploma was awarded the St. 
Joseph Horticultural Society and Fruit Growers Association "for the 
■best displa\- of horticultural products." 



302 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

THE MISSOURI YAI.LEY I'OULTRY AM) PET STOCK ASSOCIATION 

was an institution organized in 1873, with James A. Storm, President, 
and Harry Carter, Secretary. 

Its first meeting, held for the purpose of organizing, occurred during 
the fair on the Exposition grounds. Its first exhibition was held in the 
City Hall, December 8th, 9th and loth of the same year. This was one 
of the most popular and largely attended displays ever offered to the 
public in St. Joseph. 

The organization prospered for five or six consecutive years, when 
interest in its success began to flag and it gradually ceased to exist. 

STATE FISH HATCHERY. 

This institution is located in Washington Township, three miles 
below St. Joseph, at the Brown Spring, on ten acres of land purchased 
by the citizens of St. Joseph and donated by them to the Fish Commis- 
sion of Missouri. In reference thereto, the Fish Commissioners, in their 
report for the year 1881, say: 

"The first meeting of the Board, after Mr. Ewing's appointment, was 
held in St. Joseph the 8th of June, 1880. After examining a number of 
springs in the County of Buchanan, the Commission, all the members 
being present, located the State Fish Hatchery on the loth of June, 1880, 
at the Brown Spring, about three miles south of the southern limits of 
the City of St. Joseph, but upon condition that ten acres of ground, where 
the hatchery was located, should be conveyed in fee simple to the Fish 
Commission, for the use and benefit of the State of Missouri, free of 
charge to the state. The citizens of St. Joseph having been informed of 
the conditional location of the hatchery, as above stated, at once raised, 
by voluntary subscription, the sum of one thousand dollars, in cash, and 
gave it to the chairman to pay for the ten acres of ground required for 
the purpose of the hatchery; and thereupon Judge Thomas A. Brown 
conveyed said land to the Fish Commission of Missouri on the 19th day 
of July, 1880, said deed being duly executed and acknowledged, was filed 
for record in the Recorder's office of Buchanan County, on the 4th day of 
August, 1880, and is now of record in said office, in book 105, page 510. 
On the 2 1st day of August, 1880, the Commission entered into a contract 
with Rufus K. Allen to erect a house for a State Fish Hatchery on said 
ten acres of ground, according to the plans and specifications prepared 
by C. H. Brownell, who had been employed by the Commission as Super- 
intendent of the State Fish Hatchery, it being a part of the agreement 
between the Commission and said Brownell, when he was employed as 
Superintendent, that he was to prepare the plan of said house and super- 
intend its erection, as well as to advise and aid in the construction 
of all the machinery and appliances used in preparing said hatchery for 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 303 

actual use. Mr. Brownell was recommended to the Commission as an 
honest, competent, reliable and experienced man, by several gentlemen 
connected with the fish hatcheries in the State of Michigan. We agreed 
to pay Mr. Brownell lor his sevices $75 per month and his expenses 
from his home in Michigan to St. Joseph, his employment to commence 
the i6th of August, 1880. The hatchery is a two-story frame building, 
forty feet long and twenty feet wide ; the lower floor contains all the 
hatching troughs and apparatus used in the hatching and taking care of 
the young fry. The upper part of the building is used now, and is and 
was designed as a dwelling for the Superintendent and all employes in 
the hatchery. The house, under the contract with Mr. Allen, above 
referred to, cost $1,219.34. For excavation and building pond, materials 
used in and making troughs, trays, etc., for lead and copper pipes, and 
all work done and materials furnished in completing our hatchery, we 
have already paid out, in addition to the cost of the house, $1,102.13, 
making the actual cost of our hatchery to the State, as it now stands, 
with all necessary fixtures and appliances complete, $2,321.47, to which 
has been added two unpaid bills for fencing and painting, now under 
contract, amounting to the sum of $117, and making the total cost $2,438.47. 

We think we can safely say that we have as perfect and complete a 
fish hatchery as can be found anywhere in the West. The water used 
is of the purest quality found in any limestone country ; it is abundant 
for all the uses of the hatchery, and when the thermometer last winter 
fell to more than 20 deg. below zero, the water that flowed into our 
hatchery, and in which we had at the time about 175,000 California 
salmon fry, never fell below 50 deg. 

It will be necessary next spring to make some carp and other ponds ; 
when this is done no other money will have to be spent in making our 
fish hatchery all that could be desired by its most ardent friends. We 
can then hatch all the eggs and furnish all the young fish fry needed to 
supply every river, lake and pond in the State. It will be apparent 
from what has been said that our hatchery was located and built at too 
late a period to do much last fall. No eggs, such as we wanted, could 
be had, except 200,000 California salmon eggs that were furnished us by 
the United States Fish Commission, we paying the cost of transporta- 
tion, first, from San Francisco to Chicago, $93 ; next, from Chicago to 
St. Joseph, $20. About five per cent, of these eggs were lost before we 
got them to the hatchery ; of the remaining ninety-five per cent, nearh- 
all of them produced healthy, splendid young fish. These are still in 
our troughs, but ready for distribution, and will be distributed, under an 
order of the Board, made on the nth inst., as soon as we can perfect our 
arrangements with the railroads for transportation of fish and messen- 
gers, to wit : Lake Contrary, 20,000; Platte River, 5,000; One Hundred 
and Two River, 5,000. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

REUNION 

OF OLD SETTLERS OF THE PLATTE PURCHASE, AT ST. JOSEPH, MO., SEPTEMBER, 1874, 
AND SEPTEMBER, 1875— BISHOP MARVIN'S LETTER- ADDRESSES— NAMES OF OLD 
SETTLERS. 

Having already noticed at considerable length the earliest settle- 
ments, and the pioneers who first made these settlements, we shall now 
speak of the old settlers' reunions which took place at St. Joseph, Sep- 
tember, 1874-5. under the auspices of the Industrial and Art Exposi- 
tion. That was an occasion redolent of pleasant memories and sacred 
recollections to the gray-haired sires who were then present. Many of 
these old veterans have since passed to the land of shadows : 

•' Unblamed through life, lamented in the end." 

A few still linger upon the shores of time, as the oldest landmarks 
of those early days, when the Platte country had just passed from the 
dominion of the non-progressive red men into the hands of the whites. 
Brave-hearted old pioneers ! Golden be the evening twilight of their 
lives. We have for them a peculiar reverence, and upon our hearts 
abide their memories imperishable. 

A few more years, however, of watching and waiting, and the\-, too, 
will have joined 

"The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To that mysterious realm where each shill take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death." 

The following letter, sent by Bishop Marvin to James N. Burnes, 
the president of the old settlers" meeting of 1874, will be read with 
interest : 

2719 Lucas Avenue, St. Louis, \ 
September 3, 1874. ) 
Jam IS N. Burnes, Esq. 

/)i-(77- Sir and Brother — I have just returned from a tour, and find 
)ours of August 27th, inviting me to participate in the reunion of the 
" old settlers " of the Platte Purchase. I regret that I did not know of 
the reunion a month earlier. In that case I could have arranged my 
appointments so as to enable me to be present. As it is, I have an 
engagement in Dent County, which for special reasons it is necessary 
to meet. You may assure your board that no circumstances of a trivial 
character would prevent my acceptance of their invitation. 



HISTORY OF RUCHANAN COUNTY. 305 

For the early settlers of Northwest Missouri I feel a regard that 
amounts to enthusiasm, and increases with time. 

The early years of my ministry were spent in that part of the state. 
In 1842, I passed the present site of St. Joseph, on my way to a field of 
labor quite on the frontier. It embraced all the country west of Noda- 
way River. You will remember at that time there was no St. Joseph. 
In subsequent years, I labored in Clay, Platte and Buchanan Counties. 
I shall never forget the uncalculating, unbounded hospitality of the "old 
settlers." Many of them were in their first rude cabins, but those cabins 
had the rarest capacity for entertaining both friend and stranger of any 
hou.ses of their size I ever saw. I often saw them crowded, but to the 
best of my recollection I never saw one of them full ; there was always 
room for a fresh comer. I recollect once in the Platte Purchase, I was 
wedging myself into a bed already occupied by five children, when one 
of them waked sufficiently to exclaim "Mamma, Mamma, he's a scrougin' 
me !" 

You will yourself remember that I was more than once a guest at 
the house of your honored father. Bear with me while I say I can never 
forget the model Christian inother, mistress and hostess, who presided 
over the domestic scene there. 

At that time I knew many men who did not know me, for I was a 
mere youth. I knew they were great as compared with other men I 
knew, but I had a fancy that the great men were in the east. But after 
many years of extended observation I have come to the conclusion that 
I heard as fine a specimen of political speaking in Liberty, in 1844, by 
Colonel Doniphan, as I have ever heard since, and that the country 
would be happy if the balances were everywhere held by hands as intel- 
ligent and firm as those of the pioneer jurist, David R. Atchison. 

Among my own class there was the laborious Redman, the scholarly 
Tutt, the impetuous and saintly Roberts, and many others, now dead. 
Nor can I omit the name of the incorruptible and courageous Roberson. 
Some are still living: Holmes, Perry, Ruble, Jordan, Rush, Spencer, 
Barker and others. 

There was a man, a minister of Christ, a large portion of whose pub- 
lic career belongs to the Platte Purchase, of whom I must say, he was in 
some respects the most remarkable man I ever saw. I refer to W. G. 
Caples. He was another "Agamemnon, King of Men.' He was a first- 
class wit, a man of the finest social feeling, having positive ideas, and a 
a great end to accomplish. That end was the extension of the Kingdom 
of Christ and the salvation of men. In his view, a high standard of pop- 
ular education would contribute to this. He did much for North- 
west Missouri in establishing schools under christian auspices, and 
although they did not survive the war, they did much to elevate public 
sentiment, and have left an influence behind them that must be perma- 
nent. 

Now I proceed to say that the old citizens of Platte have heard 
as great preaching as any other people on the American continent, and 
from the lips of the man, Caples. I have heard more scholarly rnen, 
men whose sermons evinced higher cultivation and a better classical 
finish ; but for power of argumentation, for philosophical breadth and 
sweep, for grandeur of conception, for greatness of imagination, for force 
and pungency of popular appeal, for originality, variety and opulence of 



306 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

thought, and for pathos, my conviction is, his superior has not appeared 
in the American pulpit. 

I make no doubt that the ministr}' and church have done more to 
quicken thought and create a thirst for knowledge in the west, than is 
generally understood. Ministers of the Gospel in the new communities, 
being above the average of people in culture, and dealing in truths of a 
character to elevate the mind, and provoke inquiry, have, as an incident 
of their calling, toned up the popular mind, encouraged a taste for read- 
ing and created a demand for schools. Such a man as Caples cannot 
mingle with people without elevating them. 

But pardon me. I had no thought of becoming so garrulous. I am 
getting to be almost an old man, and thoughts of the old times have 
awakened the talking mood in me, until it seems a real hardship and 
self-denial not to be with you at the reunion. It is thirty years since I 
heard Doniphan. How I would like to listen to his utterances on this- 
occasion, when old memories will mellow his voice, and since, as I doubt 
not. Christian sentiments will exalt and irradiate his conception. 

Will you have the goodness to present to the "old settlers" my 
profound regard, and express to them my deep regret that I cannot 
greet them on this pleasant occasion, for there are man)- whom I shall 
never see again. 

As ever, 

E. M. MARVIN." 

Bishop Marvin died in 1878. 

The following interesting account of the reunion of 1874. we take 
from the St. Joseph Herald : 

OLD SETTLERS' MEETING, SEPTEMIJER, 1 874. 

The Old Settlers' meeting was the most interesting feature of the 
day. At least one hundred of the old gray-haired sires and mothers, 
who were among the early settlers of the Platte Purchase, were gathered 
on the reserved seats in front of the grand stand. At half past twelve 
o'clock this meeting was called to order by Col. James N. Burnes, who 
spoke as follows : 

" Ladies and Gentlemen — You will not expect of me an extended 
speech. I am too full to express what I feel. You will allow me to 
nominate for chairman of this meeting the Hon. David R. Atchison. His 
name is the balance of my speech." 

Hon. D. R. Atchison then took the floor, and thanked the audience 
for the honor conferred upon him. He had once presided over the 
United States Senate, but this was a prouder position than he had ever 
occupied before. He referred in feeling terms to the early settlers of the 
Platte Purchase, the trials and hardships of the people, and their courage 
and endurance under difficulties. 

Hon. George Smith was elected first vice president. Mr. Smith 
returned his thanks for the distinction. He had no speech, but would on 
a proper occasion address the people of the Platte Purchase. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 307 

Col. Bufnes then opened a book containing the names of the old 
settlers, and moved that they be appointed vice presidents. Carried. 

Col. J. H. R. Cundiff was appointed secretary of the meeting. 

Gen. Craig then introduced Gen. A. W. Doniphan. Gen. Doniphan 
then came forward and said the sight of the Old Settlers exhilarated him 
like laughing gas. He said that old people like to talk, but he had to 
excuse himself with returning his thanks to the managers of the Expo- 
sition for granting the opportunity to the Old Settlers to have a re-union. 
One of the privileges of an old man was to contrast the present state of 
the country with what it was when the first settlement was made. He 
referred to the railroads, cities, colleges and other evidences of civiliza- 
tion that had sprung up in this country, that was an unknown wilderness 
in the old times. The Missouri of 1874 was an entirely different Mis- 
souri from that of 1830. He referred in feeling terms to those who had 
died since the settlement of the country. 

He referred to the free and easy hospitalities of the early days. 
Men did not stop to part their hair in the middle, but just gave it a toss 
back and went about their business. The unbounded hospitality was 
such as the world had never seen before. The ladies were the picture 
of health, and had strength as well as beauty, and there wasn't a strong- 
minded one among them. They had eyes like the doe, and a step like 
the gazelle, and were self-reliant and natural. He referred to the old 
type of men, that some thought had become extinct, but assured the 
audience they still lived. 

His speech was well interspersed with anecdotes, and he kept the 
audience laughing and roaring for full fifteen minutes. He referred to 
the old Missouri settlers who had made homes in Colorado and California, 
and said still they kept up the good old customs. He spoke of the pro- 
gress of the last quarter of a century. Twenty-five years ago there 
was not more than a thousand miles of railroad in America. St. Joseph 
and Kansas City were the ultimathule of civilization. Now they were 
great railroad centres, teeming with the commerce of half a dozen states 
and territories. The iron horse had passed our borders and gone carfer- 
ing on his conquering course across numerous territories to the golden 
gates of the Pacific. It was impossible to conceive what the next hun- 
dred years had in store for this great country. 

Judge Birch was then loudly called for ; but Gen. Craig introduced 
Senator Bogy, who then came forward, and spoke as follows : 

Ladies and Gentlemen of Northwest Missouri:— For many 
years I have attended meetings of the people in different towns, cities 
and counties of the state, and, indeed, in many of the states of the 
Union, but I can say with the utmost sincerity that I have never before 
taken part in any assemblage of the people which gave me so much true 
and heartfelt pleasure as this one does. When your invitation, sent to 



308 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

me by your committee, was received, I was on the eve of disposing of 
my time in a different way from that of being present here to-day, but 
the reading of it at once decided me to forego all other engagements. 
I have come, my friends, to exchange with you greetings of friendship, 
and to talk of the past, and of the men who, a few years ago, were with 
us working and shaping the destiny of our state and devoting their time, 
and energies to its material development. Most of them after well- 
spent lives, have passed from among us, leaving behind them honored 
names — to be cherished and respected by their descendants. I take it 
that, with few exceptions, I am addressing the children of the old set- 
tlers. Judging from my own recollections, there are but few left of the 
old set. Thornton and Thompson, and Laidlow. and Rich and Dough- 
erty, with whom I was personally acquainted, have paid the great debt 
of nature, and lie now beneath the green sod of the section first made to 
contribute its share to the support of the civilized man. Other names 
could be mentioned by persons better acquainted with the individuals of 
this section than I am ; but these few are a type of the old settlers. 
Who does not remember the name of each of these men without a pro- 
found emotion of respect and veneration .-' They were not only intelli- 
gent and influential, but in these respective persons was embodied the 
true character of American citizenship. 

You, my friends, who are their descendants, should not only respect 
their memories, but be proud of their private and public virtues. A 
nation of such men would be the wonder of the world. So much for the 
past. I meet here to-day a few of the old settlers who have been spared 
as the connecting link between us and the past. Atchison and Doni- 
phan, Morin and Wood and Birch, and a few others are here yet. Two 
of these have national reputations, and would of themselves be sufficient 
to make a nation illustrious. Atchison was for a long time the presid- 
ing officer of the Senate of the United States, when in that body were 
Calhoun and Clay and Webster and Benton and Crittenden and Man- 
gum and Cass and Houston, and a host of other illustrious characters. 
He then acquired a reputation co-extensive with the ijation. The name 
of Doniphan will live in history forever. His campaign in and through 
an enemy's country, under the most difficult circumstances, has never 
been surpassed by anything in ancient or modern times. i\lexander 
obtained the name of Great because he went from Greece to the Indus,, 
and for ages a halo of glory has surrounded his name, not surpassed b)' 
that of Hannibal or Napoleon ; yet when all the attending circumstances 
are duly considered, the march headed by your own Doniphan required 
more true courage and bravery, and power of endurance, and patience, 
and perseverance, and skill and military genius than the expedition 
headed by Alexander the Great. Atchison and Doniphan arc yet with 
you — and with the true simplicity of Cincinnatus and the dignit\- of Cato. 
move in your midst, sharing in your joys and sympathizing with your 
sorrows. May they be spared for many years to come. I am not here 
to-day, my friends, to deliver an eulogy upon the men who first settled 
this section. I have mentioned a few as a type, so as to let their 
descendants know what sort of men they came from, and so that they 
may entertain a feeling of great pride in their ancestors. 

I am myself a descendant of a race of pioneers, different in man\ 
respects from the one I am speaking of. The first settlers of the valley 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 309- 

were French, yet they did not come here from France. In the latter 
part of the seventeenth and early part of the eighteenth century, the fur 
trade of the valley of the Mississippi became an object of commercial 
importance, and the Canadians were the first persons who came here 
and did so as fur traders. Canada was then a colony of France, and 
remained so till the treaty of Paris of 1763. The early Canadian pioneer 
is, therefore, the original settler of this country. They remained, how- 
ever, on the east side of the Mississippi, and settled the towns of Caho- 
kia, Prairie du Pont, Prairie du Rocher, Kaskaskia and Fort Chartiers, 
and crossed the river only towards the latter part of the eighteenth 
century. 

After the treaty of 1763, by which the east side of the river was 
ceded to England, they came over the river in larger numbers, believing- 
that it yet belonged to France, although the same treaty had ceded it to 
Spain. I will not detain you with the details, and only mention them 
to explain the different character of emigrants who first settled our state. 
At the time Louisiana was organized, in 1803, by Mr. Jefferson, the popu- 
lation of this country was, I may say, entirely French. Soon after the 
acquisition a large emigration came from Virginia, the great old mother 
of states, and from Kentucky, the first daughter of the glorious old 
mother, and from the old North State of Carolina, and from Tennessee, 
and settled in the counties of New Madrid, Cape Girardeau, Ste. Gene- 
vieve, St. Louis and St. Charles. This emigration continued, not ver>^ 
rapidly, till the admission of Missouri as a state, when our population 
was only 56,000. I well remember the excitement about the Boone's 
Lick country, when I was a boy in my native town. Wagons filled with 
women and children, followed by cattle, horses and hogs, were passing- 
through the town every day. Many of the little boys in the wagons 
became, in after times, leading men in our state, and no doubt many of 
the innocent little girls became the mothers of other men who also 
became distinguished and played their parts in the drama of life. Boone's 
Lick was settled by a noble lot of men and women. Old Daniel Boone 
himself came to our state and settled here. Boone, Callaway, Howard, 
and Clinton Counties were settled at this period. A few years afterwards 
the tide moved towards the northwest and settled the counties of Clay, 
Ray, Carroll, etc. 

In 1836 a most remarkable, and, under the political condition of the 
country, a most singular event took place. The section of country known 
as the Platte country, being the triangle lying west of the western line 
of our state and the Missouri River, was by acL of Congress added to our 
state. I well remember the newspaper controversy which took place at 
the time in relation to it. Benton and Linn were in the Senate — both 
being Senators of commanding influence — Benton being then considered 
the Ajax of the administration, and Linn, personally, the most popular 
man in the Senate, for he was as lovely as a woman, yet possessing the 
true characteristics of one of the knights of old. Ashbury was in the 
House — a man of high character and large wealth, which he expended 
with princely liberality. Benton and Linn claimed a measure of credit 
for the passage of this law — which Ashley denied. On the other hand he 
■ claimed that which they denied. The truth is, that but one was entitled 
to great credit for the passage ot the measure. It required the combina- 
tion of talent and personal popularity and personal influence which they 



310 HISTORY OF r.UCH.WAX COUNTY. 

had to secure its passage, and to each and to all are we indebted for this 
great measure. 

This section of countr)' now embraces the counties of Holt, Atchison, 
Nodawa}-, Andrew, Platte and Buchanan, and this beautiful and growing 
•city of St. Joseph its metropolis, was founded by an old friend of my boy- 
hood — Joseph Robidoux — w^io was really the first pioneer of the Platte 
country. 

Up to the passage of this law, this was an Indian country, and by 
treaty had been set apart forever to the Sioux and Fox tribes of Indians. 
As soon as this most bountiful and rich country was acquired, as already 
mentioned, and opened to settlement, a w^ave of emigrants immediately 
poured into it, and soon this country, which but a short time before had 
.been the home of the Indian and wild beast, was transformed into mag- 
nificent farms, and the home of as fine and noble a race of men as any 
country can boast of. In many respects the latter emigrants had the ad- 
vantage of the first settlers, and certainly greatly the advantage of the 
early Canadians. They left the old countr}' after the)' or their fathers 
had had time and opportunity to acquire property, and also to obtain 
educations, which was an impossibility with the early settlers. Many of 
them, indeed, were men of wealth and the owners of many stores, and 
also possessing liberal education. Many of the women were highly edu- 
cated and accomplished. I visited the section when a young man, and I 
never shall forget the favorable impression made on me at the time, not 
only by the robust and intelligent men I met, but by as charming, hand- 
some and accomplished ladies, young and old, as I ever met elsewhere. 

I have thus, ladies and gentlemen, in a brief and desultory manner,, 
given you a sketch of the early settlers of our country. 

Each generation has, no doubt, its alloted duties; ours is to trans- 
mit to those who are to come after us as the rich legacy we inherited 
from our forefathers — and this is not only in the political order, but in 
the social and moral order — and as your fathers left you honored names, 
you should do nothing to tarnish them; nay, you must not, no matter at 
what personal cost, permit any one else to place a blot on the fair fame 
of the brave men and women from whom }'ou have sprung. And, as you 
inherited high social positions, transmit the same to your children. Do 
this and you, like your fathers, will have discharged the duties of your 
day and generation, to them, to your sons, and to those who are to come 
after you. 

Ladies and gentlemen : Permit me in conclusion to sa)' a few words 
of a personal nature. The people of my state have honored me with the 
highest office in their gift. A seat in the Senate of the United States is 
truly one of the most distinguished and elevated positions which man 
can hold in this or any other country. When elected to this high posi- 
tion I felt the measure of my ambition was full, and the dreams of a long 
life realized. Yet I felt as but few can feel, a sense of gratitude to the 
generation of the present day for selecting in my humble person a 
•descendant of the old hunters and settlers of this portion of the New 
World. In the name of mj- earl}- forefathers, the old hunters of this 
Western World, and with the recollections of their primitive and humble 
virtues fresh in my heart and soul, I return thanks to my generation for 
Jthis, its great act of generosity to one of their descendants. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 311 

General Craig then introduced General B. F. Stringfellovv, who spoke 
briefly and to the point. He referred to the fact that he was a citizen of 
Kansas ; he said there was no act in his life of which he was so proud as 
the fact that he was once a member of the firm of Atchison, Stringfellovv & 
Co. He here saw the Co. around him in the faces of the old settlers. He 
referred to the brilliant career of Colonel Doniphan, and the acquisition 
of Texas, New Mexico and California, to the early settlements of Kansas 
and the men who were then called border ruffians. They were rightly 
■described by a young lady as the last remains of chivalry. He had only 
to say he was sorr}- they were whipped. He accepted the situation 
brought about by the new order of things. 

He did not propose to shed any useless tears over the past, but to 
accept the new order of things and make the best of it and the most of 
it. He referred to the prejudice formerly existing against Northern men, 
and was glad that the old prejudices were worn out, and that the people 
of the Missouri Valley were a homogenous people. His speech abounded 
in anecdotes, and was frequently applauded by the immense audience in 
attendance. 

Uncle Henry Vories was then introduced, and spoke in his pleasant, 
old-fashioned way : 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen and Old Settlers of 
Missouri — I decline making anything like a speech on this occasion, 
but I propose relating a few incidents in my life which, doubtless, will be 
personally recollected by not a few old settlers before me. 

I came to Missouri from Indiana in 1844, the memorable year of the 
flood. I started with nothing and arrived here with less, with my family 
sick into the bargain. Some time before leaving Indiana, on examining 
the map of the Platte country, I placed my finger on the spot, in the 
bend of the Missouri, where St. Joseph was marked down, and where she 
now stands, and said, "That shall be my home." 

I started for the new land of my hopes and arrived at last in Clinton 
County. There I became sick from the fatigue and labors of the journey 
and could proceed no further. I was without money and almost entirely 
destitute. An early settler of that country, many of you know him, Mr. 
Bagley, took me and my family into his house, giving us the best quarters 
he possessed, and took care of us while I was sick, his wife waiting upon 
me as tenderly as my own mother could have done. It was there, while 
lying sick, before having reached my journey's end, that I first saw the 
face of my friend, Judge James H. Birch, now before you. Dr. Essig 
had come to wait on me. I told him that I had no money, and did not 
know when, if ever, I could pay him for his professional services, and that 
unless he felt able to give his services to me without certainty of ever 
getting any pay, he had better not spend his time with me. He said he 
would do the best for me he could. The next morning who should come 
;to my bedside but Judge Birch. I was in a very dilapidated condition, 
which he could not help observing as he looked at me, and he said to me : 
"You are a stranger here, and in straightened circumstances, which I 



312 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

fully appreciate ; pemit me to loan you some money." That was my first 
introduction to Judge Birch. 

I finally got into a cabin with my family ; I could throw a dog through 
the cracks of the door. One of my children was sick, and one morning 
a blue-coated boy of the neighborhood who had become acquainted with 
her, came to see her. That boy now is the Hon. Willard P. Hall. In a 
few days the Hon. James B. Gardenhire called to see me and I formed 
his acquaintance. 

After a while the time for court to sit came round. I wanted to go, 
but had no money. I owed a girl, a servant in the house, fifty cents, and 
she wanted to leave, and I was determined, not to let her go unpaid. 
One day old Bob Duncan came to me and asked me if I was going to 
court ; I told him no, that my family were sick and I didn't want to leave 
them. I wanted to go, but I had no money ; but I didn't want to tell 
him any more. He suspected the real trouble and said: " Now, Vories» 
don't you need a little money.'* Take this and go to court," and he 
handed me several good sized coins. I did go to court. 

The first fee I got was a horse, which I sold for $40. The next da)- 
I took the money and went to Plattsburg to pay my friend Birch.- I met 
Bela Hughes and told him my mission. He said, "don't look so down- 
hearted." My hat was old and very dilapidated, for a member of the 
legal profession, and Hughes noticed it and said, "Hold your head up, 
there are good people here, and the man. who rides forty miles to pay a 
debt will succeed." 

Here I met many of these old men and got acquainted with them: 
Afterward I was for a brief moment captivated with the stories about 
California, and made a visit there. But I could not stay. On my return 
I met the question on all sides, "what makes you come back," and I said 
to them, "the men I meet here, when I speak to them, stood about six 
inches closer to me than they do out there." I said to my partner, in 
California, before leaving there, that if I knew that I could live only two 
years longer, and it would take me eighteen months to get back to Mis- 
souri, I would spend that eighteen months in getting home just to live 
the other six months among the people of Missouri. And now, all I ask 
is, that when it is all over, my grave may be made among the graves of 
my old benefactors. 

« 

Gen. Craig then said that they had kept the best of the wine to the 
last of the feast, and then introduced Judge James H. Birch, Sr.,,who 
spoke as follows : 

The venerable and venerated Judge Birch, . of Clinton County,, was, 
the next and last speaker. 

He commenced by an illusion to the kindly reference whichhad been 
made to him by Judge Vories, in respect to- a. circumstance occurring 
some thirty years ago, in which he had been-so befriended by the speaker 
as to satisfy him that he had come to the right. country, to find men^.a.nd 
which had actuated him ever since. The Judge had regarded it simply 
as the duty of a lawyer and citizen, who happened to have a few dollars 
at the time, toward another lawyer (and a sick one) who was in a strange 
country and was out of money, to divide with him. 15ut as demonstrat- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 313 

ing exactly the man that Vories was, whether with or without money, 
the Judge went on to say that, when it afterward came to the ear of 
Vories that he was strapped for spending money in one of his races for 
Congress, Vories had opened his pocket book to him, although he had 
been a member of the convention that had nominated another candidate- 
Nor was this all — ^for when he was so chronically bedfast, two or three 
years ago, as to render it probable that he would never again get away 
from home, Vories had sent to him a basket of his "Virginia Seedling," 
and was preparing to send him another of Catawba, when he learned 
that Birch had anticipated him by ordering it from his agent. The 
whole of it was, that whatever risk the speaker had incurred in leaving 
.all the money he had (and that borrowed money) with a sick brother 
lawyer and his family, it turned out to be the most encouraging instance 
he had ever met with of "casting his bread upon the waters^' — for the 
.poor, high-headed creature had never got done with reciprocating it, and 
.7iever zvould. Such was Henry M. Vories, now an honored Justice of the 
Supreme Court — then a sick and downcast lawyer, without comforts for 
his family — and such is but an average type of the "old settlers" of the 
"Platte Purchase," by whom he found himself surrounded to-day. 

Yes, gentlemen, (continued the speaker,) all the loose talk in the 
world cannot keep it out of history, that the "old settlers" who have 
passed the gate to-day on the " complimentary " of the self-possessed 
and far-seeing president' of this great exposition, are of the type or 
class of men who, in all ages, from the conquest of Julius Caesar, to the 
settlement of California and Colorado, have been the founders of societ}', 
of counties and of states — and we ask no higher recognition than that 
we did not ingloriously " die out " amongst those we were born with, but 
that we took our chances to build up an equal, if not an im])roved, 
society amongst those of equal self-reliance with ourselves. 

And here, if anywhere, it is appropriate to remark that amongst 
those whom you have so encouraged with your good will that their 
names are recorded as successful lawyers and judges and legislators, in 
both houses, (both state and national) there is not one of us who has a 
black mark against another one, whether we remember each other as 
professional or political associates, or rivals. No, gentlemen, (said tire 
distinguished speaker, turning to the ten or dozen who were occupying 
with him the speaking stand) no ! and more than that, there is not a 
man amongst you who was not naturally " born and bred " in the full 
appreciation and recognition of General Jackson's sententious measure 
of unquestioned mediocrity, namely, the desire to detract from the repu- 
tation of your rivals, in the ignoble and mistaken assumption that to 
concede their "cleverness" was much subtracted from their own. In 
this sense, at least, we were all Jackson men, whether agreeing or dis- 
agreeing in other respects, and in that sense we look into the faces of 



314 HISTORY OF nUCIIANAN COUNTY. 

each other to-day, as I saw Harrison and Johnson look into the faces of 
each other, when meetintj for the first time during' the quarter of a cen- 
tury which had elapsed since the battle of the Thames. Each had dis- 
charged his duty, according to his theor}' of it ; and the respectful, yet 
stately look of each made an absolute end of the misjudged calumnies 
which the unreflecting friends of each had heaped upon the other during 
the political canvass of 1840. 

Having no time before the horse race, of which he had heard the 
sound of the bugle, to speak of the other noble attributes of the repre- 
sentative men who surrounded him, as he would not scruple to do, even- 
in their presence, did time permit him, the speaker took up and amplified 
the allusion which had been made by General Atchison to General 
Hughes, as the inaugurator of the Platte County addition to the State 
of Missouri, by referring to what it had happened to him to know upon 
the subject. Producing from his portmanteau a cop\- of the Western 
Monitor and Boone's Lick Correspondent, a small newspaper which he 
established and edited at Fayette six and forty years ago, (and which 
was then the westernmost newspaper office in the United States,) he mod- 
estly referred to his connection with it as having gi\en him his first polit- 
ical influence, and that it was therefore that the late General Andrew 
S. Hughes, then the agent of the Indian tribes who had had the Platte 
country assigned to them as their reservation or territor}-, had addressed 
him a letter on the subject of ha\ing it annexed to the State of Missouri. 
That letter was accompanied b\- a rude diagram of the countr\-, drawn 
up by the late General Cornelius Gilliam, from his hunting recollections 
of it, and was enclosed to Colonel Benton (our then senior senator) with 
such an additional letter from the speaker as he hoped might help along 
the project ; and in due course of mail he had the satisfaction t<^ receive 
from our then distinguished and subsequenth' illustrious Senator, a 
repl}-, which he published in his paper, to the effect that both the Presi- 
dent and the Secretary of War were in favor of adding the then Indian 
reservation to the State of Missouri, for militar\- considerations con- 
nected with the peace of our original frontier boundar\-. 

Such having been the simple and unadorned inauguration of a pro- 
ject which added a Congressional slave district to the State of Missouri, 
it is but justice to add that the measure was finalh- carried through 
both houses of Congress on the unanimous report of the House Com- 
mittee on Indian affiairs, of which that life-long emancipationist, Horace- 
Everett, of Vermont, was the chairman. Ma}- it not be added without 
offense, that in this case, as in previous and subsequent ones, the great 
Democratic reliance upon the ultimate sense of "Justice and Right " of a 
majority of our countrymen is at least the safest panacea for "the ills we 
feel," instead of "flying to others we know not of.^" and that our recent 
unhappy experience of the opposite theory, where the sections as repr 



IlIsrORV OF HUCHAXAN COUNTY. 315 

scntcd in congress were too mutuall)' deaf to these ;ipi)eals of fraternity 
and of reason to avert the ultimate arbitrament of the sword, should be 
referred to in no other spirit, and for no other purpose, than as an 
admonition for the future. 

God grant that we may live forever, not only as one people (as we 
jiuist live), but as the fraternal, prosperous and free people we ought to be. 

The renewed notes of the race come, and a whisper from the highly 
courteous executive of the day's programme, that but three minutes 
remain of the time allotted to these ceremonies, will but necessarily 
condense even the condensed remarks to which I had restricted myself. 

I have spoken of the "Old Settlers" and their descendants, who, 
with all others, have so courteously listened to my gleanings — for I have 
but essayed to tread where others left me room — of the men I have 
spoken of as the class who founded society on the basis of right, and 
who so lived to be ready to " lay down the mace," in good conscience 
and peace, at the summons of the Great Maker. So lived Andrew 
Jackson, the frontier " settler " of Tennessee, to whose destiny it fell to so 
improve the opportunities of his time as to reach the most exalted posi- 
tion of the Republic. The bell rings again, and I must again condense. 
If his character in life was a grand one, his character in death was still 
grander — as it may be the fortune of each of us to be — each in the 
sphere to which providence has allotted him. 

For more than a year before he obeyed the final summons, he was 
" on guard," (so to speak,) in view of the last enemy he had to vanquish, 
and the reflections it suggested were so accepted and acted upon as to 
turn aside the terrors of the destroyer, or to so improve them as but to 
gild his entrance upon " the life eternal." His last words were : 

" I have finished my destiny upon earth, and it is time this worn out 
body should go to rest, and my spirit to its abode w'th Christ, my 
Redeemer." 

Then, turning in the last intenseness and fervor of his mighty soul, 
the Christian patriot prayed : 

"May my enemies find peace; may the liberties of my country 
endure forever ; may I meet you all in Heaven, both white and black." 

I will but reverentially repeat a paraphrase of this, as a parting 
benediction to those who have so often and so variously honored me 
with their ear — and to whom, and to their posterity and mine, I thus 
give over, in common with all others, the future of a common country : 

May our enemies find peace ; may the liberties of our country 
endure forever ; may we all meet in Heaven, both white and black. 

At the close of Judge Birch's speech, Col. Burnes announced that 
the Old Settlers' Meeting was adjourned until the next St. Joseph Expo- 
sition. The band then played Dixie and Yankee Doodle, which were 
received with tremendous applause by the large crowd in attendance. 



3l6 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

This was a shaking of hands across the bloody chasm, that was eminently 
appropriate to the occasion, and the manner in which this meeting 
closed shows that the people of the Missouri Valley are a homogeneous 
people ; one in sympathy, and one in purpose ; united and inseparable. 
The occasion will long be remembered by the old settlers in attendance 
as one of the happiest reunions in their lives. 

THE YETERANS. 

The following is a list of the veterans who reported to the secretary, 
at the meeting of September, 1874, and the dates of their settlement in 
the Platte Purchase : * 

BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Mrs. S. L. Leonard, 1837. Mrs. S. Connett 1837 

S. S. Connett 1839. H. T. Connett 1839 

M. C. Riley 1837. Geo. G. H. Brand 1835 

Geo. W. ToHn 1839. Evan Jordan 1840 

John B. Ritchie 1838. Abner Copeland 1839 

Marian Copeland 1838. Dr. Silas McDonald 1838 

James J. Reynolds 1838. Cornelius Day 1838 

James B. O'Toole 1837. Simeon Kemper 1840 

Alexander Poe . 1841 . Col. John Doniphan 

Judge Thos. A. Browne 1838. Calvin James. 



John R. Johnson 1838. Moses Pyle 1837 

Jeremiah Burnes 1837. William Kirkham 1838 

*F. C. Hughes Jule C. Robidoux 1838. 

C. W. Davies 1840. E. M. Davidson 1837 

Calvin F. Burnes 1837. Ben. C. Porter 1839 

James E. Wallace 1838. Elisha Gladden 1834 

William Gartin David C. Munkers 1837 

D. A. Davidson 1837. Husselton Compton 1840 

Isaac Lower Samuel E. Hardy 1838 

G. M. Patton 1834. Wm. B. Poe 1843 

R. T. Davis 1838. W. F. Davis 1840 

ANDREW COUNTY. 

•Judge John McDaniels, Elias Hughes, 

Hugh Lewis, Maj. E. S. Castle, 

Geo. N. Castle, Upton Roohrer, 

Robt. Pllliot, Jeremiah Clark, 

Dr. P. P. Fulkcrson, James R. Watts, 

Joseph Walker, Jonathan M. Cobb, 

Joshua Bond, A. J. Demens, 



HISTORV OF IJUCHANAN COUNTY. 
CLINTON COUNTY. 



317 



Gen. D. R. Atchison, 
Judge Jas. R. Coffman, 
Maj. James Cochrane, 
Wash. Huffecker, son of ist Col- 
lector of Clinton Count}', 
Jonathan Robert, 
Abraham Funkhouser, 
Hon. E. W. Turner, 



Judge James H. Birch, 
Ex-Gov. Geo. Smith, 
Rev. J. V. B. Flack. 
S. T. Brooking, 
Daniel P. McKissock, 
Caleb McGill. 
John Whitson. 
Geo. Funkhouser. 



Wm. V. Smith, 
W. R. Trapp. 



Hon. James Foster. 



Capt. John B. Wells, 
Theodore F. Warner, 
Wm. Clay. 
Col. Geo. Gabbert, 
Joseph Todd, 
James Stultz, 
W. W. Williams, 
John S. Woods, 
Ben Yocum, 
Joel Ryan, 
John W. Martin, 
Eli Gabbin, 



NODAWAY COUNTY. 

Jack Albright, 

HOLT COUNTY. 

Geo. Mclntyre. 

PLATTE COUNTY. 

Isaac T. Lewis, 
Maj. J. W. Hardisty 
W. Cooper, 
Maj. G. W. Hood, 
Felix Blakely, 
Sidney Risk, 
Col. G. W. Belt, 
John McLain, 
Wm. A. Singleton, 
Smith Adams, 
Gen. J. Morin, 
James N. Boydston. 



One cf the most interesting features in connection with the Old 
Settlers meeting was the presentation, by Col. James N. Burnes, of the 
first reunion badge issued by the association, to the widow of the late 
honored Solomon L. Leonard. This badge is of the most elegant white 
silk, and the presentation was accompanied by a few appropriate and 
affecting remarks. The elegant testimonial was gracefully received and 
pinned upon the bosom of Mrs. Leonard. 



OLD SETTLERS MEETING, SEPTEMBER, 1 875. 
We take the following from the St. Joseph Gazette, September 7, 



1875 



20 



3l8 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Yesterday was a grand and proud one for the old settlers of the 
North-west, and a day that will long be remembered. From early 
morning until the noon hour they came pouring into the city from all 
parts of the territory of the Platte purchase, and many came from a long 
distance to once more mix and mingle with the friends of their youth and 
to grasp the hand and exchange salutations with those who with them 
had borne the hardships and privations of pioneer life, subduing the forests, 
battling with wild beasts and wild men, and above all enduring the pri- 
vations and exposure of hunger and the elements, until they wrought out 
of the wilderness the blessings of the civilization their posterity now 
enjoys. 

As they mixed and mingled upon the Exposition grounds, there 
was many an old eye dimmed with tears, many an aged hand that 
trembled with emotion as the palms of those long separated again crossed 
in friendly greeting in the roll call of memory, unearthed the name and 
merits of those who had fallen by the wayside and passed into the tomb. 
Even we younger ones whose years had not yet passed the three-score 
mark, feel a pain upon our hearts as we cast the backward glance and 
note the multitude of those who began the struggle of life with us but 
are now numbered with the dead. 

How thick are the monuments that rise above their graves ; mile 
stones in our journey telling us that of all who begin life two-thirds de- 
part before they reach the forties, and nine-tenths fail to reach the 
seventies ; and as the last tenth of these old folks meet and read the book 
of life from the finish to the preface, how sad and yet how entrancing 
must have been the record ; how full of sadness and yet of joy must their 
hearts have been and how truly must they have realized that in life at 
best the laugh lies close to the fountain of tears, that the brighter the 
rainbow the denser the mist through which the warm sun shines. 

But the old people met. The sun came down upon the unshaded seats 
of the main stand as remorseless as hunger and thirst upon a vagrant- 
and, as the old fathers and mothers assembled in their places, it was evi- 
dent that they were scarcely prepared for this last trial, which did not 
fall upon their old heads exactly in the shape of a blessing, and before 
the speaking was over there were scores of them who would have been 
ready to register an oath that this identical heated term was the worst 
they ever saw, and that the grand stand had been erected exactly in the 
spot where the sun would shine the hottest and longest in a direct focus. 
At last it was announced that the exercises would begin and Col- 
onel Burnes stated that owing to sickness in his family, it would be 
impossible for Colonel Doniphan to meet with the old people and address 
them according to programme. In his place General David R. Atchison 
was called upon to mike the opening address, and replying to the call he 
.stepped forward and made one of his characteristic addresses inter- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 319 

spcrsed with anecdotes and adventures that always gladden the hearts of 
the old and give pleasure and instruction to the young. He spoke o^ 
those pioneer days, the old people were all so familiar with, and of the 
hardships connected with them, which now appear like a chasm and a 
lure to the young. After the conclusion of General Atchison's remarks- 
Governor George Smith, of Clinton, was announced and said that as 
General Atchison had in his remarks related some incidents connected 
with the early settlements of the western part of the state, which he said 
would show the condition of civilization of the west, he would in a few 
words relate some of his experiences and observations as an old settler, 
which would illustrate in one particular the progress made by and grow- 
ing out of the bold enterprise of these old pioneers. He said that it 
had been his good fortune to have passed the most of his early days on 
the frontier, subjecting him in early days to carrying the product of his 
toil as a farmer by flat-boats to New Orleans for a market. On his re- 
turn from his second flat-boat expedition, he came to St. Louis on the 
4th of March, 1832, the city then having a population of about seven 
hundred persons, thence on horseback, with two boating companions, he 
traveled into the western part of the state ; but an incident of said 
trip would be all he would call in review to illustrate the great progress 
made in the material interest of our great state. Arriving at Arrowrock, 
where we desired crossing, we found a ferry-boat consisting of a plat- 
form on two canoes upon which, by assuring the ferryman that we were 
boatmen, he agreed to risk ourselves and three horses, and we arrived 
safe about dark in the town, consisting of one double log cabin, where a 
religious meeting was being held. We expressed some hesitation as to 
remaining over night, but it being eighteen miles to the nearest house on 
the western trail, we accepted the kind hospitality of the proprietor and 
remained over, there being ample room for the entertainment and the 
weary traveler, as understood by those kind, hospitable pioneers. Now, 
old settlers and friends, let us turn our attention to the picture presenting 
itself to our view of the seven magnificent bridges spanning the waters 
of this magnificent, boisterous river, besides innumerable other facilities 
for crossing its turbid waters. He remarked : Nor is it a matter of 
wonder that such evidences of rapid progress are to be seen when we 
consider the great natural resources of our state. All persons who have 
travelled over the state would bear evidence to the fact that by drawing 
a line from the northeast corner diagonally to the southwest corner and 
taking the country north and west of said line, it would nearly all be 
considered of excellent quality for agricultural products, and St. Joseph 
is in the very heart of the same, whilst much of the land east 
and south of said line was good for farm products, it would be admitted 
on all hands it was unsurpassed in mineral wealth and only waiting for 
labor and capital for development. These were attractions that 



320 IITSTORV OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

could not escape our intelligent American citizens, consequentl)' we may 
reasonably suppose the young people of the present time ma}' have the 
pleasure to inform the next generation of the great and useful changes 
that have taken place in their day. 

Senator Cockrill followed Governor Smith, whose remarks had been 
listened to with pleasure by all present. He congratulated himself upon 
being a natixc of the state, although of that portion l>ing south of the 
river. He rejoiced in its growth, its advancement, its wealth and its 
prosperity ; and he felt that he had an especial right to feel proud of 
standing before these old people. He had been b\' their aid and the aid 
of their posterity, elevated to a position of worth and trust, where he 
could stand as a pleader for their cause and a defender of their rights 
and liberties. 

Colonel W'm. F. Switzler, editor of the Missouri Statesman, at 
Columbia, was then introduced. He had not expected to make a speech. 
A matter of business, having no connection with the K.xposition, or with 
the reunion of the old settlers, called him to St. Joseph, and he made it 
convenient to come at this time, but with no expectation of occupying a 
place on the programme of speakers. Although not an old settler of 
Northwestern Missouri, he nevertheless could claim to be an old settler 
of the state, understanding from personal observation and experience 
much of its early history and the privations and trials of the pioneers of 
our present civilization. He could not boast, like Senator Cockrill, that 
he was a native of Missouri, but nevertheless was not ashamed, even in 
the presence of those who were to the manor born, of announcing with 
pride that he was a son of the mother of Missouri, the grand old Com- 
monwealth of Kentucky. (Applause.) As early as 1826, he came from. 
Kentuck)- to Howard County, Missouri, where he was raised and located, 
and where as a lad, he first met a distinguished gentleman, who now occu- 
pies a seat on the platform — Judge Birch. Missouri was then in the 
sixth )^ear of its histor)' as a state, and did not perhaps contain more 
than fifteen or twenty thousand voters, and the region now embracing 
the happ\- homes of a vast majorit}' o( those present was under the almost 
undisputed dominion of the Indian and buffalo. Since this early period 
in the annals of the state what a wonderful history wc have made as a 
member of the Federal Union, as a Nation, as a People. What achieve- 
ments we have made in the arts and sciences, in agriculture and com- 
merce, in education and means ot inter-comnumication, in all the agen- 
cies and industries which distinguished the civilization of our age. 
Very befitting reference had been made b\- speakers who had preceded 
him to this progress and prosperit)'. Let it not be forgotten that to 
the noble and self-sacrificing efforts, singular perils and consummate 
wisdom of the heroic men and peerless women now ]:)resent, and to their 
associates, li\ing and dead, are we indebted for la}-ing broad and ileep 



lIISTOK^ OF HUCHANAN COUNTY. 32 1 

the foundation of our cherished civilization and threat prosperity. The 
men and women of a state, especially the pioneers, who lead the van- 
guard of the world's march at^ainst ignorance and barbarism, are the 
state, are of more value tlian all our fields of coal and mines of gold and 
silver, than all our railroads and bridges and halls of sciences and learn- 
ing. Men constitute the state, and those before us to-day form the 
connecting link between our own eventful times and the ignorance of 
bondage in the bulwark of prosperity at home and respectability abroad. 
(Applause.) 

Colonel Charles Mansur, of Chillicothe, was called to the stand, and 
introduced by General Craig. Colonel Manson then said : 

Ladies : I must, much as I love the old settlers, name you first, 
ladies, old settlers and friends. I feel that I owe the high compliment of 
an invitation to address you, to the too partial preference of my friends. 
General Craig and Colonel Burnes ; and yet the swelling pulsations of my 
heart tell me this is one of the proudest moments of my life, and I should 
feel recreant to my own spirit if I did not embrace the opportunity thus 
offered. 

While the locks of my head are yet undamaged by the snows of 
forty winters, you may wonder what I may know that will prove of 
interest to thousands of old settlers here assembled, and while I feel 
doubtful of the honored appellation of old settler, I can only say that if 
I had worn my blue coat and brass buttons I should have felt as if I 
could have divided the honors in that line with my venerable old friend. 
Judge Birch. Permit me to say that Judge Birch, in calling up his struggles 
for Congress, suggests to my mind that about the earliest political 
struggle that I can remember was in those old Democratic days when the 
only road to political honor was through the Democratic ranks, when two 
of our old and memorable friends. Judge Birch and Judge King, undertook 
to pluck the Democratic goose that laid the Congressional egg in this dis- 
trict, at the same time, and beneath their joint efforts the proud old 
bird was so jaded and wearied that not a Roland but an Oliver stole in 
and captured the coveted prize, and proved to my distinguished friends 
anew the truth of the old adage, that "in union there is strength." I 
well remember the first time I saw our honored president. General Atch- 
ison. It was in March, 1855. I, with a number of Rayites, were 
camped at Platte City Bridge, on the west side of the river, when Gen- 
eral Atchison rode up at a full gallop, and with a Satanic rather than a 
God-like earnestness, proceeded to give us his views of our mission 
as border ruffians, and our duty towards our benighted Yankee brethren, 
sent out by Gospel societies of New England under the protection of 
Sharpe's rifles, to subdue the virgin soil of our sister State of Kansas, 
and, to echo the sentiment of the general, then and there was born and 
begun our late internecinal war. Although not born on Missouri soil, 
yet the first sentiment of thought I had was of Missouri scenes and 
actors. My parents emigrated to this section in 1837 ; and, reared in 
our sister county of Ray, my memory is flooded with a series of recol- 
lections from say 1845, when only ten years old, up to 1850. How well 
I remember the old school house of my childhood, built by the hardy 
pioneers without the use of nail or window glass, the product alone of 



322 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

his own right arm, with sturdy axe and broad-axe, a puncheon floor and 
log chimneys daubed with mud. Now view the landscape o'er of our 
North Missouri ; every village, town and hamlet vie with each other in 
rearing palatial structures, structures that compare with those of the 
older and more favored sister states. 

Who, too, does not remember the hospitality, characteristic of 
our well-to-do settlers. The latch-string was ever out, and their gen- 
uine and sometimes burdensome hospitality puts to shame the article 
of modern times. Old settlers of Ray, Clay, Clinton, Platte and Cald- 
well, do you not remember our old-time camp-meetings, where every well- 
to-do farmer had his log hut or tent, and entertained both man and 
beast of all who would accept ? Those rich and rare old scenes in the 
open square of the camp-ground are gone, alas ! I fear, never to return. 
Do you remember old Father Patten, who would talk so loud that he 
placed his thumbs in each ear to prevent his own voice from deafening 
himself.'' Do you remember the store coats ; how few they were and 
how great a curiosity the appearance of each one and its owner excited .■* 
Do you remember the stirring times incident to the mustering in of the 
companies furnished by each county as its quota for the Mexican war, 
the heartrending partings, in many instances, and the joy manifested at 
their return, and the rich and generous barbecue given to them. 

Do you remember the Mexican saddles brought back by them, and 
the rage of the young men for them, especially for those with the silver 
mountings ; and that of each young lady to possess, as her own individ- 
ual property, with bumble bees, or some other kind, nicel}' stitched upon the 
seat in golden colors, in an age when our only mode of travel was upon 
horseback ? And now how varied and different the scene. Railroads 
checker North Missouri like a chess board, and in our travels, as the 
darkey said, " we are there before we start," for truly is distance annihi- 
lated and time overcome. 

I remember well in the late summer of 1852, when only a strippling 
grown, of returning from the East, where I had been at school for nearly 
three years, of being on the road for three weeks, and now it is readily 
done in as many days. Then the Pennsylvania Railroad, probably now 
the most wealthy railroad corporation in the world, was not then completed 
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, but was supplemented by the slow-going 
canal. 

But time passes and I am warned I must close. How magical the 
changes wrought in our midst. Even far more so than those of the Genii of 
the magic lamp possessed by Aladdin. Northwest Missouri, yea, even your 
own proud city of St. Joseph, have no ancestry to boast of. They are 
alike the product of the energy and genius of her own sons and the hon- 
ored and venerated pioneers who are all around me. Twenty-five year.^ 
ago that man would have been declared insane who prognosticated the 
simple truth of to-day, and the most boundless and vivid imagination 
could not nor did not fortell the half of to-day. Your own proud, but 
turbid and restless river, on my right, has been subdued. Se\en bridges, 
monumental of man's power and energy, span its rapid current, and I, 
yf)ung as I am, have seen the celebrations over those erected at j'our own 
city, Kansas City and St. Louis. What shall I say, in conclusion, of St. 
Joseph, proud and Queen City of the Northwest. I have declared she 
had no ancestry to boast of. No ; she has sprung into existence full 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. ^2J 

fledged, armed at all points, and" equipped for the battle of life, resting 
upon the strong arms of her ovvm sons to carry her on to still greater 
victories than any yet achieved in the past. Her proud career and com- 
manding station in our state, furnishing as she has, Governors, Supreme 
Judges and other high state officials, and the home of such men as A 
Burnes, a Hall, a Woodson, a Craig and a Vories, reminds me of an 
anecdote of Gen. Jackson's administration. Shawnee was a great Indian 
warrior, the measure of whose fame filled his own nation and was the 
envy of surrounding tribes. He visited the great father, at Washington, 
and while there was asked by Mrs. Jackson, who did not know how sen- 
sitive every Indian warrior was upon the subject of his ancestry, who his 
father was. His face darkened with a cloud, but quickly recovering he 
said, years ago, the Great Spirit, in his wrath was angry at his red chil- 
dren, and in his fury, in the midst of storm and thunderings and light- 
nings, the Great Spirit smote the oldest and proudest oak of the forest, 
and rent it from top to bottom, and as it fell prone upon the earth, from 
out of its heart stepped Shawnee, a full-grown Indian warrior brave. So 
it is with St. Joseph, she sprang into existence full-grown, and her com- 
manding position, as the gateway of the Northwest, will enable her to 
maintain her vantage ground. 

Judge Birch was then introuced, and spoke as follows: 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: — As there can be no 
motive to impugn the sincerity of the declaration that none of you can 
be more disappointed than I have been by the non-attendance of the 
distinguished citizen you came to listen to, who, as the orator of the 
day, would have so generally swept the field, I will waste no time in 
excusing myself for that want of preparation to properly supply his 
place which will soon enough become apparent to you all. I will proceed, 
therefore, at once to the duty which been assigned me, and shall hope to 
discharge it in such a manner as may be at least excusable as the results 
of the reflections of an hour or so instead of a week, or a month, as it 
would have been my duty and my pleasure to have expended upon a 
task so complimentary and so honorable had it been assigned me in 
time. As the chronologies and other items of precise information which 
should have entered so largely into an address of this character will have 
to be recalled from memory instead of the more reliable sources with 
which I might have refreshed and better assured myself at home, I can 
but promise to do the very best I can, and as no man has ever heard me 
premise a speech by excuse of any nature before to-day, it is felt that I 
may the more confidently rely even upon the indulgence of criticism, 
than I could have done had I been set to the task you have assigned me 
and in many respects failed to redeem your reasonable expectation. 
What I deem it appropriate to suggest in advance of anything that I m.ay 
be prompted to bring up before this vast assembly, is to submit to the 
old settlers who thus so candidly and encouragingly honor us with their 
ear, the reverential recognition of an overruling Providence who has so 
long guided and sustained us, and who has in like manner encouraged 
and sustained those who subsequently followed us to a country which is 
here so grandly represented in the all-embracing Exposition of the 
industries, the enterprise, and, in short, the progress and civilization 
which have grown up and gladden the eye and ear almost to the verge 
of intoxication. All honor to the man and men of St. Joseph who pre-. 



324 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

sided and have carried to consummation the magnificent Exposition 
which is before us and around us, and who have inaugurated this re-union 
of the old settlers who yet linger around and among them. 

And what has brought us all to this pass since the distinguished 
President of this re-union and myself, with the hundred who are before 
us, were men of middle age .'* Those of us who are called " old settlers," 
and who are known accordingly in the programme, and in the badges of 
the day, are of course content that it be written of us as it has been, that 
we so blazed the way to what we see before us and around us as to 
encourage others to follow us up as they have done, and it may perhaps 
be added, without immodesty, that we have been strengthened and 
accredited to have so borne ourselves in the conflict to which our circum- 
stances have committed us, each in his sphere, as to have at least not 
repelled such proper associations and enterprises as have since clustered 
around us, and as are typified before us to day. This little conceded, 
we as unreservedly concede the rest to others, each again in his sphere, 
and point again and again to this wondrous Exposition as the result of 
a progressive and common civilization, the outcome, if we may say, of 
the germs, which, however rudely planted, had nevertheless to be planted 
before there could be realized the fruition and fruits of to-day. May 
such and similar fruitage be progressive in the heritage of our children, 
and our children's children, who may remain to enjoy them ; or if in the 
untowardness of events, some of them shall feel constrained to go in 
quest of new associations, and to embark upon newer fields of usefulness 
or of enterprise as their fathers once did, may they carry with them at 
least the sturdy manhood of their fathers, and continue to adorn and to 
benefit society, instead of inflicting a blemish upon it or staining it with 
a wrong. 

What more shall I say in recognition of the distinction which puts 
me in the place of such a man as Alexander W. Doniphan, upon such an 
occasion as the present one .'' Firstly, that I shall not be presumptions 
enough to expect to speak as he would have spoken, even by trying to 
say it in a different manner to what he would have said it, but simply to 
substitute as best I may such incidents or experiences as it may occur to 
me will be most indulgentl}' received by the rows and tiers of benches, 
pit, box and gallery full, which so rise up and stretch out before me, as 
for the first time in fifty years to render me distrustful as to whether my 
. voice can compass the audience which thus honors me with its ear. I 
briefly allude, therefore, to what I have witnessed, and the humbler part 
in which I was permitted to act during a period of many years in our 
state. It may be permissible to premise that when I first looked upon 
the City of St. Louis from the deck of a steamer which was about to 
land me there, during the winter of 1826-27, there was something in 
what seemed to the stately grandeur and the unerring prestige of the 
location which made me feel that the good old uncle, who had long 
resided there as a bachelor surveyor of the public lands, and who had 
invited and inticed me (young as I was) to come to him, buy the office 
of a newspaper establishment, which had been presided over by Thomas 
H. Benton, up to the period of his election to the Senate, and afterwards 
by Gen. Duff. Green, until his transfer to Washington, as the organ of 
what was then known as " the Jackson Party," at least intended great 
things for mc, whether I could be brought up to them or not. I soon came 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



j-^:) 



to believe, however, that although the population of the city at that time 
^Jfas only about 6,ooo, it was too large a place for " one of my age," 
months afterward I transferred myself to a village of the interior with a 
small newspaper, then the extreme newspaper west. 

And as I see before me some of these old settlers of Howard County 
whose acquaintance I made when they were commencing life, as I ma\- 
say, at Fayette, it will at least be unpardonable should I not occup)- 
the remainder of my time with what they and I then knew and have 
since come to know of the state and the people, of whom we form a part. 
The state was divided into four judicial circuits, the one over which the 
Fayette lawyer traveled extending from Montgomery and Gasconade 
Counties, and all westward on both sides of the river, to the state line 
inclusive. By and by a new circuit was organized in this end of the 
state, and as one of the Governor's military confidants was appointed to 
be Judge of it, but served as his aid-de-camp, the commander-in-chief, 
was courteously and confidently conferred upon me, which is the way I 
came to be Colonel about forty-five years ago. Then we had one mem- 
ber of Congress. Now we have thirteen — but even yet there are not 
half as many who can get to go to Congress as are willing to make the 
sacrifice. Then we had a mail once a week from St. Louis to Fayette in 
a stage, which the passengers had frequently to pry out of the mud and 
otherwise help along at the steep places. And from Fayette to Liberty, 
which was the county-seat of Western civilization of the United States, 
the mail was sent on horseback once a week. 

What next .'' By a treaty with the Indians, whose wigwams covered 
the country, perhaps the very spot from which I am thus permitted to 
address this vast assembly, it was agreed that they would be removed, 
by their consent, to the other side of the river, and that that should be 
thereafter the boundary between ourselves, and the red men. The state 
consenting, and Congress consenting, it was not long before the coun- 
try was organized into counties and with representation in the Legis- 
lature, and with David R. Atchison, the President of this reunion, as 
Judge of this new Judicial Circuit. I wish it were so, sir, said the 
speaker, (turning to General Atchison), that we could more fully let you 
loose again from the more rigid conventionalities which but properly 
attach to an occasion of this nature — you and the lawyers who went 
around with you at your courts for the first year or so — ^just to hear you 
tell a few more stories as to the more primitive ways of an old horseback 
life, in contrast with the step by step advances which have brought us 
up not only to our palatial houses in our sojournments, but to our palace 
cars in carrying us there. But I must pause. 

Our politics in those early times were at least none the worse for 
having in them a little more heart than they have since grown to ha\e. 
But let that pass. Other parties had worked into the new names of 
National Republicans under such leaders as Clay and Webster, and 
Democrats under such leaders as Jackson and Van Buren, and later 
still, when the National Republicans took the name of Whigs, as being 
more appropriate, to include all the outs against all the ins — there 
was war in the great earnestness of nothing — a Presidential election 
which left the country distrustful and embittered as it has come to be. 

The average Whig of that day was a man who, as well as we should 
put it, drank his grog regularly and voted his ticket without scratching,. 



326 HISTORY OP^ BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

unless it was felt that he could in some respect do better, and when the 
Whigs won a big race (which was only about often enough to bring back the 
Democracy to a recollection that even the most powerful party could not 
brook the popular credulity or retribution as has since been done,) — 
when a presidential or state contest was their greatest thought, with it 
was felt that the country was nevertheless just about as safe as if it had 
gone the other way; and we all (or nearly all) shook hands and drank 
each others health accordingly. As to those Pullman or palace cars to 
which I return, my friend Governor Hall, who is present, remembers how 
I was thrown down and made to go foot in our party almost a quarter of 
a century ago for advocating that system of internal improvement, out 
of which they have since grown. I don't think Williard was ever any 
better Democrat than I was (and yet am) but he was a better party dis- 
ciplinarian ; and to that, as well as to the patriotic furore which oppor- 
tunely sent him (and a Doniphan) to Mexico, with musket at hi-s shoulder, 
instead of longer continuing to oppose the road to India, as I then 
phrazed the road which carried our children and grand-children to Cal- 
ifornia a few days ago, I believe he himself ascribes his election to 
Congress. Of course I would not thus publicly allude, in his absence, to 
my Congressional campaign with the Governor, when we were both much 
younger men than we now are, w^ere it not that I feel free to declare that, 
.as a political antagonist, he was as fair as he was unyielding, and that in 
the subsequent history of the railroad which he had opposed as a Congres- 
sional candidate, he made it all up and more, too, as our Congressman 
elect. Although I am probably a trespasser beyond the line of a proper 
and considerate courtesy. I venture to add a few parting sentences in 
the reliance per chance that they may be worth remembering by the 
younger portion of this patient and listening assembly. 

I see before me old men and old women of all creeds, and what are 
■called no creeds, of whom I ask no more, nor they of me, than as Jehu 
asked of Jehonadab, is thine heart right ? This much conceded, as un- 
der the old dispensation, the forbid him not of Christ, has sufficiently 
sufficed us for this present dispensation, and it is believed, I incur no risk 
in assuming, that the older we grow and the more we reflect, the more 
and more we have of reciprocal charity — the less and less of reciprocal 
bigotry. It but naturally follows such premises as these that "repentance 
toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" is all we require of each 
•other on the score of Christian fellowship. 

In respect to the neighborhood, a social requirement of these old 
settlers, such men (turning to Colonel Switzler) as the old Sachems who 
were looked up to in the early settlement of our old county of Howard 
— if a man w'as brave to always tell the truth and stand well up to 
it in a fight, his children could marry with the children of neighbor- 
hood aristocracies — and so it is with the present day. But as Keitt said 
•of the cock of South Carolina, who was loud in a crow but bashful in a fight, 
even the pullets had too much consideration for themselves and their 
posterity to run with them. Farewell, old settlers, and if forever fare- 
well, we have the consciences to feel in parting (perhaps for the last 
time) that wc have not only been faithful and true to each other, whether 
as friends or adversaries, but that in the public employment which has 
fallen to us, we have faithfully served our country; that we have never 
wronged her, and that in that respect we will be ready to meet the final 
anquiries of the Judge of all the earth. Farewell, old settlers, farewell. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

BUCHANAN COUNTY DURING THE WAR. 

The history of the important events, which transpired in Buchanan 
County, during the period of the late war, would alone, fill a large book. 

At this late day, when the old ship of state is sailing over the 
smoothest seas of prosperit}', and when the deep wounds and gashes 
made by the war are being healed b)- the flight of time, and the hopes of 
tlie future, men are disposed to remember that unfortunate episode in 
our national history as a dream ; as a dark story of romance, and are 
unwilling now to recall the facts and incidents connected with it, espec- 
ially those that are repiete with crime and bloodshed. 

So believing, we shall only allude briefl}- to some of the general fea- 
tures of the war, and the part taken therein b)- Buchanan Count}-. 

The citizens of Buchanan County, being largely from the southern 
and western states, were, prior to i860, intensely patriotic, for it is a 
matter of history, that prior to that time, the southern people were loud 
and enthusiastic in their protestations of loyalty to the constitution and 
flag of the country. 

In the canvass of i860, Bell and Everett received in this county, 
1,287 votes. Douglas, 1,226. Breckenridge, 614, and Lincoln, 452, of 
which number, received b)- Lincoln, 410 were cast in the city of St. 
Joseph. 

Each of these parties claimed, during the can\ass, that it was the 
simon pure and only union and patriotic part>'. The old Whig party, gen- 
alK", voted for Bell and Everett, while a few of them \oted for Brecken- 
ridge as the representative of the extension of slavery. The Irish voted 
for Douglas, and the German vote was divided between Douglas and 
Breckenridge, and, anomalous as it ma)- seem, much the larger number 
of Germans in the Platte Purchase voted for the Breckenridge ticket, 
belie\'ing that he was the regular nominee of the Democratic party. 

At the election of delegates to the con\ention held in this Senatorial 
District, Governor Stewart, Governor Hall and Hon. Robert W. Donnell 
vt'ere elected by a large majority as union men over the other ticket, 
composed of Smith and P^allis, who were for disunion, on certain con- 
tingencies. 

The election of Mr. Lincoln embittered the feelings of many per- 
sons, otherwise loyal men, believing, as they claimed, that the election 



328 ' HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

of a sectional president by the votes of the Northern States meant the 
violent abolition of slavery and the speedy dissolution of the Union. 
The course of the New York Tribune, which was then regarded as an 
exponent of Northern sentiment, had prepared most of the slaveholders 
of this county to believe that the Northern Abolitionists desired a sep- 
aration of the slaveholding from the non-slaveholding states. 

There were 2,011 slaves owned in Buchanan County, which repre- 
sented $1,500,000 in money. The dissolution of the Union meant des- 
truction to this interest, and the large free territory west and the vicinity 
of Iowa and Nebraska, caused much anxiety and nervous apprehension 
for the future, which culminated in county meetings in the spring of 
1861. At these meetings intemperate action and incendiary resolutions 
were proposed, but the advice of the older and leading citizens was for 
quiet acquiescense in whatever might be the result of the approaching 
conflict outside of this state. 

In May, 1861, a portion of the citizens of St. Joseph, who had been 
organized into independent companies by M. Jeff Thompson, of this 
city, and, under command of Captain I. C. C. Thornton, and who had par- 
ticipated in the sacking of Liberty Arsenal, had brought a part of the arms 
and ammunition there procured to this county, and some of the more 
inconsiderate and foolish ones had threatened to drive out the loyal men 
of St. Joseph, and especially those who had voted for Lincoln in i860. 

John L. Bittinger, a prominent free soil man, had been appointed 
postmaster of St. Joseph, and had hung out a huge flag over the post- 
office building when he took possession. Some of the Southern hot- 
spurs believed this flag was a taunt and defiance to Thornton's camp, 
and in May, 1861, a crowd collected on the site of the old postoffice 
building, situated on Second Street, next door to the St. Joseph Hos- 
pital Medical College, and the flag was taken down by General Thomp- 
son, to the great gratification of the mob, and disgust of the friends of 
Bittinger. The business men generally kept religiously away, and did 
not participate in the transaction. 

Many claimed that Major Bittinger had purposely provoked the 
demonstration in order to have troops sent to St. Joseph, and declared 
they would shed the last drop of their blood to preserve the old flag from 
insult, but not a drop to keep Major Bittinger's flag over the postoffice. 

The result was the sending of troops here during the same month 
to protect the loyal men, and to preserve order, which had become 
necessary from the violent disputes and bitter altercations, constantly 
threatening to end in street fights and general pillage. The first troops 
quartered here were United States Dragoons, which arrived on the 20th 
of May, 1 86 1, and encamped in South St. Joseph, under command of 
Captain Sully, (afterwards a brigadier general in the Federal army) and 
Lieutenant Armstrong. Lieutenant Armstrong resigned some time 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COaNTV. 329 

later, and became a general officer in the Rebel service. This company 
of dragoons broke up Thompson's and Thornton's camp, near the Patee 
House, after which Thompson and Thornton went into the lower coun- 
ties to raise troops, where many of the men composing the old company 
rejoined them, and served with more or less credit during the war as 
soldiers in different Confederate organizations. 

The next Federal troops sent to St. Joseph were the Second Iowa, 
under command of Colonel, afterward General, Custis. They came about 
the first of June, 1861, and remained until August. 

The Sixteenth Illinois, under command of Colonel Smith, arrived in 
St. Joseph in September, and remained until about the sixteenth of the 
same month, when it went down through the counties of Platte and 
Clay, to Blue Mills, where his regiment was engaged in the fight with 
the Rebels under Patton, Saunders, Boyd and others, and met with con- 
siderable loss. 

This regiment afterwards returned to St: Joseph and remained in 
camp with the Fifty-second Illinois, during the winter of 1861 and 1862, 
on Prospect Hill. 

The last of September, 1861, Major Cranor, of Gentry, occupied St. 
Joseph with a battalion of state militia, raised in the counties north of St. 
Josepli. These militiamen were a source of amusement to the citizens, 
as they were raw in military matters ; sa?is everything but courage — 
rough, ragged and ready. 

During the time which elapsed between the departure of the Second 
Iowa and the arrival of the Sixteenth Illinois, the Confederates, under 
Colonel Patton, Boyd and others, occupied the city for se\eral days, and 
lc\ied contributions from some of the citizens, and confiscated contra- 
band of war, which term was made to include ever)-thing a needy soldier 
desired. If he belonged to the rebel side, he could sec contraband of 
war in nearly all the goods owned by the Union men. If, however, he 
was training under the stars and stripes, he could discover, as by instinct, 
that all desirable articles owned by southern sympathizers, were dan- 
gerous, as aids to the cause. 

In 1861, James Craig, of St. Joseph, was appointed a Brigadier Gen- 
eral by President Lincoln, and put in command of the Department of 
the Platte, on the plains among the Pawnee and Sioux Indians. He 
retained this position several months, when he resigned and returned 
home and was appointed a Brigadier General in the State Militia, by 
Governor Gamble, and was in command of this district in the winter of 
1864 and 1865. In the spring of 1862, Benjamin F. Loan was appointed 
a Brigadier General by Governor Gamble, and placed in command of 
Northwestern Missouri, with headquarters at St. Joseph. In the fall of that 
year he was put into active service, in an effort to run the "bushwhack- 
ers" from the central part of the state, and finall)' took command of the 



330 HISTOKV OF lU'CHAXAN COUNTY. 

Jefferson City district, where he remained until after his election to Con- 
gress, when he was relieved b}- General Brown. 

General Loan wks succeeded in the fall of 1862, by General \V. P. 
Hall, in command of this military district, which he retained until the 
meeting of the Legislature, when he took his seat as Lieutenant-Go\ ernor. 
In February, 1864, General Hall succeeded Governor Gamble, deceased, 
as Governor of the State of Missouri. With a short interregnum, Gover- 
nor Hall was succeeded by Col. John F. Williams, of the Ninth Missouri 
State Guard. He was succeeded, in 1863, by Colonel Chester A. Hard- 
ing. About this time, the Eighty-first regiment of enrolled Missouri 
militia was organized, with Col. John Scott as commander, and although 
many surmises were indulged in as to the loyalty of its soldiers. Col. Scott 
kept good order, and showed a clear record in his command. 

During the most of the years 1862, 1863 and 1864, General John 
M. Bassett was Provost Marshal of this district, and perhaps filled a 
wider field of usefulness than any officer in arms. The jail and the mili- 
tary prisons were filled with Federal and Confederate delinquents, con- 
signed there upon any conceivable charge, from actual treason and mur- 
der, to the most trivial charges of malevolence and fanaticism. 

General Bassett, with a suavity and honesty to be en\ied, heard 
these cases daily and passed upon them with the stern eye of justice, 
always moistened with the tear of mercy. 

In the spring of 1864, General C. B. Fisk was placed in command of 
the United States forces in this county, and remained until he was suc- 
ceeded by Colonel Harding, late in the fall. In the winter of 1865. 
Colonel John Pinger was in command, succeeding General Harding. 
Colonel Pinger was of the I'orty-fifth Missouri Volunteers, and continued 
in command until May, 1865, when he. vacated this post and was placed 
in command of the Second District of Missouri. 

Buchanan County, in 1861, furnished most of the TwentN'-fifth Mis- 
sori (Colonel Peabody's regiment), then Major Berry's Battalion of Ca\"- 
alry, Penick's Fifth Regiment Missouri State Guard, Hall's Fourth Regi- 
ment of Missouri State Guard, and Eleventh Missouri Cavalr}-. In 1865, 
the Second, Third and Fourth Regiments of Missouri militia, as state 
organizations, organized with W. R. Penick, Cyrus Messemer and Joseph 
Thompson, respectively, as Colonels. These troops did no service and 
were only organized as provisional regiments, to keep quietude in a 
country which was thought would be disturbed by the return of a large 
number of soldiers from both armies. This was a violent presumption, 
as the most orderly citizens were those who saw hard ser\ice in the 
army. The true soldier has given no offence to the laws since his return. 
whether his fealty was given to the blue or gray during the contest. 

In the fall of 1864, Colonel Chester Harding, afterward a Brigadier 
Gtneral, organized at St. Joseph the 1^'orty-third Regiment of the United 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 33 f 

States Volunteers, from Buchanan and the surrounding- counties. During 
1862, Colonel John Severance, afterward State Senator, and Maj'or of St. 
Joseph, commanded the Forty-fourth Regiment of Missouri militia, and 
policed the county in the fall of 1862. 

In 1864, General R. C. Bradshaw, a native of Platte County, and an 
original Union man, organized, at St. Joseph, the Forty-fourth United 
States volunteers, many of whom were from this county. This regiment 
had a proud history. Wm. Drumhiller commanded company B, and F. 
G. Hopkins company C. This regiment left St. Joseph in September, 
1864, for Rolla ; thence to Paducah, Kentucky; thence to Nashville, 
Tennessee. They were in the battles of Springfield and Franklin. At 
the latter place Colonel Bradshaw received severe wounds and was left 
on the field for dead, but is now an honored citizen of St. Joseph. Brad- 
shaw's regiment then accompanied the Twenty-third corps, and engaged 
in the battles of Columbia, Clifton and Spanish Fort, in Alabama, and were 
finally mustered out of service at St. Louis, on the 15th of August, 1865, 
having traveled six thousand two hundred miles from St. Joseph, se\en 
hundred and forty-seven on foot and the balance by rail and transport ;. 
a greater number of miles perhaps, than any other regiment had traveled 
during the war, and showing a striking parallel to the First regiment 
of Missouri volunteers, during the Mexican war, under Col. Doniphan. 

One company of the First Kansas was organized in St. Joseph, and 
commanded by Captain Chenowith, of the Free Democrat, of St. Joseph. 

One company of the First Nebraska was organized in St. Joseph, 
commanded by Captain Bonner. 

Prior to the call of 1864, this county had credited as United States 
volunteers, 1089 men, and those credited afterward must have been as 
many more. Colonel Tracy, of the Kansas service, took a part of his 
command from this county, and many left singly and joined different 
companies and regiments, which swelled the total number in the United 
States volunteer service to more than 2,000. 

Beside the militia organizations mustered into service from this 
county, there were equally as many more who went into the army, mak- 
ing fully four thousand soldiers who did duty for the old flag from 
Buchanan County. 

In July, 1864, the Eighty-seventh Missouri, enrolled militia regi- 
ment, was organized, with Harbine, Colonel. This regiment was put on 
duty under command of J. W. Strong, and rendered local service in this 
county during the years 1864 and 1865. 

In the spring of 1861, there were two companies of Missouri State 
Guards organized under the order of Governor C. F. Jackson, and went 
into camp in South St. Joseph. Colonel John C. C. Thornton, now of 
Montana, commanded one, and M. Jeff Thompson the other. The appear- 
ance of United State-s troops here in May scattered these organizations. 



332 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN' COUNTY. 

as heretofore stated, and the Mississippi rifles and ammunition which 
had been procured by Thornton's company in the raid on the Liberty 
arsenal, in April, i86i,and which were secreted in cellars between Third 
and Fourth Streets, in St. Joseph, were removed by Captain John F. 
Landis, in July, 1861, in wagons driven through the Federal camp next 
day by a trusty contraband, (now a citizen of St. Joseph,; and carried to 
the outskirts of the city, where Captain Landis' company met and 
guarded them to Price's army, encamped upon the battle field of Wil- 
son's Creek. 

Landis afterwards participated in the hard-fought battles of Corinth, 
Champion Hills and Vicksburg, where he surrendered. Being exchanged, 
Captain Landis commanded a battery until the end of the war, and sur- 
rendered with the Army of the Gulf, thus earning a record of which his 
posterity may be proud. He is now an active and honored business 
man of St. Joseph. 

Prior to the war, A. W. Slayback was a lawyer in St. Joseph, and 
after the battle of Lexington was elected colonel of a Missouri cavalry 
regiment, and being transferred to a department of the Confederate 
army, served until the surrender of Kirby Smith, and then, we think, 
accompanied Shelby to Mexico. He is now an honored citizen of St. 
Louis. 

In the summer of 1861, Elijah Gates, (since State Treasurer), organ- 
ized a company of Confederates at Rock House, in this county, and 
joined Governor Jackson. This company did memorable service in the 
battles of Lexington and Elkhorn, and were finally transferred east of 
the Mississippi, and were the heroes of the fight at Corinth, where our gal- 
lant Assessor, John S. Tutt, lost a leg. 

Gates was promoted to the position of Brigadier General, and served 
during the war, losing an arm, retiring after the last gun was fired, with 
the reputation of Ney, "the bravest of the brave." 

John R. Boyd, an attorney of St. Joseph, was at Blue Mills and Lex- 
ington, and was killed at Independence in the summer of 1863, leading a 
forlorn hope in an attack upon Colonel Buell's camp. 

At the same time Colonel John T. Hughes was killed. Colonel Gideon 
Thompson, of Platte, was badly wounded. 

A regiment, to join Price at Lexington, was organized from the 
Counties of Buchanan, Nodaway, Atchison and Andrew in August, 1 86 1, 
of which Saunders was Colonel, J. H. R. Cundiff Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
John C. C. Thornton Major. These troops were placed under tlie com- 
mand of Colonel Green at Lexington, and were the special heroes of that 
fight. Colonel Green, in his report of the battle, attributed the success' 
of the assault upon the Union breastworks to the devices of Major Thorn- 
ton's men of this regiment, in mo\'ing a bale of hemp in front of each 
man, as he cautiously ascended the hill to attack the entrenchments. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 333 

The bullets did not penetrate the hemp bales and the cannon balls only 
bounced them from the ground, the bales falling back in the same position. 

Sidney Cunningham, another St. Joseph boy, joined John Morgan 
and accompanied him through his entire career, and escaped capture by 
swimming the Ohio River, and now edits a newspaper in Tennessee . 

George Baxter another attorney of St. Joseph, went to Virginia and 
joined Stonewall Jackson ; was at Bull's Run, in the Blackhorse Cavalry, 
and was finally killed in one of the fights in the valley. 

Broaddus Thompson's oldest son was with Price, and afterwards a 
captain in the Mississippi Department, serving until the end of the war, 
and is now an Episcopalian minister in Virginia. 

John Kemper, son of our esteemed fellow citizen, Simeon Kemper, 
was a captain in the Confederate service, and was killed by wounds 
received in battle. 

Reuben Kay, son of James Kay, was in the Confederate service, in 
command of a company, during almost the entire war, and his narrow 
escapes would form a chapter of singular interest. 

Since the war ended, the soldiers of the two armies affiliate with 
true respect and regard, as brave men always respect valor in others. 

From sixteen hundred to two thousand men went into the Confed- 
erate army from Buchanan County. 




21 



CHAPTER XX. 

COURT HOUSE. 

SECOND COURT HOUSE-NEW COURT HOUSE-CEREMONIES AT LAYING CORNER-STONE- 
ADDRESS OF COLONEL JOHN DONIPHAN. 

In the spring of 1846, the contract for building a brick Court House 
was let for $6,000. The job was undertaken and completed by L. S. 
Stigers and W. J. Taylor, architects and builders. 

This, a two-story building, was in extent, including portico, fifty by 
seventy-four feet, and contained nine rooms. Insignificant as such a 
structure now would appear in the city, in which it formerly stood, in 
that early day, it was, from its elevated position, a prominent land-mark 
in the landscape, as well as an architectural feature, of which the young 
city was in no small degree proud. The site of this building was that of 
the present Court House, though the prominent elevation which it occu- 
pied was, on its destruction in the spring of 1873, reduced some thirty- 
five feet, to nearly the level of Jule street, on which it fronted, as does 
the present spacious and elegant structure to which it has given place. 
The old Court House on the hill served the purposes for which it was 
designed till October, 1871, a period of a quarter of a century from its 
completion, when the building being deemed unsafe, the courts and 
appendant offices moved out, to occupy till the erection of a new and 
suitable building, rooms on Fifth Street, near Felix, formerly used as a 
parsonage, and ante -rooms, of what had been the Roman Catholic 
Church of St. Joseph. They all continued to occupy these premises till 
the summer of 1873, when the Circuit Court, Circuit Clerk's and Sheriff's 
offices were moved to Brady's Hall, on Felix Street, near the corner of 
Fourth. 

It may not be improper to add that the site of that dilapidated, 
abandoned, old church and parsonage is now covered by some of 
the most substantial and elegant business blocks in the city. 

On the removal of the old building, the work of cutting down the 
hill upon which it had stood for twenty-five years, rapidly progressed, and 
on the 25th of August, 1873, the corner-stone of the present stately 
edifice was laid with appropriate ceremonies. This, the largest court 
house, as well as one of the finest appearing public buildings, in the 
state, was not completed till August, 1876. It was, however, in part 
occupied by the courts as early as the month of January of the same 
year, while the unfinished work continued to be pushed to completion. 

The entire cost of the structure was one hundred and seventy-three 
thousand dollars. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 335 

P. F. Meagher was the architect, and John DeCIue, of St. Joseph, 
the builder. 

The style of the building is less ornate than massive. The Corin- 
thian porticoes of the three fronts, however, are admirably proportioned, 
and the graceful stone columns crowned with elaborate capitals, contrast 
finely with the otherwise plain and massive character of the building. 
These columns, of which there are four to each portico, cost one 
thousand two hundred dollars each. 

The plan of the building is a Greek or equi-brachial cross. It has a 
frontage of 235 feet on Jule Street, with a depth of 205 feet ; it also 
fronts 235 feet on Fourth, and 235 feet on Fifth Streets. The roof is of 
slate and tin, and the guttering of copper. The basement story, which 
is twelve feet high in the clear, and extends under the entire building, is 
of rubble masonry faced with ashlar ; the superstructure is of brick 
trimmed with cut stone. The first story, in which most of the public 
offices are located, is eighteen feet high in the clear ; and the second 
story, in which is the Circuit Court room, twenty-five feet. In point of 
convenience, as regards light, ventilation, and arrangement of rooms, it 
is unexcelled in any building. From the first floor to the lantern of the 
dome the height is one hundred and forty-five feet. The only apparent 
defect in the internal design of the building is in the arrangement of 
the double stairway, which is so constructed as to conceal, from the first 
floor, the view of the dome. 

The stair-ways in the building are broad, and the means of egress 
in case of sudden emergency, ample, each of the cardinal points pre- 
senting large double doors. Water closets on the two principal floors, 
and all the appliances of modern convenience proper to first-class pub- 
lic buildings, are found here. There are forty-six spacious rooms on the 
two principal floors besides a corresponding number in the unfinished 
basement story. 

The dome, which surmounts the centre of the structure, is in classic 
harmony with the general appearance of the building, and renders the 
elevation a prominent land mark in the plain of the surrounding countr\-. 

Near the northeast corner of the Court House, and fronting on Fifth 
Street, is the substantial and not inelegant structure of the County Jail, 
completed in i860. It is coveniently arranged, located on a high and 
healthful spot of ground, and well adapted to the purposes for which it 
was erected. 

LAYING THE CORNER STONE OF THE COURT HOUSE. 

The ceremony of laying the corner stone of this magnificent struc- 
ture, was one of the most imposing ever witnessed in the West. The 
occasion was one of such peculiar interest to the people of St. Joseph, 



336 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

that we cannot well refrain from giving .some of the details of that event 
in this connection. 

As before stated, the ceremon)' took place in the afternoon of 
August 20, 1873. The St. Joseph Gazette, speaking of that event, says; 

"At 2 o'clock, the procession was formed on Fourth Street, with the 
right resting on Edmond, under the management of Capt. John A. Dol- 
man, Chief Marshal. It was headed by Rosenblatt's brass band, whose 
excellent music pleased the ear of the thousands who were then thronging 
the sidewalks. 

After this came the Knights of Pythias, including both Lomia and 
St. Joseph lodges, their brilliant uniforms glittering in the sunlight. The 
turn out of this order was unusuall)' large, and Capt. B. F. Buzard acted 
as marshal, assisted by J. B. Hinman. After the Knights of Pythias, 
came the St. Joseph Fire Department, the "Young America's," leading 
the van. The Rescue Hook and Ladder Company came next ; then the 
Blue Bird, then the Blacksnake, and finall}- the new company. 

All were in their best regalia, and in charge of Augustus Saltzman, 
Chief Engineer. 

Humboldt Lodge, L O. O. F., came next, and was followed by car- 
riages containing the officers of the Supreme, Circuit and County Courts, 
the county officers, the City Council and members of the press. After 
this came the officers of the Grand Lodge, A. F. and A. M. of the State 
of Missouri, Joseph S. Browne, Esq., acting as Worshipful Grand Master. 

The streets were lined with thousands as the procession passed, and 
every one seemed to teel the deepest interest in the occasion. Even the 
bluffs adjoining the ground were lined with men, wojTien and children, 
anxious to observe the commemoration of an event so important in the 
history of St. Joseph. 

On reaching the grounds, the procession had swelled to an immense 
concourse of eager, expectant people. In the dense crowd, however, 
there was not the slightest disturbance, and everything passed off 
quietly and pleasantly. The ceremonies were begun by W. G. M., 
Joseph S. Browne, who, in a few well timed remarks, alluded to the pres- 
ence of members of various orders, and bid them welcome to witness 
the inauguration of an enterprise in which every citizen of St. Joseph was 
interested. At the conclusion of his remarks, a brief and impressive 
prayer was offered by Rev. John G. Fackler, acting Grand Chaplain, 
and then the work of depositing the various articles contributed com- 
menced. The following is a list of the most important articles : 

Constitution and by-laws of the following grand bodies of tne State 
of Missouri : Grand Commandry of Knights Templar, Grand Council of 
Royal and Select Masters, Grand Ro}'al Arch Chapter, Grand Lodge 
I. (). O. F., Grand Lodge Knights of Pythias. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 337 

Also by-laws and regulations of the following secret societies : St. 
Joseph No. 22 and Lomia Lodge, Knights of Pythias ; Humboldt Lodge 
No. 130, and Eclipse No. 133, L O. O. F. ; Zeredatha No. 189, and St. 
Joseph No. 78, A. F. and A. M. ; St. Joseph Royal Arch Chapter No. 
14 ; Hugh de Payen's Commandery No. 4, K. T. 

Late copies of the Daily and Weekly Gazette, Daily and Weekly 
Herald, Daily and Weekly Volksblatt, Daily and Weekly Commercial, 
Weekly Standard, a copy of the Missouri Gazette, Vol. I, No. 3, July 6, 
1808, published at St. Louis ; architect's design of the court house, the 
names of the officers of the Circuit Court, premium list of the St. Joseph 
Industrial Exposition, a copy of St. Joseph's trade and manufacturers 
list, a copy of the lithograph showing St. Joseph, the bridge, and railroal 
connections. 

COINS. 

Among the curiosities we may mention the following : 

A German coin, 1738. 

Ring, by A. S. Battles. 

A.silvei quarter, 1857, presented by Joseph S Browne. 

A silvei dollar. 

Cards of different business houses. 

Currency of the times. 

Numerous silver dollars, photographs, and a great many other nov- 
elties, which we cannot enumerate. 

After this had been concluded, the principal architect presented the 
working tools to the Grand Master, who distributed them as follows: 
The square to the Deputy Grand Master ; the level to the Sr. Grand 
Warden, and the plumb to the Jr. Grand Warden. The usual questions 
in reference to the practical application of these instruments to archi- 
tecture were properly answered, when the Grand Master said : 

This corner-stone has been tested by the proper instruments of 
Masonry. I find that the craftsmen have skillfully and faithfully per- 
formed their duty, and I do declare the stone to be well formed, true and 
trusty, and correctly laid according to the rules of our ancient craft. 
Let the elements of consecration now be presented. 

Then came the old emblems of corn, wine and oil. The Deputy 
Grand Master advanced with his vessel of corn, scattering it on the stone 
and saying : 

I scatter this corn as an emblem of plenty. May the blessings of 
bounteous heaven be showered upon us, and upon all like patriotic and 
benevolent undertakings, and inspire the hearts of the people with virtue, 
wisdom and gratitude. 

Then came the Sr. Grand Warden with his vessel of wine, pouring 
it upon the stone and saying.: 



338 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

I pour this wine as an emblem of joy and gladness. May the great 
Ruler of the universe bless and prosper our National, State and City 
Governments ; preserve the Union of the States, and ma)' it be a bond 
of friendship and brotherly love that shall endure through all time. 

Then came the Jr. Grand Warden with his vessel of oil, pouring it 
on the stone and saying : 

I pour this oil as an emblem of peace. May its blessings abide upon 
us continually, and may the Grand Master of heaven and earth, shelter and 
protect the widow and orphans ; shield and protect them from the trials 
and vicissitudes of the world, and so bestow His mercy upon the be- 
reaved, the afflicted and the sorrowing, that they may know sorrowing 
and trouble no more. 

And then came the final invocation of the Grand Master: 

May the all-bounteous Author of Nature bless the people of this 
place with an abundance of the necessaries of life ; assist in the erection 
and completion of this building ; protect the workmen against every ac- 
cident ; long preserve the structure from decay, and grant to us all a 
sujjply of the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment and the oil 
of joy. Amen. 

After delivering to the architect the working implements, the cere- 
monies were concluded by the Grand Master, as follows : 

Men and brethren here assembled, be it known unto you that we be 
lawful Masons, true and faithful to the laws of our country, and engaged 
by solemn obligations to erect magnificent buildings, to be serviceable 
to the brethren, and to fear God, the great architect of the universe. 

We have among us, concealed from the eyes of all men, secrets 
which cannot be divulged, and which have never been found out ; but 
these secrets are lawful and honorable, and not repugnant to the laws of 
God or man. 

They were entrusted in peace and honor to the Free Masons of 
ancient times, and having been faithfully transmitted to us, it is our duty 
to convey them, unimpaired, to the latest posterity. Unless our craft 
were good, and our calling honorable, we should not have lasted for so 
many centuries, nor should we have been honored with the patronage of 
so many illustrious men of all ages, who have ever shown themselves 
ready to promote our interests and defend us from all adversaries. 

We are assembled here to-day in the face of you all to build a house, 
which we pray God may deserve to prosper, by becoming a place of con- 
course for good men, and promoting harmony and brotherly love 
throughout the world, till time shall be no more. 

The following were the officers of the Grand Lodge participating in 
the ceremonies on that occasion : John A. Dolman, Grand Marshal ; 
Henry C. Fox, Grand Tyler ; N. W. Sherman and Robert Hutton, Grand 
Stewards ; P. M. H. N. Montague, carrying the great lights, supported 
by W. G. Elliott and J. W. O'Neill, as Grand Stewards; A. B. Frazer, 
Grand Secretary ; Hugh Trevor, Grand Treasurer ; Daniel O'Toole^ 
Grand Junior Warden ; J. A. Raj^nor, Grand Senior Warden ; Rt. Wor- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 339 

shipful D. G. M., Samuel Russell ; George Buell, Past Master, carrying 
book of constitutions ; Solomon Broyles, Grand Pursuivant ; Rev. John 
G. Fackler, Grand Chaplain ; Most Worshipful Grand Master, Joseph S. 
Browne, supported by N. H. Wilmott and C. A. Cunningham, as Grand 
Deacons ; Grand Sword Bearer, C. M. Kingsbury. 

One of the most interesting features of the occasion was the address 
of Colonel John Doniphan, which we here give because of the references 
therein made to the early history and settlement of Louisiana, Missouri, 
the Platte Purchase and Buchanan County : 

Ladies and Gentlemen : We welcome you, on this day, so auspic- 
ious for the future of our county and city. The majestic proportions and 
symmetrical design of the temple of justice we are met to inaugurate, 
demonstrate that our honorable County Court, as well as the public sen- 
timent of our people, are in earnest accord with the progress of the age 
and the advance of our enlightened civilization. Standing in a city of 
thirty thousand inhabitants, just thirty years since the first sale of lots 
in St. Joseph, centrally located between the great lakes and the Gulf of 
Mexico ; in the midst of the great Mississippi Valley ; midway between 
the Alleghenies and the Rockies, and upon the fortieth degree of north 
latitude, along which the great problems of civilization have been solved, 
we may properly indulge in retrospect and prophecy. 

A century since, the vast area, from the Blue Ridge to the Pacific, 
had scarcely been marked by the foot of the white man. The painted 
savage and the shaggy bison were the lords of the soil, now teeming 
with millions of prosperous, happy, and progressive citizens, bearing the 
scales of justice and the cross of Christianity. 

The result of the war of the revolution was the independence of the 
confederated states of America, extending from the Atlantic w^est to the 
Mississippi River. By treaty, made by Mr. Jefferson, in 1803, with the 
great Napoleon, then First Consul, France ceded us Louisiana, extend- 
ing westwardly to the Sabine River and northwardly to the Arkansas 
and its sources, to the forty-second parallel, then west to the Pacific 
Ocean, and north with its shores to Vancouver, including the states of 
Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska and 
Oregon, besides the vast territories of Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, 
Idaho and Washington. By the annexation of Texas, in 1845, that large 
.and magnificent state with her 237,000 square miles, was added to our 
extended possessions, and in the war of 1846, New Mexico, Colorado, 
Utah and California were conquered from our sister Republic of Mexico. 

While the extension of our territory has been so grand and vast, the 
increase of our population has been more marvelous still. Three mil- 
lions in 1774, it is now over forty. We were then a few feeble colonies, 
struggling for recognition ; we are now a mighty empire, able to combat 
any other nation ; our navies are known and respected in all the ports 
■of the world, invulnerable to human missiles and bowing alone to the 
behests of the almighty ruler of the universe ; capable of raising an army 
of volunteers in thirty days, thrice as large as the contending hosts 
which settled the fate of Europe in the battle of Sedan, and yet they are 
not the supports and shadows of a throne, but the pillars of democracy ; 
not a standing army, but the citizen soldiery of a republic. 



340 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The increase of wealth, population and power have been exceeded 
in the departments of science and economy; the adaptation of steam to 
the industries of life has increased the producing power more than twent)- 
to one. Education is as free as the flag which so proudly waves its azure 
set stars and broad stripes of universal freedom over us to-day. 

But the great revolution of mind and thought which has evolved out 
of the past century ; the birth of religious freedom in faith and worship, 
is the grand climacteric of which statesmen and philosophers, savans and 
bishops ought to be proud. 

The freedom of conscience and worship places America on a higher 
plane of civilization than any nation that has ever existed in the records 
of history. In all the conquests of the century, the laws have kept pace 
and added much to the success of our civilization. A democratic or 
republican government is one founded upon a stated constitution and 
settled laws, as distinguished from an absolute government, where the 
will of the ruler constitutes the canons of the law, or even where written 
constitutions are interpreted to suit the will of the monarch. 

In our government, the laws emanate from the people in their sov- 
ereign capacity, and are generally executed and interpreted by wise and 
good men, and so long as the laws are made by good people as sover- 
eigns, and administered by pure, just and prudent men. the future is 
assured. The ancient Grecians raised temples in honor of Themis, the 
Goddess of Justice, and adorned her as the source of law and the embod- 
iment of truth. 

We propose erecting here a temple, where the scales of justice \<jtl 
ever be evenly held, and where the oracles of truth will be guarded with 
vestal fidelity. We want the law as a science and study, to be in the 
future as the past — in the front ranks of the learned professions, and her 
practitioners the acknowledged leaders of liberal views and sound mor- 
ality, and bringing to the administration of equity a code of ethics and 
morals beautiful and grand in its comprehensive whole, vast yet sym- 
metrical in its ramified details, adorned by the genius and polished by 
the wisdom of twenty centuries. This building, to be constructed b}- 
our honorable County Court, promises to be such a temple and such a 
shrine, standing in the future as a monument to their wisdom and enter- 
prise, and esteemed by all as worthy of the growing city it will adorn, 
and may it long stand as a bright landmark in the pathway of progress, 
and when the hands which reared it are mouldered into dust, and the 
tongues which to-day shout its triumphs are silent in the grave, may it 
still be known as an altar where justice is tempered with mercy and 
where passion shall never blind judgment or the scales be made to bal- 
ance by the alloy of gold, but where the fountain and stream shall alike 
ever be pure. 

When Missouri was admitted into the Union in 1820, the six counties 
of Platte, Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Atchison, and Nodaway, and known 
then as the Platte country, were a part of the territory, until added to 
the State by an act of Congress passed in 1837. It was occupied by the 
Pottawattamie Indians, and what is now known as Agency, in this county, 
was the issue house for their annuities. By treaty with the Indians in 
1837, this country was ceded to the State of Missouri, and many moved 
into it, that summer, in anticipation of the early passage of the pre- 
emption act. As soon as the passage of the act of Congress was brought 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 341 

west by the slow process of that day, many flocked from the border 
counties in Missouri, and from Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, and 
other states to this new land of promise, the Pottawattamies were 
removed to Council Bluff's and to the Kansas River, near the present 
City of Lecompton, and the tide of immigration entered this rich region. 
Several of those old pioneers are with us yet. Amongst the first to cast 
their tents here were Captain James B. O'Toole, Judge Tom Brown, 
Edwin Toole, William Fowler, Dr. McDonald and many others. Grounds 
were plowed and crops tended in 1838, and by fall the county was pretty 
well dotted over with pre-emption claims and patches of broken prairie. 
That fall the Legislature established Platte into a county, and attached 
the district of Buchanan to Clinton County for voting purposes, and 
established County and Circuit Courts, which were held at Robidoux's 
store, and in accordance with that act the first court was held in the old 
log house, occupied as a store room by Joseph Robidoux, standing on 
the present site of the Occidental Hotel, in the present limits of St. 
Joseph. The first court was held here on the 15th day of July, 1839, by 
Hon. Austin A. King, afterwards Governor of the state ; P. H. Burnett, 
Circuit Attorney, since Governor of California, and now an eminent 
banker in San Francisco. The first Clerk was our old and respected 
friend, Edwin Toole, (may his shadow never grow less.) The only resi- 
dent attorney was General Andrew Hughes, who kept his office and 
library (which last consisted of the Missouri Statutes of 1835 and Pirtle's 
Digest) in the back room of Robidoux' store. Of all the settlers of 
Buchanan County, none are more worthy of remembrance than General 
Hughes. With a polished manner, liberal education and bright talent, 
he combined caustic wit and a heart gentle as a woman. His fame will 
live with a bright radiance in the memories of all that ever heard him 
at the forum. 

The attorneys at that court, were Wm. T. Wood, who is now an hon- 
ored citizen of Lafayette County ; General A. W. Doniphan, whose 
achievements with the Missouri troops, during the Mexican War, read like 
the weird stories of Arabic fiction, and who still resides in Ray County, 
Missouri; General W^m. B. Almond, afterwards Judge of the District Court, 
in California in 1849, ^^^ Judge of this Circuit in 185 1. Almond was a 
man of prolific genius and untiring energy. Launched into the battle of 
life as a poor boy, in Virginia, he soon found himself, with the American 
Fur Company, at the mouth of the Yellowstone, and was back in a few 
years to settle the Platte Purchase. He left for the Pacific Coast on the 
first news of the gold discovery, and returned two or three times, and 
finally passed to the shadowy land in trying to civilize the border ruf- 
fians of Kansas. Besides these, there were at the first court, Amos 
Rees, now of Leavenworth ; John Wilson, of Platte County, and Theo- 
dore Wheaton, of New Mexico, all now full of years, and honored as 
worthy representatives of their day, and to whom much is due for shap- 
ing and controlling the turbulent elements in which all new countries 
abound . 

The first sheriff was S. M. Gilmore. The first suit was Andrew S. 
Hughes vs. Ishmael Davis, for debt. The first indictment was against 
Theophilus Magruder, for the crime of " betting at a game of chance," 
with a pack of playing cards, for which, after several continuances, he 
was, in July, 1840, fined one dollar and costs. Such amusements have 



342 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

increased since that period, as other amusements and luxuries of life. 
The first grand jury were : Reuben R. Reynolds, John Henry, Wm. Bled- 
soe, Elijah Martin, Abel Evans, George S. Nelson, Ezekiel W. Smith, 
Job McNemara, Daniel Terrel, Hugh Copeland, Hiram Rogers, Jesse R. 
Barnnett, Ezra Rose, Lloyd Beall, Hugh Glenn, John Martin and James 
Curl. The second court was held at Robidoux' store, on November i8, 
1839, ^"d the roll of attorneys was increased by the admission of Wm. 
M. Paxton (now a prominent lawyer of Platte County), S. L. Leonard, 
afterwards a judge of this circuit, and John Platte, whose history I am 
unable to give. The first declaration of citizenship was made at this 
term by Godfrey Rental, and the first divorce petition considered was 
the case of Mary Johns vs. Benjamin Johns. The third term of the Cir- 
cuit Court was held at St. Joseph, on the i6th March, 1840. 

The fist term of the County Court was held at the house of Richard 
Hill, on the first day of April, 1839. Present, William Harrington and 
Samuel Johnson, County Court justices. 

The first order appointed William Fowler, County Clerk ; the sec- 
ond order appointed Samuel Johnson, President of said court ; the third 
granted a license to Edward Dodge, for six months, to vend groceries at 
any point in the county. 

The following townships were established and bounded by an order 
of the court : Platte, Marion, Lewis, Jefferson, Bloomington, Crawford 
and Noble. At the same term, Wm. W. Reynolds was appointed County 
Assessor. 

On the 2nd day of April, 1839, it was ordered by the County Court 
that the Circuit and County Courts of Buchanan County should thereafter 
be "held at the house of Joseph Robidoux, at the Snake Hills, until oth- 
erwise ordered." The second term of the County Court was held at the 
house of Joseph Robidoux, on the 6th day of May, 1839. -^t this term a 
license was granted to Julius C. Robidoux to keep a ferry at Robidoux' 
landing, on the Missouri River. 

At the September term, 1839, Wm. Curl was added as a county jus- 
tice. At the April term, 1840, P. P. Fulkerson, Armstrong McClintock 
and Leonard Brassfield, commissioners appointed by an act approved 
December 31, 1838, were required to 'select a permanent county seat. 
The commissioners appointed by the Legislature having selected a quar- 
ter section of United States land at Sparta, for county purposes, the 
seat of justice was removed there by an order of the County Court, and 
the first term of the Circuit Court convened at Richard Hill's cabin (near 
a big spring) about seven miles south of here, on the 20th day of July, 
1840, with Hon. David R. Atchison as Judge, P. H. Burnett, Circuit 
Attorney, where the court remained until 1846, when it was removed to 
St. Joseph. 

About this time (1839), and within a year or two, there settled in St. 
Joseph many of those merchants whose genius and prudence have made 
her the second city in the state. Among these were Powell & Levy, 
Smith & Donnell, John Curd, the Tootles, Joseph Hull, John Corby and 
Saxton and others that I have not been able to get, in connection with 
the other facts, in the two days time I have had to look them up. 

Within a short time after the removal of the county seat to Sparta, 
there came to this county a number of }-oung lawyers, who, like the 
fabled Argonauts, were destined to arise to eminence in the profession 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 343 

and honored position in the history of the state. They were General B. 
F. Loan, Governor R. M. Stewart, General James B. Gardenhire, Governor 
Willard P. Hall, Judge Henry M. Vories and General J. M. Bassett. Most 
•of them lived a longer or shorter time at old Sparta, where, after three 
years of effort, a log court house, costing three hundred dollars, was built. 
Its present site is as deserted as the prophetic state of Tyre is repre- 
sented to be, and, like its compeers of Bonntown and Jimtown, it has 
yielded to the inevitable. 

Judge Atchison retired from the bench in March, 1844, to fill worth- 
ily a seat in the United States Senate, where he was President of the 
Senate, and by virtue of that office, on General Taylor's death, he was 
Vice President two years. Judge Atchison was succeeded in March, 
1844, by Judge Henson Young, an able and just man, who gave place in 
September, 1845, to Solomon L. Leonard, a hard student, an able man 
and incorruptible judge. In November, 1850, W. B. Almond succeeded 
Judge Leonard by an election. In 185 i, E. H. Norton, afterwards a rep- 
resentative in Congress from this district, was elected and held the posi- 
tion until 1859, when Silas Woodson, our present brilliant Governor, was 
elected, who was succeeded by Colonel William Herren, in January, 
1S64, now an honored citizen of Andrew County, and in 1868, I. C. Par- 
ker, our present Congressman, was elected and resigned in 1870, and was 
succeeded by Judge Bennett Pike, a worthy attorney of this city, who 
honored the ermine until last November, when our present esteemed 
officer, Joseph P. Grubb, was elected. 

I regret that time forbids me to throw incense over the names ot 
Scott, Wilson, Jones, Bela Hughes, Lawrence Archer, Tom Thoroughman, 
Alexander Davis, Alexander Terrell, George Baxter, John Boyd, W. A. 
Cunningham, Colonel Davis, Sidney Tennant, L. M. Lawson and others, 
who are either in the shadowy land, or else far removed from the scenes 
of their youthful defeats and triumphs. 

We are honored to-day by the presence of the members of the 
highest tribunal in the state, in the persons of Judges Wagner, Adams, 
Sherwood, Napton and Vories ; men who have won their present high 
positions by long years of toil at the bar ; men alike honored by the 
profession and an honor to it. 

To our present County Court, consisting of Judges Smith, Taylor, 
Fitzgerald, Sutherland and Wade, we are indebted for the elegant 
quarters to be soon furnished to our courts and officers of justice, let 
their names be remembered as deserving well of their countr}-. 

From the progress we have made in thirty-five years, and the evi- 
dences of permanency around us, with such an active and enterprising 
population, we may be permitted to anticipate a magnificent future for 
our county and city. This building will doubtless stand to serve as a 
seat of justice for a quarter of a million of population ; churches, colleges 
and palaces, will be scattered over miles of the adjacent country, our 
court house and iron bridge still standing as monuments of the giant 
energy of the men of 1873. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

CHURCHES IN RURAL DISTRICTS. 

" You raised these hallowed walls, the desert smiled, 
And Paradise was opened in the wild." 

The first settlement of the county and the organization of the first 
churches, were almost contemporaneous. The plow had scarcely begun 
to turn the sod, when the pioneer preachers commenced to labor in the 
new field. In the Western country, as well as in the Orient and the isles 
of the sea, marched the representatives of the Christian religion in the 
front ranks of civilization. Throughout the centuries which compose 
this era, have the Christian missionaries been taught and trained to- 
accompany the first advance of civilization, and such was their advent 
here. In the rude cabins and huts of the pioneers they proclaimed the 
same gospel that is preached in the gorgeous palaces, that, under the 
name of churches, decorate the great cities. 

It was the same gospel, but the surroundings made it appear differ- 
ent, in the effect it produced at least. 

The Christian religion had its rise, and the days of its purest prac- 
tice, among an humble, simple-minded people, and it is among similar 
surroundings in modern times that it seems to approach the purity of 
its source. This is best shown in the days of pioneer life. It is true, 
indeed, that in succeeding times the church attains greater wealth and 
practices a wider benevolence. Further it may be admitted that it gains 
a firmer discipline, and wields a more general influence on society, but 
it remains true that in pioneer times, we find a manifestation of Chris- 
tianity that we seek in vain at a later time and under contrasted circum- 
stances. The meek and lowly spirit of the Christian faith — the placing 
of spiritual things above vain pomp and show — appear more earnest 
amid the simple life and toil of a pioneer people than it can when sur- 
rounded with the splendors of wealth and fashion. But we may take a 
comparison less wide, and instead of contrasting the Christian appear- 
ances of a great city with that of the pioneers, we may compare that of 
forty years ago, here in the West, with that in the present time of mod- 
erately developed wealth and taste for display, and we find much of the 
same result. 

The comparison is pei;haps superficial to some extent, and does not 
fully weigh the elements involved, nor analyze them properly. We sim- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 345 

ply take the broad fact not to decry the present, but to illustrate the 
past. So that looking back to the early religious meetings in the log 
cabins, we may say, " Here was a faith, earnest and simple, like that of 
the early Christians." 

It is not our purpose at this place to give a full account of the organ- 
ization of all the churches of the county. Such matters of detail will be 
given in connection with the history of the towns. At this place it is 
our purpose to speak of the churches in general and more particularly 
the pioneer churches of the county. 

One of the first sermons delivered within the limits of Buchanan 
County was by Bishop Marvin, in what is now known as Agency town- 
ship. This was in a log cabin called " Woods school house." Bishop 
Marvin spent the early years of his ministry in Northwest Missouri, and 
labored in Clay, Platte and Buchanan Counties. In a letter, dated "St. 
Louis, September 3rd, 1874, and written to the President of the "Old 
Settlers" meeting, held in St. Joseph, during the same month, (given in 
full in our chapter on "Old Settlers' Reunions") he says: "In 1842, I 
passed the present site of St. Joseph, on my way to a field of labor 
quite on the frontier ; it embraced all the country west of Nodaway 
River. You will remember, at that time, there was no St. Joseph. I 
shall never forget the uncalculating. unbounded hospitality of the "old 
settlers." Many of them were in their first rude cabins, but those cabins 
had the rarest capacity for entertaining both friend and stranger of any 
houses of their size I ever saw. I often saw them crowded, but to the 
best of my recollection I never saw one of them full ; there was always 
room for a fresh comer. I recollect once, in the Platte Purchase,* I 
was wedging myself into a bed occupied by five children, when one of 
them awaked suflficiently to exclaim, "mamma, he's a scrougin' me!" 

Bishop Marvin's circuit was established in Northwestern Missouri, 
at quite an early day, when the larger portion of it was just beginning 
to be settled. The circuit was a large one, but the Bishop, being a 
young man and full of zeal, succeeded in making the round of his cir- 
cuit as often as it could possibly be done. Bishop Marvin was a self- 
made mam, in the true meaning of that term, and by his own unaided 
efforts arose from one of the humblest positions in life to the most 
exalted place within the gift of a powerful religious denomination. 

He had no advantages in early life, except the example of an honest, 
industrious father, and the influence and precepts of a pious and most 
exemplary mother. In those early days, there were but few schools in 
Missouri (Warren County), and young Marvin's only instruction in the 
rudiments of an education was received from his mother, who taught 
her own children and those of her neighbors, in a cabin erected for that 
purpose in the yard that surrounded their dwelling. 

*Said to have been in Buchanan County. 



346 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

During his pastorate, in one of the St. Louis churches, he delivered 
his famous lectures on Catholicism, which have ever since been accepted 
as a standard defence of the Protestant faith. In 1876, he sailed as one 
of the missionaries of his church to visit the missions in foreign fields. 
During this trip he visited many of the countries of the old world. 

While on his death bed, 1877, he finished the last pages of his last 
and most important work, entitled "To the East by Way of the West," 
giving an account of his voyage around the world, and describing the 
field of labor in heathen lands. This book was. his masterpiece, and 
gave him high rank among the most famous descriptive writers. 

Another pioneer minister was W. G. Caples, who also went through 
the "Platte Purchase" bearing the message of the Gospel of Peace. Mr. 
Caples was at one time cennected with the M. E. Church South at St. 
Joseph. He was an earnest, eloquent preacher, and did much for Chris- 
tianity in Northwestern Missouri. In speaking of Mr. Caples, Bishop 
Marvin says: "There was a man, a minister of Christ, a large portion of 
whose public career belongs to the 'Platte Purchase,' of whom I must 
say, he was in some respects the most remarkable man I ever saw. I 
refer to W. G. Caples. He was another 'Agamemnon, king of men.' He 
was a first-class wit — a man of the finest social feeling, having positive 
ideas and a great end to accomplish. He did much for Northwest Mis- 
souri in establishing schools under Christian auspices. Now I proceed 
to say, that the old citizens of Platte have heard as great preaching as 
any other people on the American continent, and from the lips of the 
man Caples. I have heard more .scholarly men, men whose sermons 
evinced higher cultivation and a better classical finish, but for power of 
argumentation, for philosophical breadth and sweep, for grandeur of 
conceptions, for greatness of imagination, for force and pungency of 
popular appeal, my conviction is, his superior has not appeared in the 
American pulpit." 

Wm. W. Redman was a Presiding Polder in 1840, and preached the 
Gospel through the Platte country. 

Thomas Chandler came in 1844, and was also a Presiding Elder. He 
remained one year, and returned to his native state — Ohio. 

"Mount Moria" was one among the first church edifices constructed 
in the county. It was a rude log house, and was located near Frazer. 
The organization is still in a flourishing condition. Among the early 
expounders of the Word at this church was George W. Rich, John C. 
Davis, John Stone and John lilUs. 

Thomas B. Ruble came in 1840, and after remaining a few years, 
went as a missionary to the Cherokee Nation, where he died. 

In the early history of Buchanan County, religious services were 
held in log cabins and in the shady grove. It was often the case, when 
cabin services were held, that a portion of the congregation would be in 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 347 

the house, while the balance of the audience would be seated outside on 
rough benches and stools. The speaker took his stand in the door, so 
that he could be seen and heard by all in attendance. At one of these 
meetings, while the preacher was making the opening prayer on his 
knees in the door, a pet sheep belonging to the family and which was in the 
habit of going in and out of the cabin at pleasure, attempted to go in. 
When he reached the door and saw the movement of the minis- 
ter's hands, he took it as a challenge, and as the sequel shows, was not 
slow in accepting the banter. A slight backward movement on the part 
of the assailant, with a perceptible adjustment of the head and neck» 
was immediately followed by a furious blow from the only weapon known 
in sheep warfare. Of course there was much more confusion than blood. 
The prayer was concluded without any amen. His majesty, the sheep, 
was hastily dragged to the rear of the building, while the minister witlf 
his, at least, seeming gravity, and without the slightest allusion to the 
distutbance, proceeded to dispense to his hearers the bread of life. 

Next after the Methodists, and sometimes even before them, may 
always be found the Baptists in all pioneer and mission work. From our 
best information, the Baptists held religious services in the county about 
the same time, and contemporaneous with the Methodists. 

One of the first houses of worship was erected by the Calvanistic 
Baptists in Platte Township, and was known as the ''Witt Meeting 
House," taking its name after Judge Nelson Witt, on whose land the 
house was built. It was quite a large structure and made of hewn logs. 
The first minister who officiated in this church was John Evans. Mr. 
Evans was from Kentucky, and through his instrumentality the first or- 
ganization of that denomination was effected in the county between 1838 
and 1840. 

The Missionary Baptists subsequently erected in the same township 
a frame edifice whicn was called "Hebron," which is still standing in a 
ruined condition, but is not used for church purposes. 

The Baptists also built a large frame building with two rooms, in 
the old town of Bloomington, in 1858. Rev. Isart Williams is the pres- 
ent pastor. The Hard-shell Baptists had organizations at an early day at 
one or two places in the southern portion of the county in Bloomington 
Township, in 1839. 

The Christians were among the earliest religious denominations to 
proclaim the Word in the Platte Purchase. A church was organized 
three miles south of DcKalb, in Bloomington Township, by Archibald 
Stuart, in 1839, ^^e first sermon being preached by him under a buckeye 
tree on Sugar Creek. His church was known at that time as the " New 
Light," now the Christian Church. 

The Christians also established a church at Crawford Township, 
four miles northwest of Halleck, in 1842, called " Antioch." Elder Duke 



348 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Young, an aged man, preached here among the first. The Elder was 
said to have been entirely a self-made man, but was an earnest, devout 
minister. Like others of his calling at that early day, he always carried 
with him a small copy of the New Testament, co\'ered with old-fashioned 
green and white spotted calico. 

The Presbyterians organized a church in the northern portion of 
the county, called "Walnut Gro\e," which is still in existence, with a 
membership of thirty. 

The same denomination had a church at Easton, short!)' after the 
settlement of the town. The first camp-meeting was held in the j-ear 
1842, near the Valley Chapel school house, in Bloomington Township. 
Other camp-meetings were held in 1847, below Martin's Mill, in the 
same township. The Episcopalians had a Mission Station" as early as 
1859, at Saxton's Station, and one also about three miles below St. 
Joseph. 

During the first ten years of the county's history there were but few 
church buildings erected. Public religious services were generally held 
at private houses, until school houses were built, after which these build- 
ings were used for religious services on Sundays, and are even now used 
in some localities for the same purpose. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SCHOOLS. 

Our State Constitution lays down, as the very foundation of society 
and good government, the following principle: "Schools and the means 
of education shall forever be encouraged in this state. One school, or 
more, shall be established in each township, as soon as practicable and 
necessary, where the poor shall be taught gratis." 

Thus we find, in the fundamental law of Missouri, the plain and 
unequivocal announcement of the principle that every state is bound to 
see that its citizens are educated. It is a voluntary avowal of the fact 
that the happiness, wealth and prosperity of a nation must depend on 
the intelligence and virtue of its people. 

In the act of Congress (1820) authorizing the people of Missouri 
Territory to form a constitution and state government, the sixteenth 
section of each township, or its equivalent, was devoted to the purpose 
of supporting schools in each township. 

Twelve salt springs, with six sections or thirty-eight hundred and 
forty acres of land adjoining each, were also granted to the state, and 
those were afterwards devoted by the Legislature to the same object. 

The first act passed by the Legislature of the state on the subject of 
education was on the 17th of January, 1825. This law enacted that each 
Congressional Township should form a school district, to be under the 
control of the County Court in all matters pertaining to schools. It also 
declared that all rents (of school lands) fines, penalties and forfeitures 
accruing under provisions of this act should be set apart and appropri- 
ated exclusively to a school fund, and, in no case, should it be otherwise 
applied. 

January 26, 1833, the Legislature authorized the Governor to appoint 
three suitable persons, whose duty it should be to prepare a system of 
primary school instruction, as nearly uniform as practicable throughout 
the state, and to make report to the next meeting of the Legislature. 

By act of June 23, 1836, the office of Superintendent of Common 
Schools was first created. Peter G. Glover was the first to fill this office. 
He was required in the month of January of each }'ear, to make distribu- 
tion of the "School Monies" amongst the several counties in which there 
may be any school, based upon the number of white children between 

the ages of six and eighteen years. 

22 



350 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

During the session of 1853, a committee composed of Acock, of 
Polk County, Hickman, of Boone and Kelley, of Holt County, by author- 
ity of the Legislature, matured and presented to that body the law in 
force on the statute book up to the passage of the second State Consti- 
tution and with some modifications substantially the same as exists to- 
day (1881). The first distribution of State School moneys were made 
January, 1842, when only thirteen counties received any portion of the 
fund. These were Benton, Boone, Clark, Cole, Cooper, Greene, Lafay- 
ette, Livingston, Marion, Monroe, Ralls, Saline and Shelby. The 
aggregate amount of this apportionment was $1,999.60. The number 
of children in the report here fails to appear. In 1859, the number of 
children reported was 367,248, and the amount appropriated, $253,401.12. 

EARLY PRIVATE SCHOOLS OF ST. JOSEPH. 

To the first school taught in the county we have already referred in 
our notice of Crawford Township. Others of perhaps equal importance 
subsequently existed in distant parts of the county, at times not far dis- 
tant from this period. The most important of these, both from the 
superior grade of its scholarship and the permanency of its success, was 
that established in St. Joseph by Mrs. Israel Landis, in the summer of 
1845, and advertised in the Gazette of that day as St. Joseph Female 
Seminary. Either about this period, or a short time previous to the first 
opening of this school, Mrs. Stone, a Roman Catholic lady, taught, for a 
few months, a small private school within the city limits. 

Mrs. Landis' school prospered with merited success for several suc- 
ceeding years. Though, to all intents and purposes a female institu- 
tion, a few small boys, whose sisters were pupils in the seminary, were 
occasionally received as temporary students in the same. 

The following catalogue of the first pupils will probably be read 
with interest by many of the present citizens of St. Joseph : 

Isabella Boyd, Elizabeth and Tolbert Fairleigh, 

Sarah Jane and Hilray Smallwood Harriet Willis, 

Sophia and Octavia Robidoux, Alfred and James Harding, 

Mary and Emerson Reeve, Mary Elizabeth Taylor. 

Elizabeth and A. Searcey, Mary and Sarah Lydia Flint, 

John Walsh, Susan and William Martin, 

Sarah Catherine Talbot, Minerva Patee, 

Eveline, Caroline, Adeliza Taylor, Sarah Maria and Emma Powell, 

Judith and Hannah Venable, Almira and Bryant Searcey, 

Sarah Catherine Norton, John Martin, 

Melvina Hall, Sarah Jane Hall, 

Mary Frances Smith, Lucy Ann Smith, 

Gcorgiana Smith, Elizabeth Loan, 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COlJNTY. 



3SE 



Elizabeth Kercheval, 
Martha McDonald, 
Mary Elizabeth Kenedy, 
Eliza Tracy, 
Lucretia Pfouts, 
Paulina Northcut, 
John Harris, 
Cora Keedy. 



Mary Argyle, 
Prudence Funk, 
Sarah Price, 

Mary Anne Richardson, 
Nancy Northcut, 
John Kemper, 
Cecelia Keedy, 



On February 9th, 1839, ^^ school law was enacted, under which there 
were two or four inspectors of common schools appointed. One duty of 
these inspectors was to examine teachers. This was probably the first 
step toward our present organized system of public school management. 

Though a long term of years intervened between the period first 
above referred to and the present time, we find in the days of her earliest 
history a lively sense of the importance of general education engaging 
the minds of the people of Buchanan County. 

The following evidence of the fact will be read with interest by 
many who may yet, perhaps, recollect, if they did not personally take part 
in the convention : 

On the 7th November, 1846, a 



COMMON SCHOOL CONVENTION 

of Buchanan County was held at Crawford Township school house, at 
which the following proceeding were had. 

On motion of Mr. Stratton, Dr. Davis was elected President of the 
Convention, and on motion of Mr. Burbaker, H. F. Hoover was elected 
Secretary. 

The Convention was then called to order by the President, who took 
occasion to introduce the claims of education in some happy introductory 
remarks, together with reading the following preamble and resolutions^ 
viz. : 

Whereas, In a republic the people are the source of all political 
power, and from them must emanate those hurtful or beneficent influ- 
ences which will operate either as an aliment in sustaining, or as poison 
in destroying vitality of popular institutions; and 

Whereas, The entire mass of society in this country are deeply 
interested in reference to the capacity of each member thei-eof to meet 
the high obligations arising from his social and political relations, it 
being evident that the judgment in reference to these obligations cannot 
be correct while knowledge is deficient and defective ; and 

Whereas, Also it is painfully evident that in a very large portion 
of these states there is a destitution of political and literary intelligence 
disreputable to the government and incompatible with a healthful exer- 
cise of the sacred rights of suffrage ; and 



352 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Whereas, It is also evident and surprising that neither the general 
government nor our own state government have put forth efforts at all ade- 
quate to remove the incubus of ignorance, which not only endangers the 
peace and safety, but retards the prosperity of the country. There is, 
indeed, by the enactments of our state a plentiful array of directions for 
the organization of school districts, the necessary officers with their 
duties fully prescribed, etc., but nothing available placed at their dis- 
posal for the accomplishment of those duties. 

One section out of thirty-six is given for educational purposes — and 
that, with shame let it be said, suffered by the people to be bartered off 
at $1.25 per acre ! ! ! 

We cannot but regard the trifling appropriation of the thirty-sixth 
section, and that badly secured to the cause for which it was intended, 
as manifest proof of the indifference of government to the subject. 

On the part of some of the United States there are splendid excep- 
tions, where education is receiving the fostering care of vigorous govern- 
ments, and consequently, that generous devotion of the people which, as 
the pabulum of individual happiness and palladium of public liberty, it 
justly demands ; and 

Whereas, If our institutions are the most subservient to human 
happiness, of which the world knows, it is most clearly the dut}-, as well 
as the highest interest of every individual enjoying these blessings to 
contribute the utmost in his power to perpetuate them unimpaired to 
posterity ; and 

Whereas, Our country is universally regarded as holding not only 
a conspicuous, but a tremendously responsible station, among the 
nations of the earth. Situate so remote from all countries where pos- 
terity can be dreaded, and in possession of immense physical and civil 
advantages, it must be evident to the most superficial observer that if 
the great experiment of self-government can succeed, of all nations 
under the sun we ought and will most likely be the people to make a 
practical demonstration of it. Let Buchanan County remember that the 
eyes of the world are directed to our nation ; that to America is directed 
the last appeal in behalf of the oppressed, ignorant, suffering humanity; 
that America is known to be the only Ararat on which freedom's ark can 
safely repose. And here let it repose forever, safe in the affections and 
intelligence of the whole people, while our institution of learning — OUR 
COMMON SCHOOLS — like the bow of promise, shall spread from East to 
West its wide arch, giving us the assurance that the wild waters of 
anarchy and despotism shall not again destroy the earth ; therefore. 

Resolved. That those high, those fond, those longing hopes of Christen- 
dom ought not, may not and must not be disappointed ; in support of 
which, as a part of the American people, and in conjunction with every 
patriotic American, we are ready and willing, as much as in us lies, to 
put on betimes the whole armor of freedom and wield it in behalf of those 
institutions that give life and permanenc}' to our Republic. 

Resolved, That any individual is unable to perform the duties of a 
republican citizen while destitute of that education or discipline of mind 
necessary to understand for himself the nature of our institutions, the 
rudiments and principles of our government. Therefore, that the long 
prevalent and present neglect of common schools, both b\- the gov- 
.rnment and the people, proclaims loutll\- an untlue a])preciation of what 



HISTORY OF 15UCHANAN COUNTY. 353 

intimately concerns the vital interests of community, and favors a state 
of things which eminently endangers, not merely the well being, but the 
existence of our free institutions. 

But that with the intellectual and moral training which our common 
schools afford, every individual may acquire the ability to be a useful citi- 
zen, and by joining his wise and harmonious influence with others in 
executing plans for the common weal, he will not only earn the reputa- 
tion of benefactor, but will actually have an agency in embellishing the 
minds of his fellows whose influence, fragrant with all that is good, will 
live after him age after age. 

Resolved, That education, such as ought to be imparted in common 
schools, will enable every one to know and obey the just restraints of 
law, and also must effectually correct the exuberance of democracy, 
chasten and control its tendencies to insubordination, being held by the 
attractions of reason, in its just orbit, around a free constitution, preserved 
alike from the centripetal force of despotism and the centrifugal force of 
anarchy — giving and arming every man with the ability to detect the 
sophistry of the demagogue, and to unite in the selection and establish- 
ment of such authority as shall secure the public tranquility, by rendering 
obedience pleasure and submission choice. 

Resolved, That it is justly the reproach of the general, and of many 
of the state governments, that while with an energy and devotion that 
calls forth the admiration of the world, they have given to a mighty 
nation the boon of freedom, they yet have neglected, or at best imper- 
fectly supplied, the means of general knowledge, by whose power, calm 
and energetic, will give perpetual life and energy to our free govern- 
ment, and that, therefore, public authorities are chargeable with the 
inconsistency of neglecting the materials and order of the foundation, 
in their zeal for the strength and utility of the superstructure. 

Resolved, That the light of learnirig has long since exposed to mer- 
ited contempt the assumption of "the divine right of kings," and that 
experience amply testifies that self-government, under the guidance of 
general intelligence, is no longer an experiment, but ipso faeto, prac- 
tical ; therefore the friends of common schools may most pertinently 
address an appeal, as a motive to our very selfishness — even the first law 
of our being, self preservation. 

Resolved, That the tranquility and perpetuity of this republic is 
rendered secure by the difflision of knowledge, and that whatever so in- 
timately concerns the best interests of government, cannot be at vari- 
ance with the freedom or rights of a single citizen ; and therefor, having 
provided the end, has a right to so control the means and dictate as to 
their due appropriation for purposes of general education, and to com- 
pel, by law, the attendance of every minor upon common schools. 

Resolved, That education inspires men with a just respect for them- 
selves, and of consequence, a due respect for others, by bringing to view 
the worth and greatness of human nature, while the solemn claims of 
every individual possessing these exalted and dignified faculties to equal 
respect, are established on the very ruins of those pernicious principles 
which have so long and so unjustly divided mankind into classes of the 
abject many and the self-exalted few. 

Resolved, That independent of the important considerations con- 
nected with a discreet exercise of the right of suffrage, education has an 



354 msroRN' of ijuciianan county. 

influence u])()n individual happiness, furnishing materials for rational, 
{profitable, social and public intercourse, as well as subjects for private 
meditation — thus so expand the faculties of the human mind — we mean 
of every mind — that the great bond which connects and embraces the 
several members of society is clearly perceived and duly appreciated. 

Rcsoh'cd, That in a religious, as well as civil view, the world is 
immensely indebted to the influence of letters, the demonstration of 
which is afforded in the Gospel itself; the religion of which, against all 
•opposition, became the religion of the Roman Empire. Caesar himself 
a christian, would seem to have promised and insured to mankind that 
repose, benevolence and peace which the Gospel proposes and enjoins, 
but, alas ! how different the result of this triumph of the cross. The 
world unfortunately lacked that goicral knowledge (for the diffusion of 
-which we are now striving) and in consequence of which the whole of 
that pride and arrogance which so soon usurped and perverted in the 
name of religion in the place of "'peace and good will to nicny These 
fetters, strong enough to have held the world in the most degrading 
vassalage, and during long centuries, tumbling even the mightiest mon- 
archs into the dust, were at last broken, and the cruel dominion of 
Egyptian darkness scattered by the light and power of letters, an influ- 
ence which will be found irresitible against opi)ression, and within reach 
of that which will render it as lasting as Gibraltar's rock. 

Resolved, That the invention of the art of printing may not be 
inaptly styled the true alchemist — and is, indeed, the philosopher's 
stone, by which base materials have been converted into gold ; or, to 
drop the metaphor, it is that which embellishes the mind with brilliant 
thought, by scattering the printed page around our windows thick as the 
leaves of autumn, removes ignorance and supplies the mind with all the 
shining forms of intellectual beauty and excellence, giving symetry and 
order to every sense and faculty, while to the mind is imparted true con- 
fidence for trepidation, wisdom for ignorance, correct taste in manners, 
habits and morals, and a corresponding regard for the hitherto undis- 
'Covered dignity and elevation of human nature. Thus, therefore, edu- 
cation enhances, not only the interest and pleasure, but the wealth of 
individuals as well as of the nation. 

Resolved, That education is to be regarded not simply as an acqui- 
sition of a treasury of facts, but as a potent influence which pervades 
the whole structure of the mind, governing, strengthening and disciplin- 
ing all its faculties harmoniously, rendering it the crucible in which 
materials are prepared, and the mould to form them into countless vari- 
.eties of novel, beautiful forms. 

Resolved, That although the strong arm of government has been 
extended with liberality in support of schools, yet there are several 
classes of citizens that are entitled to the gratitude of the nation for their 
incessant efforts in the noble cause, among whom are the clergy and the 
editor. 

Resolved, That in consecjuence of our wide and rapidly extending 
population, the relations and interests of the different .'lections of the 
rei)ublic have become extensively various and complicated, and that the 
importance of education has increased in corresponding ratio. 

After the reading of the abo\'e preamble and resolutions, Mr. Bur- 
baker addressed the convention in a \ er\' interesting speech of about an 



HISTORY OF IJUCHANAN COUNTY. 355 

hour's length, commenting upon and enforcing the truths of the resolu- 
tions, showing what education had accomplished in Switzerland, Prussia, 
and the most of the Western States, inferring a miserable deficiency in 
our own State with fifty thousand adults who cannot read and write ; 
closed by moving that the preamble and resolutions be adopted, which, 
being seconded, was unanimously done by the convention. 

Mr. Stratton introduced to the convention the subject of school 
houses, reading and commenting most pertinently upon the following 
X^reamble and resolutions: 

Whereas, Many of our school houses are among the very worst 
specimens of architecture. The construction of these edifices has 
received such little attention or aid from the more intelligent part of the 
community, and has been left to the care of those who have known or 
thought of no other model but the old building, and who have studied 
their pecuniary interest more attentively than the education of their 
children, I know of nothing among us that brings so great a reproach 
upon our affluence or intelligence as the low, dark, filthy appearance of 
many of our district school houses. There is no part of the means of 
education that makes a stronger demand upon the learned and benevo- 
lent, and none which requires a more thorough reform, than the loca- 
tion, size, structure and fixtures of the buildings in which nineteen citi- 
zens out of twenty receive their first impressions, their first character, 
and the principal part of their education ; therefore 

Resolved, That we recommend to districts inasmuch as the average 
number of children that ought to accompany every qualified teacher in 
this densely populated county should be about seventy, to build their 
school houses not less than thirty by forty feet in size, and that the mid- 
dle of the house be filled with seats instead of the common and bad 
practice of seating scholars around the outside of a schoolroom, that one 
scholar may move without moving all on his seat ; that said houses have 
not less than three windows in each side of the house, and those put so 
high that when scholars are seated their heads will be below the bottom 
window ; also, inasmuch as a child is educated by other teachers than 
books and schoolmasters, that a lovely and delightful piece of ground be 
selected for a school house ; also, that everything around it be comfort- 
able and cheerful ; also, that it be removed from the noise and sight of 
business, and from everything that would endanger the body or divert 
the mind ; also, that your houses be built high, which is of great import- 
ance in every house that is filled. 

On motion of Mr. Stratton, and a second, they were adopted by the 
convention. 

Mr. Burbaker then presented to the convention the following in 
reference to the duties of Trustees: 

Whereas, That in our opinion our common school system, imperfect 
as it is, is the best that has ever been adopted in the Western States for 
•educating the rising generation, and that a large share of the responsi- 
bility of carrying that system into successful operation depends upon the 
District Trustee ; therefore, 



356 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Resolved, That we recommend to all Trustees that in our opinion it 
is necessary to pay such wages to good teachers as will not only be an 
adequate compensation, but will afford encouragement to persons of 
talent and energy to engage in the business. 

Resolved, furtJier, That it is the business of the trustees to visit the 
schools in their respective districts often, and to have such school 
under their immediate supervision — not that trustees are to have a voice 
in the daily discipline of the school, but they may know the embarrass- 
ments of district schools in the absence of the necessary apparatus in the 
way of carrying out and executing the views of their teacher for the 
prosperity of the school. 

These resolutions prevailed unanimously with the Convention. 

Mr. Stratton, then at length, in a most clear, forcible and masterly 
manner, set forth the subject of qualified teachers and moved the fol- 
lowing resolution : 

Resolved, That in consideration of the great responsibility resting 
upon the teacher of the common school, it is highly requisite that all 
persons offering themselves as patterns and guardians of youth, possess 
a thorough knowledge of all the branches required to be taught in the 
common school course, and a capability of imparting the same with 
facility to their pupils ; also that they should be able to adopt and main- 
tain a well regulated system of classification, instruction and discipline. 

This resolution was unanimously adopted. 

Mr. Beane submitted and enforced a resolution in reference to parents,, 
which prevailed. 

Resolved, That in the opinion of the committee, the efficiency of the 
teacher will be materially enhanced by the co-operation of the parent in 
upholding his authority and entire supremacy in all matters of school 
discipline and government, and inculcating into the minds of their 
children a high respect for his person and qualifications. 

Resolved, also. That it is deemed of great advantage to teachers and 
scholars that parents frequently visit and observe the order and regula- 
tion of the school, and, in case of their noticing any ground of complaint 
in the teacher, that they speak to him in private and make a representa- 
tion thereof to the trustees, and by no means to indulge in the presence 
of children in depreciatory remarks, which are calculated to lessen the 
respect of the children and efficiency of the teacher. 

Resolved, That it is very essential that each scholar be furnished 
with such books as he ma}' need, instead of the frequent practice of 
studying in couples. 

Mr. Burbaker offered the following preamble and resolution, which 
were adopted by the convention : 

The teacher's employment, to be profitable and useful to all parties, 
should be made as honorable and as separate as the physician's, divine's 
or lawyer's, and labor exclusively in his profession, as the physician does 
in his. We would not employ a man who may have had a good education, 
but had given his whole attention to the selling of goods, to be our 
physician, when disease takes hold of us, or to plead our rights before 
judge or jury who had not made the law his study for years ; therefore. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 357 

Resolved, That teaching our district schools should be made a pro- 
fession. 

Mr. Stratton submitted the subject of county conventions for teach- 
ers, as follows : 

Introductory remarks and resolution. 

How shall teachers become better prepared for their profession } 
How can they be continually improving their minds and their systems 
of instruction.' And how shall every teacher receive the light which 
the more experienced are constantly throwing upon the subject of 
instruction.'' We know of no means so common to all, and so favorable, 
as county conventions of teachers. Heretofore there has been but little 
communication between teachers. The improvements which one has 
made have not been made known to others ; the incompetency of teach- 
ers, and the bad efforts of teacher have not been made to elevate and honor 
their profession. Other classes of men have had their conventions — men 
of science, ministers and statesmen, to ensure enlightened and united oper- 
ations, appoint their conventions to redress wrongs', to correct errors, 
and make known the improvements and able suggestions that may be 
discovered or proposed by any of one of the party. 

The wisdom and experience of these conventions not only enlighten 
the people and sit in judgment upon their errors, but produce through- 
out the whole country similarity of feeling and harmony of efforts for the 
peace of the church, the advancement of science and the prosperity of 
the country. 

Such conventions are absolutely necessary, but are not conventions 
of teachers equally necessary for the prosperity of our schools .'' Does 
not the difficulty and responsible profession of teaching require all the 
light and knowledge that can be obtained on the subject '^ Does not the 
incompetency of teachers invite all the aid that can be obtained on this 
subject .'' Does not the incompetency of teachers invite all the aid that 
can be furnished from those who are better qualified by experience and 
from other literary men .-* 

"Certainly ! " every one will say, " such assistance is highly import- 
ant ; it would afford that necessary aid which teachers now have no 
means of obtaining." 

Yet so great is the apathy of the people that we seldom hear of a 
teachers' convention. The introduction of a teachers' convention, it 
seems, has but just found its way into Missouri. Hence but a small 
number of our teachers have been profited by them. ' But how shall 
teachers improve themselves, if not by such conventions.'' 

Works on education have a very limited circulation. Not one 
teacher out of a hundred reads anything on the subject ; nor will they 
read before the living voice exercises their attention. There are but 
few seminaries for educating teachers, and rarely a lecture delivered on 



358 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTV. 

school-keeping. Teachers are seldom qualified when they enter into the 
profession, and they have neither the assistance of teachers in the vicin- 
ity nor intelligence from abroad, either from books or the speaking lec- 
ture. This should not be so. There are many means which teachers 
may use to prepare themselves for their profession and for improving 
themselves while engaged in their duties ; and we know of none so 
advantageous to teachers, and that is attended with so little expense and 
within reach of all, as frequent county conventions. If these are gener- 
ally announced and faithfully attended, they will not only be highly 
interesting to teachers, but of the greatest benefit to our schools. They 
should be attended not only by teachers, but all the friends of education ; 
each individual should go prepared to contribute to their interest and 
usefulness and with a hearty desire to promote the general cause of edu- 
cation. Each county association should have a correspondence with 
similar associations in adjacent counties, and so throughout the United 
States. By this communication all the improvements or changes which 
have been made may be made known. It should be the object of these 
conventions and communications with other associations to discover the 
origin of the defects in the present system of instruction, to ascertain 
the actual condition of schools through the United States, who are in 
school, and the number who do not use the means of education. To 
ascertain the true interest which parents are taking in educating their 
children, to convince the people of the necessity of general intelligence 
in a free government, and to make known the duties which every one 
owes to the free institutions of his country. The mutual improvement of 
teachers is one of the first objects of these conventions. To render this 
mutual instruction each teacher before the convention should describe 
his system of instruction and his form of government. From this inter- 
change of views on the best methods of teaching and governing many 
valuable suggestions will be elicited and many evils and defects dis- 
closed. Individuals should be appointed to deliver lectures before these 
conventions, the object of the lectures being either to illustrate or simplify 
the branches which are taught in our schools, or to make known the best 
methods of instructing. These, with many other advantages, too numer- 
ous to mention, are the happy results of count)- teachers' conventions. 

Whereas, At the present time men of other professions are associ- 
ating themselves together for mutual aid and advantage ; therefore, 

Resolved, Iriat it is incumbent upon teachers, for their own protec- 
tion and advancement in the scale of public opinion, and for the benefit 
of those under their charge, to associate themselves together, to hold 
converse with each other as often as practicable, and, in every honorable 
way within their power, to promote good fellowship and brotherl}- kind- 
ness among themselves, thereby presenting opportunities for interchange 
of sentiments, which must produce the most beneficial results. 



HISTORY OF i;UCHA\AX COL'NTV. 359 

Resolved, That we know of no better way of carryinc^ out the spirit 
of the above preamble and resolution than by teachers frequently asso- 
ciating themselves together, as we do ; therefore earnestl}- recommend 
that associations be formed in ever}' organized township in our county 
by their teachers. 

Resolved by the convention. That the president appoint a suitable 
person from each township in this county as a committee, whose duty it 
shall be to ascertain the number of township and district schools organ- 
ized, the number and reasons for, of tliose not organized, with such other 
facts as will show the state of the schools in our county, and report to 
the next county convention. 

Resolved, That a county convention be held at the Crawford town- 
ship school house, on the second Saturday in next April. 

On motion, Messrs. Stratton, Burbaker and Dr. McDonald were 
appointed a committee to conduct the interests of the next convention. 

On motion the convention adiourned. 

H. F. HOOVER, Secretary. 

The committee, in behalf of the present convention, feel that they 
will not discharge their duty without earnestly recommending the repeal 
of Section 13, Article IV, School Laws of Mo. 

Through correspondence with the superintendent of common schools 
it is ascertained the 13th section of the 4th article bears a general inter- 
pretation, and of consequence has a restraining, crippling and mischiev- 
ous force 'on other provisions of the laws, so as to render them powerless. 
The committee solicit that every one examine the law, and pray the 
Legislature for the repeal of said section ininiediately. Copies of the 
petition will be found in the hands of the committee. 

H. M. VORIES. 
Dr. DAVIS, 
WM. STRATTON, 
GEO. BURBAKER, 

Committee. 

OTHER CITV PRIVATE SCHOOLS. 

While the cause of public instruction was thus engaging the atten- 
tion and arousing vigorous efforts on the part of many representative 
citizens of the new county, the spirit of individual enterprise in the pro- 
fession of teaching did not remain confined to the lady to whose suc- 
cessful efforts we have already referred. 

Prompted by an abiding faith in the then prospective future of St. 
Joseph, the Rev. T. S. Reeve, a minister of the New School Presbyterian 
Church, opened in the town, in the fall of 1850, a female seminary. This 
school occupied the basement of the New School Presbyterian Church, 
the first ecclesiastical structure of brick erected in the city, and the sec- 
ond of any kind built within its limits. This building stands on an 
elevation on the northeast corner of Fourth and Francis Streets. 

Professor Reeve subsequently added, for the purpose of accommo- 
dating his early increasing business, two rooms of considerable size, each 



36o HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

attached to the rear of the church building. His school was emphati- 
cally a female seminary; recognized as such, it was liberally patronized, 
and from the start enjoyed a career of uninterrupted prosperity. The 
institution was chartered by the State Legislature with authority to con- 
fer the usual degrees recognized in our American female colleges. 

At the end of about four years Mr. Reeve determined to withdraw 
from the profession of teaching. He had no successor in the institution 
which he had established and for which he had received a charter. The 
furniture of the school he sold to a recent arrival, E. B. Neely, a teacher 
who, subsequently, as principal of a private, classical and scientific school 
in St. Joseph, and afterwards as superintendent of city and county 
schools of St. Joseph and Buchanan County, achieved an enviable dis- 
tinction. 

The Gazette of August 30th, 1854, contains the announcement that 
the St. Joseph Female High School would open on the first Monday in 
September, in a building on the corner of Fifth and Faraon Streets. 
The teachers of this school, which continued to prosper for a consider- 
ble period after its commencement, were Miss M. A. Lesuer, principal ; 
Miss M. A. Lesuer, first assistant, and Miss H. M. Lesuer, second assistant. 

The building still (1881) stands, and is occupied as a residence. It 
was not, however, directly on the corner, another house having since 
been built above it, rendering the building the second southward from 
the corner of Faraon. 

In January, 185 1, Professor Charles C. Byrne, formerly of Nashville. 
Tennessee, and now (1881) a resident of Albany, Missouri, arrived in St. 
Joseph, whither he had come with the expectation of assisting in his 
school the Rev. Mr. Reeve. In consequence of delay in travel, he failed 
to reach St. Joseph in time, and, on his arrival, found that Mr. and Mrs. 
Mills, of Ohio, had been employed in the institution. In the following 
spring Mr. and Mrs. Mills left for California. Among the other teachers 
in St. Joseph, about this period, were Mr. Stuppy and Mr. O'Toole, the 
father-in-law of Hon. I. C. Parker, who once represented a Missouri 
district in Congress, and is now (1881) United States District Judge in 
Arkansas. Both the above mentioned gentlemen were teaching when Mr. 
Byrne commenced his school. They continued about a year after. About 
three years after the commencement of the latter's school, a gentleman 
from New York by the name of Hart arrived in St. Joseph, and fitted up 
for the purpose of a school the "Old Log Church," the first place of wor- 
ship built in the town and erected by Parson Reeve in the early settlement 
of St. Joseph. Tliis church building was rented him by Israel Landis. 
Mr. Byrne speaks in the highest terms of approval of this gentleman, 
both personally and ])rofessionally, and at the close of the period of his 
brief stay, expressed regret at his departure, which was doubless duo to 
his want of success amid the competition that then existed. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 36 1 

Mrs. Burr and niece also conducted a prosperous school 'in the city 
about this period. The latter, in January, 1852, was married to Wm. R. 
Penick. 

Mrs. Burr, with other assistants, continued her school for several 
years after this event. 

Among the earliest applications of public funds to the maintenance 
of schools in the count)-, from the best information at our command, was 
that made to one taught in St. Joseph, by Capt. C. C. Byrne, above 
referred to. The limited amount thus afforded only defrayed a portion 
of the expense of a three months' school. 

Numerous other institutions for the instruction of youth were subse- 
quently started by individual enterprise. A majority of these were mere 
experiments and proved short-lived. 

In the fall of 1854, E. B. Neely, of Virginia, accompanied by R. F. 
Maxwell, arrived in St. Joseph, and started, in the basement and addi- 
tions of the Presbyterian church above referred to, as formerly occupied by 
Parson Reeve's female college, a private school. Mr. Neely, after estab- 
lishing the school, left Mr. Maxwell in charge of the same and went back 
to Virginia. In the naeantime a portion of the small public fund above 
referred to was allotted to this institution, and, as a natural consequence, 
swelled immensely the roll of atteixdance. The furniture of this school 
was the former property of Mr. Reeve, and was purchased from him by 
Mr. Neely, who returned to take charge of .the school in the spring of 
1855. Mr. Maxwell soon retired from the profession and the business of 
the school continued to be conducted by Mr. Neely, with distinguished 
ability and a corresponding success, till his retirement, at the close of 
the civil war. from the active duties of his profession for the purpose of 
assuming the scarcely less onerous task of superintending the public 
schools of St. Joseph. 

To his efforts, more than to the exertions of any other one man, the 
present (1881) splendid condition of the public schools of St. Joseph is 
universally conceded to be due. In the long period during which he also 
filled, together with the superintendence of the above, the position of 
county superintendent of common schools, his marked ability was as fully 
recognized by all interested in the efficiency of the standard of public 
instruction. No fuller recognition of his sterling ability need be men- 
tioned than the fact of his continuous re-election to the office, under all 
the various and opposing changes and modifications of party in power.* 
In the election of a city school superintendent the people of St. Joseph 
seem ever to have manifested the good sense to ignore political attributes. 

To go back a little in our history : In the fall of 1855, Professors E. 
C. Davis and Rogers opened a female academy in what is now the Saun- 
ders House. In 1858 Davis retired, leaving the institution in charge of 
Professor Rogers, who conducted the school till the close of the follow- 



362 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

ing acadtfmic year, when he withdrew to take charge of the Christian 
Female College in Columbia, Mo. 

Rev. A. V. C. Schenk then took charge of the institution, the style of 
which he changed, naming it the St. Joseph Female College. After con- 
ducting the school for a brief period, he sold out to William Cameron,, 
at one time Professor of Languages in the Masonic College, at Lexing- 
ton, Mo. 

When he withdrew, the building ceased to be used for school pur- 
poses, and became what is to-day ri<S8i) a hotel, styled the Saunders 
House. 

About 1858, A. W. Slayback, a former asssistant of Mr. Neely, 
taught a private school in what was the Cumberland Presbyterian Church,, 
a frame building which stood at the corner of Sixth and Edmond Streets. 

The building was afterwards sold to the Jews, who converted it into 
a synagogue. 

This was accidentally destroyed by fire during the civil war. In the 
following year J. P. Caldwell opened a school in the same building. Miss 
India Cowden, now Mrs. E. W. Ray, assisted Professor Caldwell in this 
institution. She afterwards conducted an important school of her own, 
and was subsequently, for several years, principal of the Everett (public) 
School, in the city. 

Among the prominent teachers of other schools immediately before,, 
and during the civil war, in St. Joseph, was Miss Sarah Bell (afterwards 
Mrs. Tiernan), a lady of rare literary and scientific attainments, and 
of marked success as an instructress of youth. Hers was a female 
school exclusively. 

St. Joseph Classical Institute was an institution which existed in St. 
Joseph during the two and a-half years next preceding the close of the 
civil war. It was presided over by C. S. Raffington, teacher of ancient 
and modern languages, assisted by W. A. F. N. Bowen, teacher of mathe- 
matics and natural science. The school was a splendid success, including 
in the period of its existence, a membership of largely over two hundred 
students. It was taught in the Franklin school building, and only sus- 
pended at the close of the war, in consequence of the reorganization of 
the public schools of St. Joseph, when the house was required for the 
purpose of accommodating one of these institutions. For want of suit- 
able buildings in the city, the institute lost its existence. In the follow- 
ing September, the principal accepted the chair of languages in what is 
now the Daughters' College of Platte Cit}-. 

St. Joseph Classical Institute will long be remembered by many as 
the early Abna Mater of William B. Smith, whose wonderful powers of 
application and of apprehension achieved for him a reputation which, 
perhaps no other youth in the state ever acquired in a corresponding 
period of time. By the time that this boy, then a mere child, had com- 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. ^6^ 

pleted his third year in this, the first school he attended, he had read 
eight or nine Latin authors, not superficially, but with critical accuracy. 
At the age of fourteen he was a better classical scholar than a majority 
of the graduates of our Western colleges, and had made respectable ad- 
vancement in mathematics and the natural sciences. In June. 1867, he 
entered the University of Kentucky, where his career was one of con- 
tinued success and of unrivaled brilliancy. In three years he was grad- 
uated with the highest honors ever awarded any graduate. In June, 1871, 
he was advanced to the degree of Master of Arts for proficiency in the 
French, German and Italian languages. He shortly afterwards filled the 
position of Professor of Natural Sciences in the University in which he 
was graduated. He subsequently visited continental Europe, and achieved 
distinction in some of the most noted of the German universities. 

William B. Smith is the son of Jerry Smith, Esqr., a lawyer by pro- 
fession, but, at the period of his death, engaged in farming near Sparta, 
in Buchanan County. He was assassinated on his way home from St. 
Joseph, one evening during the late civil war. 

Rev. James H. Robinson, a minister of the M. E. Church South, 
opened in the Patee House in St. Joseph, in September, 1865, a female 
school. This institution was conducted by him with success up to the 
period of his death, which occurred September 20, 1869, when the school 
was continued by Rev. Dr. Dixon till the first of January, 1869. 

In the fall of the year 1869, Rev. Dr. Charles Martin, a minister of 
the Lutheran Church, arrived in St. Joseph, and established, on the cor- 
ner of Fifth and Antoine Streets, the Young Ladies' Institute. The 
school is still (1881) in a prosperous condition, rarely numbering less 
than one hundred pupils. This institution is non-sectarian in character. 

BRYANT'S BUSINEES COLLEGE, 

located on the corner of Fourth and Edmond Streets, was established 
November 15, 1864, by Thomas J. Bryant, its present president, and has 
been in successful operation ever since. Up to August, 1881, two 
thousand four hundred and forty-three pupils, representing fifteen differ- 
ent states, bave been graduated from this school, to say nothing of 
thousands who have attended simply to learn the art of penmanship. 
The institution is in a highly prosperous condition. 

ST. JOSEPH FEMALE COLLEGE. 

an institution of learning established and presided over by Rev. E. S. 
Dulin, D. D., LL. D., a prominent minister of the Baptist Church, closed 
its fourth year in June, 1881. The building, one of the most spacious 
and elegant in the city, was completed some years ago at a cost of 
$120,000. The establishment of a school here by Dr. Dulin was hailed 



3^4 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY 



as a warrant of success which subsequent results amply verified. Sup- 
plied with a numerous and able faculty, as well as the general appliances 
of a first-class ladies' school, this largely attended institution has proven 
a matter of just pride to St. Joseph. 

To return to the matter of our county schools : — 

The records of the office of State Superintendent of Public Schools 
show that the following named persons were the Buchanan County Com- 
missioners of Common Schools (or Superintendents) as indicated, for the 
years given, viz.: 

1853. Milton H. Walsh, County Clerk and Acting Commissioner. 

1854. Joseph J. Wyatt, County Commissioner. 

1855. Joseph J. Wyatt, 

1856. Wm. C. Toole, 

1857. Wm. C. Toole, 

1858. Wm. C. Toole, 

1859. W. M. Albin. 
i860. S. P. Cunningham, 

1862. J. Van Riley, County Clerk and Acting Commissioner. 

1S63. J. Van Riley, 

1864. Willis M. Sherwood, " 

1865. Willis M. Sherwood, " 

1866. '^Edward B. Neely. County Superintendent. 

1867. Edward B. Neely, 

1868. Edward B. Neely, 

1869. Edward B. Neely. 

1870. Edward B. Neely, 

1 87 1. Edward B. Neely, 

1872. Edward B. Neely, 

1873. J. T. Riley, 

1874. J. T. Riley, 

1875. Corydon F. Craig, 

1876. Corydon F. Craig, 
F. S. Wynn filled by appointment of County Court the office of 

County School Commissioner from March, 1877, to April 1,5, 1877. The 
period of the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of C. F. Craig. 

1877. J. P. Boyle, County Superintendent. 

1878. J. P. Boyle, 

1879. J. P. Boyle, 

1880. J. P. Boyle, 

1 88 1. J. P. Boyle, 



* .Appointed Superintendent by Counly Court in the spring of 1866 for six months, until first 
general election. He was the first to hold the office of County Superintendent in Buchanan 
County. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



365 



APPORTIONMENTS OF STATE SCHOOL MONEYS TO BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



School age 
tween 5 
zo years . 



School age be- j i 
tween 6 and -J 2 
20 years . ! 3 

r 4 
5 

6 

7 

8 

be- 9 

and [ 10 

I II 

12 

13 

14 
15 
16 

17 
18 

I 19 
20 
21 
22 

i 23 

L 24 



School age be- j 
tween 5 and -I 
21 years. 



School age be- j 
tween 6 and | 
20 years. j 

I 



r25 



January, 1847 
January, 1848 
January, 1849 

January, 1850 
January, 1851 
January, 1852 
January, 1853 
Febr'y, 1854 
May, 1855 
May, 1856 
May, 1857 
May, 1858 
May, 1859 
May, l36o 
May, 1864 
May, 1865 

March, . 1867 

March, 1868 

March, 1870 

March, 187 1 

March, 1872 

March, 1873 

March, 1874 

March, 1875 

March, 1876 

March, 1877 

March, 1878 

March, 1879 

March, 1880 

March, 188 1 



Enumeration 



547 
3.418 
3.506 

3,861 
3703 
4,738 
3.639 
4,535 
4,375 
4858 

5.099 
5,427 
6,970 
7,302 
7,302 
9,131 

12,471 

12,187 
12,622 
12,430 
12 280 
12,340 
12,578 

13,058 
10,736 
12,473 
13,332 
13-495 
14,662 



Amount 



I 481 36 

1,367 20 

1,367 34 

617 76 

1,481 20 

1,421 40 

1,200 87 

4,191 82 

1,662 50 

3,886 40 

3,977 22 

3.798 90 

4 533 30 

4,965 36 

3,212 88 

1,004 4r 

6,584 69 

6,921 79 

6,599 26 

6.833 55 

6,622 89 

6,372 19 

7,160 44 

8,293 77 

8,249 86 

7,983 97 

9,901 19 

9,739 60 

9,903 52 

10,484 34 



ROMAN CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING IN ST. JOSEPH. 

The Convent of the Sacred Heart is also a seminary for the instruc- 
tion of young ladies. The building was completed in 1857. 

The reputation of this institution is widely and favorably extended. 
The building, from its lofty and commanding position on Twelfth Street, 
is a land mark to a wide extent of the surrounding countr)% and is cer- 
tainly one of the most spacious, complete and elegant structures in the 
city. 

Its dimensions are i20x6o feet, and consists of three stories and a 
mansard roof with a tower of elegant design, the metallic summit of 
which, reflecting the dazzling sunlight, like a beacon marks the position 
of St. Joseph in a radius of many miles from the city, when no other fea- 
ture of the town is visible. 

The building is, at present, divided into thirty-eight apartments of 
greater or less extent, all models of neatness and perfection of construc- 
tion and arrangement. 

The tin roof of the convent building was blown off and the structure 
otherwise materially damaged by a storm which occurred in July. 1871. 

23 



366 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The restoration of the building by the addition of a slate-mansard 
roof and other repairs, involved an expense of $20,ocxd. 

The value of the convent property, including the parish school 
building on the premises, in which a large number are taught by four 
teachers, is estimated at $80,000. 

The convent proper is usually occupied by about thirty nuns, inclu- 
ding the Lady Superior. The schools are well attended. 

THE COLLEGE OF THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS, 

on an eminence in the northeast part of the city, is a plain and substan- 
tial brick structure, of lofty appearance and considerable extent. The 
Christian Brothers are devoted exclusively to the profession of teaching, 
and are forbidden from aspiring to the priesthood. The school generally 
includes upwards of two hundred students from all parts of the country, 
many of whom are boarders in the institution. St. Patrick's Parochial 
School is also conducted by the Christian Brothers in a large two-story 
brick building on the corner of Monterey and Eleventh Streets. This 
also is in a prosperous condition and is largely attended. 

The Sisters of Charity, those ministers of mercy, whose deeds of 
benevolence exist whenever the cry of human suffering is heard, have an 
organization in St. Joseph, and a convent, to which is attached a school 
for the education of the poor. This is located on Felix between Seventh 
and Eighth Streets. The German English School of the Immaculate 
Conception is taught in a neat two-story brick building on Tenth below 
Angelique Street. It is conducted by an order of nuns known as the 
Sisters of St. Joseph. Vocal and instrumental music are taught here in 
addition to the German and English languages and the ordinary branches 
of education. 




CHAPTER XXIII. 

OFFICIAL DIRECTORY. 

CIRCUIT JUDGES. 

David R. Atchison, 1839; Henson Young, 1844; Solomon L. Leon- 
ard, 1845; W. B. Almond, 1851; E. H, Norton, 1851 ; Silas Woodson, 
1859; William Herren, 1864; I. C. Parker, 1868; Bennett Pike, 1870; 
Joseph P. Grubb, 1872; W. H. Sherman, 1880. 

COUNTY COURT JUDGES. 

1839 — William Harrington, Samuel Johnson, William Curl. 

1840 — Stephen Jones, Richard Roberts, Upton Rohrer. 

1841-42 — Stephen Jones, Richard Roberts, Thomas A. Brown. 

1843-44 — Richard Roberts, Thomas A. Brown, William Dunning. 

1845-46-47-48 — William Dunning, Robert Irwin, Robert Duncan. 

1849 — William Dunning, Robert Irwin, Thornton S. Talbot. 

1850-51-52 — Thornton S. Talbot, William Dunning, Robert Jessee. 

1853 — Aaron Lewis, Nelson Witt, Hiram Rogers. 

1854-55 — Aaron Lewis, Nelson Witt, Cornelius Roberts. 

1855-56 — William M. Carter, Nelson Witt, Cornelius Roberts. 

1856-57 — Josiah H. Crane, Cornelius Roberts, John J. Pullins. 

1857-58-59 — John J. Pullins, James A. Anthony, Cornelius Roberts. 

1860-61— James A. Anthony, John J. Pullins, William Dunning. 

1862 — P. B. Locke, Cornelius Roberts, Ransom Ridge. 

I §63-64 — Cornelius Roberts, Ransom Ridge, Charles Schrieber. 

i865^Cornelius Roberts, Charles Schreiber, William Ridenbaugh. 

1866 — James B. Pettigrew, Charles Schreiber, J. B. Bell. 

1867-68 — P. Bliss, Jacob Boyer, Charles Schreiber. 

1869-70 — William M. Albin, Charles Schreiber, Jacob Boyer. 

1871 — John Pinger, William B. Gillmore, John Bretz. 

1872 — John Pinger, William B. Gillmore, Benjamin B. Frazer. 

1873 — John Bretz, Michael Fitzgerald, John Taylor. 

1874 — M. Fitzgerald, John Taylor, Fred W. Smith, John E. Wade, 
John L. Sutherland. 

1875-76 — B. Patton, S. D. Cowan, John E. Wade, John Rohan,' John 
Taylor. 



368 HISTORY OK r.UCHANAN COUNTY. 

1877-78 — B. Patton, William Roberts ; Roberts resigned and John 
Pryor appointed ; Patrick Mclntyre. 

1879-80— T. A. Brown, P. Mclntyre. John H. Carey. 
188 1— T. A. Brown. P. Mclntyre. L. F. Carpenter. 

CIRCUIT CLERKS. 

Pklwin Toole, 1839; Wm. Prowler. 1840; \Vm. Ridenbaugh, [852; 
VVm. C. Toole, 1862; Frank Hopkins, 1864; Wm. Ridenbaugh, [870; 
C. C. Colt (appointed) 1873 ; J. H. R. Cundiff, 1874; S. D. Cowan, 1878 ; 

COUNTY CLERKS. 

William Fowler, from 1839 to 1852 ; Milton Walsh, from 1852 to 
1858; I. V. Riley, from 1858 to 1864; Willis M. Sherwood, from 1864 to 
1870; John B. Harder, from 1870 to 1874; John T. Ransom, from 1874 
to December, 1874, to fill Yacancy caused by death of Harder; I. V. 
Riley, from January, 1875, to April, 1875 ; E. V. -Riley, appointed to fill 
vacancy till 1876; E. V. Riley, from 1876 to 1883. 

RECORDERS. 

Edwin Toole, 1839; William Fowler, 1840; George A. Pearcy, 1865 ; 
Thomas Kelly, 1874: M. Crawford, 1875; James A. Millan, 1879. 

PROBATE JUDGES. 

Joseph J. Wyatt, from 185 1 to 1859; Henry Tutt, from 1859 ^^ 
1863. In 1863 the Legislature repealed the law establishing Probate 
Courts, giving the County Courts jurisdiction of all probate matters. In 
1866 the Probate Court was re-established : Philemon Bliss, from 1866 
to 1868; William M. Albin, from 1868 to 1870; James P. Pettigrew, from 
1870 to 1874; Henry Tutt, from 1874 to 1881 Judge Tutt, the present 
incumbent, was a member of the Legislature in i85i,and had the honor 
of drafting the act establishing the Probate Courts of the state. 

SHERIFFS. 

Samuel M. Gilmore, 1839; George W. Taylor, 1843 ; Wm. \V. Rey- 
nolds, 1846; Leander T. P^llis, 1850; Joseph B. Smith, 1852 ; Solomon N. 
Sheridan, 1856; James A. Matney, appointed in 1857, served until 
August, 1858; Michael D.Morgan, 1858, resigned in 1862; Robert T. 
Maxwell (Coroner), 1862 ; Samuel t^nsworth, [862 ; Enos Craig, [863 ; 
Ransome Ridge. 1865; Irvin P'ish, 1867; Dr. R. P. Richardson, 1871-. 
F^lijah Gates, 1873; J. L. Spencer, 1877; R. H. Thomas (present incum- 
bent), 1880. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUN'J'Y. 369 

TREASURERS. 

James A. Anthony, until 185 1 ; Jno. Curd, from 185 1 to 1863 ; Geo. 
Lyon, from 1863 to 1871 ; Gustavus H. Koch, 1871 to 1873 ; Jno. Wil- 
liams, 1873 to 1877; James Hull, 1877 to 1881 ; John T. Ransome, 1881 
to 1883. 

COLLECTORS. 

Until 1864 the Sheriff was ex-officio Collector of the county; Thomas 
Harbine, 1865; John Finger, 1869; Robert F.Maxwell, 1871 ; Tolbert 
Fairleigh, 1873 ; Thomas J. Burgess, 1875 ; M. M. Claggett, 1877 ; R. T. 
Davis (present incumbent), 1879. 

ASSESSORS. 

Wm. W. Reynolds, 1839; Hiram Rodgers, 1843 ; Zachariah Garton, 
1845; Matthew C. Ferrell, 1846; Leander T. Ellis, 1847; Henry M. 
Beauchamp, 1851; Henry Smith, 1852; Hiram Roberts, 1853; James A. 
Matney, 1855 ; Wm. Fitton, 1863 ; John B. Harder, 1865 ; J. A. Mathews, 
1867; Joseph Mathers, 1869; Cyrus J. Missemer, 1871; John S. Tutt, 
1873 ; George Garrett, 1875 ; John S. Tutt (present encumbent), 1877. 

CORONERS. 

Benajah B. Hartwell, 18 — ; David V. Thompson, 18 — ; David R. 
Heaton, 1852 ; W. R. Penick, 1854; J. H. Crane, 1858 ; Robert T. Max- 
well, i860; John A. Dolman, 1862 ; Thomas Young, 1864; J. T. Berg- 
hoff, 1866; C. J. Siemens, 1870; Samuel Goslee, 1872; Hugh Trevor, 
1874; J. W. Heddens, 1880. 

COUNTY PROSECUTORS. 

S. A. Young, 1872 ; he resigned, and J. P. Thomas appointed to fill 
vacancy ; H. M. Rainey, 1874; Willard P. Hall, Jr., 1878 ; O. M.Spencer, 
1880. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

HAMLETS AND VILLAGES. 

DEKALB-RUSHVILLE-WINTHROP— AGENCY— HALLECK— WALLACE— ARNOLDSVILLE-FRA- 
ZER-EVEL1NE-LAK.E STATION-EASTON—SAXTON'S STATION-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES 
SECRET ORDERS, ETC. 

DeKalb, formerly Bloomington, in Bloomington Township, is located 
on the Chicago, Rock Lsland & Pacific Railroad, fourteen miles south of 
St. Joseph, and twelve miles from Atchison, Kansas, and contains a 
population of about four hundred. The town was laid off in 1837, by 
James G. Finch. The lots were surveyed by George Jole, who died in 
1870. Finch left the place between 1839 and 1842, and, after his depart- 
ure, the quarter section of land upon which the town site was located was 
entered by Oliver Norman, who deeded to each settler the lot he occu- 
pied. 

The town was laid off with a square in the center, for the purpose 
of accommodating the court house of the county, of which it was then 
expected to become the county seat. 

About the year 185 1, owing to the existence of another town in the 
state called Bloomington, the name was changed, with that of the post- 
office, to DeKalb. James G. Finch, above mentioned, opened the first 
store in the place, in 1838. 

The first postmaster was A. J. Cunningham. 

Bluford Allee and his brother-in-law, Daniel Chit wood, settled in 
DeKalb in 1842. They were well known citizens. Chitwood was a cab- 
inetmaker, and at one time a merchant in the town. Both are dead. 
Bluford Allee had charge, at one time, of the present county farm. 

A. C. Craig, a prominent citizen of St. Joseph, and till recently a 
member of the firm of Tootle, Corby & Co., St. Joseph, sold goods in 
DeKalb several years previous to 1858. 

Dr. Samuel Goslee, a native of Kentucky and a graduate of the 
Medical Department of the St. Louis University, practiced with dis- 
tinguished success in DeKalb from 1852 to 1871, when he moved to St. 
Joseph, where he died in 1878. Dr. Goslee was a bright and cultivated 
Mason, and stood high in the order. 

BUSINESS FIRMS. 

The principal business house of DeKalb (1881) is that of Derge & 
Hagenstein, general merchandise, and dealers in grain, cattle and hogs. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 3/1 

This firm came to DeKalb in 1858. Albert Derge has been postmaster 
of the town for ten years past. 

J, S. Harmon and David Dix compose the firm of Harmon & Dix. 
They began business herein March, 1881, and operate a large general 
stock. 

W. H. Mack keeps a well-appointed drug store. 

J. C. Crook carries on extensively wagon-making, plow manufactur- 
ing, and general blacksmithing, and deals in agricultural implements. 

W. H. Warren is proprietor of the only hotel in the town. 

The brick mill building in DeKalb was erected in 1855, by John F. 
Martin, James Pettigrew, and Thomas Allee. It is provided with two 
runs of burrs, and cost $3,500. Its present owner is Philip Gurner. 

In 1858 a woolen mill was added. It is however, not operated. 

F. M. Bretz and F. D. Hampton each carry on a blacksmith shop. 

Stephen Garten, who has lived in the town since 1839. ^'^d F. W. 
West, who is also an old resident, are the saloon keepers. 

W. R. Oliver has been the railroad station agent at this point since 
1872. He, at one time, sold goods here. His father, W. N. Oliver, now 
■dead, also sold goods here from 1844 to 1864. W. N. Oliver was born in 
Virginia and came to DeKalb in the fall of 1844. 

The present physicans of the town are Dr. J. N. Martin who has been 
practicing here since 1844 ; Dr. C. H. Martin, his son, who has practiced 
four years, and Dr. Ramsey, who has been here since 1854. 

. The present township officers are : Thomas J. Crumpacker, Justice 
of the Peace ; Joseph H. Dixon, Justice of Peace ; Thomas West, Con- 
stable. 

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC. 

There is a good public school building in the town, a frame, with 
two rooms, built about ten years ago, at a cost of $1,700. 

There is a Baptist church, a large frame building, erected in 1858, 
and cost $2,500. Rev. Isart Williams is pastor. 

There is an M. E. Church, brick, built also in 1858. The Rev. 
William Barnett is the minister in charge. 

Secret orders of the county are mentioned under the proper head- 
ing, at the conclusion of this chapter. 

DeKalb is one of the best shipping points on the line of the railroad, 
and the best on the branch. The country surrounding DeKalb is well 
watered. North Sugar Creek being the principal stream. No better tim- 
bered region in the county. Walnut grows everewhere, and also the 
different varieties of oak, elm, sugar-tree, linden, ash, hackberry, and in 
fact all kinds of timber indigenious to the latitude. The soil is a deep 
loam, not surpassed in fertility by any section of the count}-. Farms are 
generally in a good condition and well improved ; fine orchards and 
^excellent blue grass pastures. 



372 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

RUSHYILl.E. 

The town of Rushville was laid out in 1847, by Perman Hudson and 
James Leachman. It was formerly called Columbus, but in 185 1, the 
name was changed to Rushville. 

BUSINESS FIRMS. 

The present mercantile business of Rushville includes William' 
Wells and Archibald Cooper, general stores ; Richard W. Jones, dealer 
in drugs and groceries ; William H. Allison, grocery store and the post 
office. 

There are three saloons. 

Two butcher shops. 

Three blacksmith shops. 

Two hotels, kept respectively by C. Cooper and J. H. Allison. 

Three physicians — Drs. B. W. Culver, W. S. Morrison and T. H„ 
Davis. 

The present officers of the town are : William Prosser, Justice of the 
Peace; William Runtin, Justice of the Peace; John S. Dyer, Constable. 

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC. 

There are two good frame school buildings, in which six and eight 
months schools are taught during the year. 

There are in the town two churches. The M. E. Church South, a 
frame building, 36x50 feet, completed in 1869, at a cost of $2,300; and 
the Christian Church, a frame of the same dimensions, built in 1876, at a 
cost of $2,000. There is besides in the township another house of wor- 
ship, known as "Sugar Creek Church." This (the propert}- of the Chris- 
tians) is a trame building, erected in 1879, '^t a cost of $2,500, on the site 
of the old church, the first built in the township, in 1855. The Baptists 
have also a church membership at Sugar Creek of twenty-two members.. 

The country surrounding Rushville is heavily timbered, not more 
than one thousand acres in the township being prairie. 

It presents a striking diversity of surface, rolling upland, often 
abruptly broken, but always fertile, with fair average improvements. 

The river bottom near the town is about three miles wide, and where- 
not cleared, is covered with a thick growth of timber of valuable varie- 
ties. There are near the town some of the finest orchards in the county- 
The country is well supplied with water. Excellent building stone 
abounds, and coal is believed to exist there. 

WTXTHROr. 

George Million settled the quarter section of land on which the- 
town ofWinthro]) now stands in 1839, and erected thereon the first log 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 373 

cabin that was built in the place, and afterwards sold to F. Ruthinger, 
who still resides there. Mr. Million operated the first ferry from Win- 
throp to Atchison, Kansas, before the latter was settled or laid out. 

The land upon which Winthrop now stands was entered in 1844 by 
Philip Stultz, and sold by him in 1856, to Green Gore. 

In 1857, Green Gore sold to Willis E. Gaylord, of Atchison County, 
Kansas. In i860, on the completion of the railroad from St. Joseph to 
Atchison, W. E. Gaylord sold the quarter section to Senator S. C. 
Pomeroy, of Kansas. At this period a town company was formed by 
S. C. Pomeroy, W. E. Gaylord and others. A great portion of the original 
town site together with a part of the Kansas City Railroad track and 
depot grounds were washed away by the encroachments of the river, 
and many of the primitive structures which were built at an early day, 
have long since gone into the Missouri with the frail and treacherous 
banks on which they stood. 

BUSINESS FIRMS. 

Hiram House put up a building and was the first to sell goods in the 
place. He began in i860 and continued until 1869, when he went to 
Colorado. 

E. C. Wells opened a store after House left and sold good-till 1880, 
when he moved to Forest City, Missouri. In the meantime other parties 
sold goods in Winthrop. 

Hiram House was the first postmaster and also the first justice of 
the peace. By the flood of 1880 the town was nearly depopulated. J. A. 
Baily, now selling goods in the place, commenced in 1865. 

Captain J. G. Morrow, the present postmaster, has also been en- 
gaged in general merchandise for many years. He located just below 
the town in the spring of 1854; he now resides in Atchison, Kansas, but 
does business in Winthrop. He was a part owner in the first ferry 
operated by Million. 

E. Winkler and T. R. Shelly are merchants in general trade. 

Dr. C. T. Burchard keeps a drug store. 

John Meyer is a baker and confectioner. 

There are three hotels, some private boarding houses and six saloons. 

The first lumber yard was started in 1877, by Henry Denton, of 
Atchison, who now continues the same business. 

The first physician to establish himself in the town was Dr. John 
Robbins, who is still here. The other physicians are Drs. Burchard, 
Seip and Byers. 

The first to locate in the practice of law was M. McDufif, who came 
in i860 and left in 1865. 

The only attorney at present in the town, is T. W. Harl, Esq. 



374 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

SCHOOLS. CHURCHES. ETC. 

There is no church building" in Winthrop. Religious services are 
held by different denominations in a neat public school building", which 
was built in 1875, at a cost of $700. 

I M PRO YEMENIS. 

The most prominent features of the town are the large brick pack- 
ing houses, located south of the railroad tracks. 

The larger one was erected in the summer and fall of 1879, by the 
P'owler Bros., of Chicago, at a cost of about $150,000. This immense 
establishment, when in operation, employed one thousand men. In the 
fall of 1880, the machinery was moved to Kansas City and the building- 
was virtually abandoned. 

In the summer of 1880, Smith, Farlow & Co., of Quincy, Illinois, 
erected in the immediate neigeborhood of Fowler Bros." packing house 
a smaller building, costing about $60,000. 

Both these structures are brick, the former having a capacity for dis- 
posing of 2,500 hogs per day, and the latter a capacity for killing about 
1,500. 

The bridge across the Missouri River, extending between Winthrop 
and Atchison, was completed in 1876, at a cost of about $1,000,000. It 
is built of iron ; is a magnificent structure, and accommodates railroads 
and general travel. 

Another prominent feature of the town is the East Atchison Live 
Stock Exchange and Stock Yards, Colonel D. G. Stockwell, general 
manager. These yards were opened in 1873, and afford facilities for 
keeping one thousand head of cattle and one thousand head of hogs. 
There are at present in the town two railroad depots and one or two 
round houses. 

AGENCY. 

Where the town of Agency now stands there was formerly a ford, 
extensively used in the days of the early settlement of the country, called 
Agency Ford. The name originated from the fact that the Platte River 
was forded at this point, in going from the Indian Agency, established 
west of the Platte, to Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, in those days, the 
nearest point of trade. 

It was here that General Andrew S. Hughes lived several years as 
an Indian Agent, before the purchasing of the Platte country. 

BUSINESS FIRMS. 

The first store in the place was opened by William Jackson in 1866, 
wiio afterwards kept a saloon and a blacksmith shop. 



HIsrORV OF HUCIIANAIV COUNTY. 375 

Two or three years after, T. Weedin opened a general store on a 
small scale. 

Mr. Smith erected a business block, which was destroyed by fire. 
Afterward a two-story brick block was built, including two large business 
houses. 

E. M. Yates & Co.. long a prominent firm in Agency, sold to W. B. 
Smith, the style of the firm now being McCrary & Smith. 

A large general store is kept by Wells & Smith. 

Charles Thompson keeps a grocery and provision store. 

The proprietors of the blacksmith and wagon shops are : J. R. Farris, 
(i. W. Henley and Hamilton King. 

Dr. C. R. Woodson and Dr. G. W. Dowell are the physicians of the 
town. 

Mrs. Holland, widow of Esquire Holland, deceased, is postmistress. 

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, ETC. 

There are in the Township of Agency several district schools, 
among which are the Agency, the McGauhey, the Moore and Greenard 
school houses. 

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in the town in 
1862, by J. J. Gilmore, James M. Campbell and B. P. Holland. This 
building is used by all denominations. 

The M. E. Church South, has a one-fourth interest here in a church 
building. 

The countr}- surrounding Agency is essentially a timbered region, 
not more than two hundred acres of the township being prairie. 
Of late, however, much of this timber has disappeared from the ridges 
extending between the northern boundary of the township and Platte 
River. The prevailing character of the ridge timber is oak of different 
varieties. The bottom affords an abundance of fine walnut as well as 
other kinds of valuable timber. 

The principal stream of the township is Pigeon Creek, flowing in an 
easterly direction into Platte River. In certain localities along the banks 
of Platte River, good limestone suitable for building purposes is found, 
and also an abundance of sand and gravel. 

HALLECK. 

The present hamlet and post office of Halleck, in Crawford Town- 
ship, was formerly called Birming. The name changed during the civil 
war to its present style, in honor of General Halleck. 

The site of the village was originally known as Fansher's Cross 
Roads. In 1848-49 a saloon was kept here, in which was sold whisky of 
so villainous a character, that some soldiers of the Mexican war, who 



3/6 HISTORY OP' BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

had just returned home, compared it to Taos whisky, proverbial for being 
the meanest sold in Mexico. 

A soldier, John McGuire, galloping through the village and yelling 
" Hurrah for Taos!" fixed the nickname by which it has ever since been 
known. McGuire died in California. 

The first postmaster of Birming was Henry Hardin, now dead. 

The first building on the site of what was afterward Birming was a 
saddle shop, and put up by John Baker, previous to 1845. 

John Conan brought the first stock of goods and opened the first 
regular store, in 1849. A few months after he sold to Hiram Rodgers. 
who continued the business for several years. 

The present business men of the town are : 

P. W. Nolan, general merchandise. 

W. D. & J. H. Hampton, general merchandise. 

S. H. Bryant & Co., dealers in drugs, medicines, books and stationery. 

Henry G. Foster and J. M. Street, blacksmiths. 

W. H. Crews, wagon maker. 

Hampton Hotel, kept by J. H. Hampton. 

Physicians are, J. H. C. Robinson and John M. Watson. 

Population. 150. 

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 

One school house in district No. 3, 22x36, with addition of 20x?2 
feet, built in 1867. Number of pupils enrolled, 128; average daily 
attendance, 49. Directors, D. W. Clowser, P. W. Nolan and James FerreL 

There is one church building in the town used by the different 
religious denominations. 

Rev. J. T. Farley is the Baptist minister at Taos and has a member- 
ship of fifty. 

WALLACE. 

On the Atchison branch of the C, R. I. & P. R. R., five miles southeast 
of DeKalb, is the most important business point in Crawford township. 

It was laid out in 1872, on the extension of the road to this point. 

William Fowler, of St. Joseph, pre-empted the quarter section of 
land on which Wallace now stands. He sold the land to John Judy and 
Thomas Feland, who composed the town company. 

The first business house put up in the place, was b}' Thomas Ringo. 
He sold goods here from 1873 to 1879. 

Asher & Gibson succeeded him. They continued the business two 
years, when they sold to Johnson & Bashford, who now conduct the estab- 
lishment. 

Chesnut & Beaver opened a general stock of goods in 1874, in .1 
building erected by G. W. Rector, a pioneer of this section, who died 
in 1879. Rector's farm adjoined the town site. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. UJ 

Chesnut & Beaver were succeeded by Beaver & Rogers. Curtis & 
Jenkins succeeded Beaver & Rogers in 1877. and continued to do busi- 
ness till 1878, when the present firm of Chesnut & Murph}- was estab- 
lished in the same stand. 

In 1877, Leny Garten sold goods a few months in the town, and, in 
the spring of 1880, O. P. H. Lucas, the present postmaster of the place, 
opened a family grocery. 

The Wallace Hotel, a small, two-story frame building, ample, how- 
ever, to meet the demands of the place, was built in 1873, by T. C. 
Feland, and occupied by G. C. McLain. In 1876, it was sold to Zack 
Finney, and occupied as a hotel by Mrs. Mary McGinnis till 1880, when 
it was re-occupied by G. C. McLain. 

George Girardin opened a blacksmith shop in [873 on the site of the 
town before it was laid out. 

The first railroad agent at this point was Jefferson Plank, appointed 
July, 1872, and was succeded by Calvin Hamm in 1876. F. G. Brouch is 
the present agent. 

There were shipped from the Wallace station during the year 1880: 

Walnut lumber 44 cars. 

Flour , 83 " 

Cord wood 106 " 

Wheat 31 " 

Apples 40 " 

Hogs • 38 " 

Bran ^^.^^ :' 17 " 

Walnut logs .- 3 " 

Total 362 " 

Showing an increase of six per cent. o\er the preceding year. The 
business amounted to over $ii,cxdo. 

C. P. Walbridge opened a dry goods store in the town in 1881. 
John Surface, the undertaker of the place, has been there since 1877. 
The town is supplied with two saloons. Population, 167. 

SCHOOLS, TIMBER, ETC. 

There is on the town quarter a good frame school house, built in 
1876, at a cost of $1,000, and includes three acres of land. 

Of timber there is plenty, consisting of walnut and other varieties. 

The principal water courses of the township are Bee Creek, with its 
tributaries, and William's and Jordan's branches, besides numerous springs 
of pure cold water. 

Limestone for building purposes is found on the head branches of 
Lamar Fork of Bee Creek. 



378 HISTORY OF DUCHANAN COUNTY. 

The staple yield of the township in ante belluni days was hemp, 
vast quantities of which were then raised and shipped. Corn, wheat and 
other small grain grow and produce well. ]-"ruits of all kinds proper to 
this latitude are excellent. Horses, mules, cattle and hogs are exten- 
sively raised. 

ARNOLDSVILLE. 

About the year 1846 or '47, Kli Arnold, a native of Ohio, erected on 
the site of the present village of Arnoldsville, about four miles west of 
the Platte River, a large frame building, which he equipped as a grist 
mill, and for a time operated it b)' horse power. Finding this means 
too costly to be profitable, he procured from Cincinnati an engine and 
boiler, and substituted steam for horse power. The difficulty of procur- 
ing the necessary water however, proved an obstacle to the complete 
success of the enterprise, and, after remaining idle for some time, the 
machinery was, after the war, sold to W. B. Smith, and moved to Agency. 
The old burrs are still in Cooley's water mill below Agency. The old 
mill building still remains, a gloomy reminder of the early and mistaken 
enterprise of a pioneer, wdio has long since passed to the land of shadows, 
where grists are not ground and where mistakes never occur. 

Eli Arnold was the first postmaster of the town. The present post- 
master is George W. Ray, the leading merchant of the place. 

The first building erected after the old mill, of which we have spoken, 
on the site of Arnoldsville, was a blacksmith shop, operated by Thomas 
Wilkerson. About the time that Arnold built his mill he erected a 
storehouse, which he afterward rented to different parties. 

Isaac Brooks first sold goods there. He was succeeded by the Helm 
Brothers. 

Others have sold goods in the place. 

J. Deitz has a grocery store. 

E. Gilbert, William St. John and Webber have wagon making 

and blacksmith shops. 

There is also a boot and shoe shop and several residences. 

Dr. Belmont; established near the present site ot the town, was 
among the early physicians. The present and only physician is Dr. J. 
C. Smith, a son of the founder of Agency. 

SCHOOLS, TIAIHER. ETC. 

The first school building erected in Arnoldsville was a brick house. 
In consequence of its dilapidated condition, it was torn down in 1867, 
and a two-.story frame put up, the lower story of which accommodates 
the Arnoldsville district school. 

The surrounding country, and especially that along the line of the 
Platte, is more or less hilly and broken, but heavily timbered and very 
productive. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 379 

The Platte River, which forms the eastern boundary of the town- 
ship , together with its tributaries, afford an abundant supply of water. 

E ASTON. 

Easton, in Marion Township, is one of the largest towns in the 
county outside of St. Joseph, and is a good business point. It is on the 
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, twelve miles east of St. Joseph. 

In 1848, Mr. E. Don McCrary purchased four hundred acres of land 
where noAv stands the town of Easton. In 1854, Mr. McCrary opened a 
store on his farm, and the same season laid off the town. The second 
store was established in 1855, by Kernes & Lumback. The latter dis- 
posed of his interest to Kernes, George Berry, Isaac Gibson and C. 
Benight, and the business was carried on by this firm till the breaking 
out of the war. 

Dr. I. S. Talbott was the first physician to locate in the place. 

PRESENT BUSINESS FIRMS. 

Engaged in general merchandise are McCray Bros., Birt, Boyer & 
Co., Keys & Leftwick, William Tuck. 

H. B. Iba, shoemaker and postmaster. 

Colt Bros. & Co., millers. 

One hotel kept by Jacob Hopper. 

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 

One school house ; frame building. 

One church, Presbyterian; built in 1868. Rev. E. B. Sherwood, 
present pastor. 

FRAZER. 

Frazer, in Tremont Township, is located on the St. Louis, Kansas 
City & Northern Railway, fifteen miles from St. Joseph. It has a post- 
ofifice and one store. 

EVELINE, 

commonly called Hall's Station, is on the Kansas City, St. Joseph and \ 
Council Bluffs Railroad, about half way between St. Joseph and Atchi- 
son, Kansas, in Wayne Township. It contains a depot, store, saloon 
and several residences. 

The surrounding country is flat, heavily timbered, and subject to 
overflow in extreme high water. 

LAKE STATION 

is on the same railroad and in the same township, four miles from St. 
Joseph, and has a glue factory. 



380 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN' COUNTY. 

SAXTON. 

Saxton is located on the Hannibal &: St. Joseph Railroad, six miles 
east of St. Joseph, in Washington Township. It contains a depot. The 
ground upon which it is situated was donated by Mr. A. M. Saxton, of 
St. Joseph. At this station there is one store — general merchandise. 

SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES. 

In the township there arc several frame school houses, and the church 
edifices, known as the "Oak Grove" Church and the " Walnut Grove" 
Church, the former being under the control of the Presb}'terians, and the 
latter a Union Church. 

For convenience, we will here give a list of the churches in the 
county outside of St. Joseph : 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH. 

DeKalb ; Sparta, half interest in a frame building, house of worship; 
Walnut Grove, fourth interest in a frame building, house of worship; 
Agency, fourth interest in a frame building, house of worship. 

CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. 

Bethel, Platte River, Agency, Rushville, Franklin. 

BAPTIST CHURCHES. 

DeKalb, Mt. Pleasant, Sugar Creek, Walnut Grove, part interest, 
Taos. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES. 

Oak Grove, Walnut Grove. 

SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF THE DIFFERENT TOWNSHIPS. 

Washington has 14 School Districts. 

Marion has 9 school districts, including one school in Easton. 

Tremont has 5 school districts. 

Centre has 7 school districts. 

Agency has 3 school districts. 

Wayne has 5 school districts. 

Lake has i school district. 

Platte has 6 school districts, including district No. i/. 

Jackson has 4 school districts. 

Crawford has 6 school districts. 

Bloomington has 7 school districts. 

Rush has 7 school districts. 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 38 1 

The following is a list of the secret orders in Buchanan County : ' 
MARION TOWNSHIP. 

Under a dispensation of April 28, 1858, granted by Bro. and Rev. 
William N. Irish, Dist. D. G. M., who was present and organized Easton 
Lodge, No. lOi, A. F. and A. M., in their hall in the town of Easton, 
Buchanan County, Missouri, by appointing Bros. Daniel Conway, W. M.; 
Hugh McClintock, Sen. W. ; Absalom Kerns, Jun. W.; Jordan J. Pullins, 
Treas. ; John Long, Secy; Silas H. Kerns, Sen. D.; L. D. Dowell, Jun. D.; 
Adam Kerns, Tyler, duly installing them as such. 

On the 28th day of May, 1858, a charter was granted or issued to 
said lodge, and on August nth following, the following named officers 
were duly installed under their charter: Daniel Conway, W. M.; 
Absalom Kerns, Sen. W. ; Joab Shultz, Jun. W. ; J. J. Pullins, Treas.; 
John Long, Secy; Silas Kerns, Sen. D. ; L. D. Dowell, Jun. D.; Adam 
Kerns, Secy and Treas. Daniel Conway, Hugh McClintock and Absa- 
lom Kerns were charter officers. 

The following" named have been W. Masters of this lodsre : Daniel 



m, W. 



Conway, Absalom Kerns, Isham S. Talbot, John L. Stoneman, W. F. 
Forbis, Joseph Robinson, C. W. Benight, George W. Leftwich, George 
T. Black. 

The following named persons have been secretaries : John Long, 
Elijah McCrary, C. W. Benight, Joseph Evans, Joseph Robinson, Chesley 
Wyatt, W. F. Forbis, James B. Leftwich. 

Present officers : George T. Black, W. M.; George W. Leftwich, 
Sen. W.; Elan Rice, Jun. W.; L S. Talbot, Treas.; C. W. Benight, Secy.; 
Henry McCrary, Sen. D.; Wm. R. Evans, Jun. D.; Wm. M. Vassar, Tiler. 

Number of present membership, 23, as per last Grand Lodge report. 

BLOOMINGTON TO\YNSHIP. 

The spacious building in which Derge & Hagenstein do business is 
owned by the Masonic and Odd Fellow orders. The second floor is 
used by Wellington Lodge No. 22, A. F. and A. M., chartered May 6, 
1852, with W. C. Moore as W. M. ; William Howard, S. W. ; L. R. Ringo, 
J. W. ; A. C. Craig, Sec, and Holland Jones, Treasurer. The lodge is 
in a flourishing condition, having a membership of fifty-nine. 

Ringo Royal Arch Chapter, No. 6, chartered May 22, 1863, also 
meets in this hall. Its charter members were General John T. Martin, 
H. P., Dr. Samuel Goslee, King and Thomas J. Crumpacker, Scribe. 

It also accommodates the DeKalb Lodge No. 191, I. O. O. F., char- 
tered May 28, 1868, with the following officers : F. W. Lee, N. G. ; 
Ulrich Schneider, V. G. ; W. A. Bowen, Sec. and William Best, Treas. 

24 



382 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 

Aram Encampment No. 45,' I. O. O. F., also meets here, and was 
instituted July 5, 1869, with Ulrich Schneider, C. P. ; W. H. Bowen, H. 
P. ; John Rivett, S. W. ; J. P. Gant, J. W. ; T. J. Crumpacker, Scribe, 
and John C. Moore, Treasurer. Present membership, thirteen. 

RUSH TOWNSHIP. 

Rushville Lodge, No. 238, A. F. and A. M., chartered in 1865, and 
Odd Fellow's Lodge, No. 227, chartered in 1871, are both said to be in a 
flourishing condition. 

CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. 

Birming Lodge, No. 150, A. F. and A. M.. chartered May 22nd, 1858, 
with the following officers : Charles S. Crow, W. M.; William Willis, S. 
W. ; Hiram W. Harper, J. W. The present officers (1881) are S. J. Har- 
per, W. M.; Samuel M. Mayes, S. W.; G. P. Clowser, J. W.; A. Turner, 
Treasurer ; John T. Chestnut, Secretary. Present membership, 39. 

Truth Lodge, No. 216, L O. O. F., chartered September, 18, 1869, 
with the following officers: E. M. Yates, N. G. ; J. F. Call, V. G. ; G. 
W. Murphy, R. Sec. ; T. R. Smith, P. Sec. ; J. M. Cauley, Treasurer ; 
J. W. Mattucks, Chaplain ; H. R. Yates, Warden ; J. H. Combs, Con- 
ductor ; D. Hall, R. S. to N. G. ; D. W. Clowser, L. S. ; W. B. Tullar. 
R. S. Sup. ; R. H. Faucet, L. S. Sup. ; J. Walker, R. S. to V. G. ; R. H. 
Thomas, L. S. to V. G. ; J. R. James, L G. ; W. E. Curl, O. G. 

Present membership, 24. Own one-third of lodge room. Decem- 
ber 4, 1873, lodge was destroyed by fire; records, charter, &c., burned up; 
was fully insured. 

AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 

Agency Lodge, No. 10, A. F. and A. M. This lodge was chartered 
June 2, 1866, by authority of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. John D. 
Vincil, Grand Master. The following officers were installed when the 
lodge'was organized: W. B. Smith, W. M.; Lsaac Lower, S. W.; J. W. 
Richie, J. W. ; M. W. Ferris, Secretary; E. M. Yates, Treasurer. Mem- 
bership at organization, about thirteen. May 25, 1870, lodge hall, records 
and everything was destroyed by fire. Have a membership of twenty- 
eight now, and in a prosperous condition. The highest number at any 
time, was about eighty ; membership reduced by brothers moving away. 
Have rented hall 22x40 feet, with complete outfit. 

Agency Royal Arch Chapter, formerly an important branch of the 
order here, has lost its existence. 

Agency Lodge, No. 241, L O. O. F., also holds its session in this hall. 
It was instituted May 20, 1878, by order of C. H. Mansur, presiding 
officer of the Grand Lodge of Missouri. James M. Powell, N. G.; Wm. 
B. Smith, V. G. ; E. M. Yates, Secretary. , 



HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 



Rowley Lodge, No. 204, A. F, and A. M., was chartered October 19^ 
1867, with Cyrus Grable, W. M.; James Wright, S. W.; and J. W. Staf- 
ford, J. W. P. L. Wheeler was the first Secretary. The present officers 
of this lodge are: B. C. Stafford, W. M.; John C.Tays.S. W.; John Hig- 
gins, J. W.; J. W. Wilkerson, Secretary; J. Boyd, Treasurer; Albert 
Freeman, S. D.; Enoch Grable^ J. D.; Joseph Grable, Tyler. 




History of St. Joseph- 



chapter I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

HOW ANCIENT CITIES WERE FOUNDED AND BUILT-THE CONSIDERATIONS DETERMIN- 
ING THEIR LOCATION— HOW MODERN CITIES ARE BUILT, AND THE CONSIDERA- 
TIONS DETERMINING THEIR LOCATION— AMERICAN CITIES, HOW LOCATED AND 
HOW BUILT— WESTERN CITIES— THE IMPORTANCE OF l*RANSPORTATION FACILI- 
TIES-THE PEOPLE WHO DETERMINE THE LOCATION, AND WHY— " MOTION FOL- 
LOWS THE LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE." 

The first efforts of mankind to build cities ante-dates history, hence 
nothing very definite concerning the circumstances and methods is or 
can be known ; but in the earlier ages of the historic era, when the race 
was divided into comparatively small and warring factions, and afterward, 
when these factions grew to be powerful, but not less warlike nations, 
cities were located by kings and conquerors, and built by the people 
under their immediate supervision and direction. 

In these warlike ages, a site for a city was determined mainly by the 
advantages of the defense of the spot of ground selected, though the 
contiguity of fertile and pastoral country seems not to have been entirely 
ignored ; hence cities built in those ages were at once the capital and 
fortress of the king, while immediately surrounding it was a country 
susceptible of supporting his subjects. No regard seems to have been 
had, however, to facilities for transportation, not even so much as would 
facilitate military operations, while trade, which consisted chiefly of 
exchange between the people of the town and the adjacent domain, was 
entirely ignored. Exchanges between people of different dominions 
existed only as pillage. 

In later periods, however, the conquering of one people by 
another, the combination of different cities under the same power, and 
the necessities of military operations, seem to have caused more atten- 



386 HISTORY OF st. Joseph. 

tion to be g-ivcn to transportation facilities in the location of cities. 
This was after the adoption of methods for utilizing the large streams 
and the inland seas, and the erection of cities after that time, seems to 
have been determined by the three principles of defensibility, contiguity 
of productive country, and facilities for water transportation, and hence 
were usually located on large rivers or arms of the sea. At least it was 
cities so located that in this period were most prosperous and became 
most famous. 

These features continued to be the ruling factors in the selection of 
the location of cities, until after the American revolution. The cities of 
the United States built before that time, were founded, not directly by 
royal hands, but by those holding royal patents for that purpose, and the 
same features seem to have been observed by them as were regarded 
by kings and conquerors for many previous ages in the Old World. 

BLHLDING CITIES IN AMERICA. 

Since the revolution, however, cities have ceased to be founded in 
the United States by authority ; the people have done it themselves, 
without supervision or interference from government. The sites have 
been selected by individuals or companies, the grounds staked off, and 
the lots offered for sale. This done, the balance rested with the people, 
and, though the number of cities founded in this country west of the 
Alleghany Mountains is almost infinite, each of which was expected by 
its founders rapidly to become a great emporium, the people have built 
but few. The popular choice among the many rivals that have pre- 
sented themselves in every section has been determined by principles as 
well ascertained as those of old, and as easy of definition. 

CONSIDERATION OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES. 

Defensibility has ceased to be a consideration, for in the interior of 
the United States we have had no foe that made it necessary. Con- 
tif^uity to fertile country can scarcely be said to have exerted an influ- 
-cnce, for this country is all fertile. Facilities for transportation, how- 
ever, have exerted a very great and controlling influence. Hax'ing never 
been a war-like people, and having a country of wonderful and varied 
productiveness, the Americans are, of necessity, a producing and trading 
people. The chief consideration to such a people is transportation, and 
the city or the proposed city, possessing this feature in the highest degree, 
be it wagon roads, watercourses with keel or steamboats, or railroads, 
will be most prosperous ; and the one that by such means, each in its 
a''''e, has accommodated the country farthest into the interior, has com- 
manded the widest extent of trade. The histor)- of interior cities is but 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 387 

a history of the development of transportation in its different forms. 
Where we find that a place now almost obsolete was once more promis- 
ing than its rivals, we will likely find that it had the best transportation 
of the kind then employed, but that in some subsequent phase some 
rival took the advantage and the lead. 

BY WHOM WESTERN CITIES WERE LOCATED. 

The importance of facilities for transportation in determining the 
location and prosperity of cities, cannot be better indicated than by a 
brief reference to the character, vocation and habits of the class of men 
who determined the locations of all our important western cities, though 
they did not actually build any of them. We refer to the pioneer traders, 
trappers and hunters who preceded the march of civilization from the 
Atlantic Coast — a class now rapidly disappearing into tradition and his- 
tory, because the wilderness and the wild animals they loved to chase are 
gone, and the red men, their companions, associates and foes, are rapidly 
going. Daniel Boone was the type of the American element in this 
class, and also of the hunters who constituted a part of it ; but the most 
of them appear to have been of French origin or descent. They were 
divided into three distinct classes — hunters and trappers, traders and 
voyagcurs. This latter class were always in the employ of the traders, 
and it was their business to propel the water craft which the traders 
employed in transportation. The hunters and trappers were sometimes 
independent and sometimes in the employ of the traders. They pene- 
trated far into the wilds and explored the unknown regions. They were 
the true pioneers. The furs and skins procured by them were sold to 
the traders, or procured for them. The traders, originally independent, 
but subsequently under the direction of the great fur companies, estab- 
lished posts far into the interior of the wilderness, to which they trans- 
ported articles suitable for traffic with the Indians, and such supplies as 
hunters and trappers wanted, and at which they purchased robes, skins 
and furs, which they transported back to the borders of civilization. 
Irving's "Astoria," and "Booneville" give an excellent history of this 
trade, which, about the beginning of the present century, was immense, 
and extended all over the uninhabited parts of North America. The 
men engaged in it were a brave, adventurous class, for whom the wil- 
derness and association with wild animals and wild men possessed more 
charms than civilization. With a few articles of traffic, a gun, and per- 
haps a few tools for constructing traps, they pushed their way hundreds 
and even thousands of miles into the untrodden wilderness, not knowing 
what moment they might fall in with some unknown ferocious animal, 
or some band of hostile savages. They put their canoes and rafts into 
streams and followed their course, not knowing to what falls or dangers 



388 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

they might lead. Their lives were a perpetual vigil, and they may be 
said to have lived with their finger on the trigger. In the beginning, 
they confined their excursions to a limited territory where the valuable 
fur animals were to be found. Here they spent their winters in solitude, 
and in the spring went with the proceeds of their trapping to a trading 
post where they were disposed of and new supplies purchased, when 
they were off again into the solitude for another year. Subsequently 
they became the employes or agents of the fur companies, by whom 
expeditions of great magnitude and extended explorations were under- 
taken. 

The traders were mostly French, and as they employed trappers as 
well as traded with them and the Indians, and as the fur animals were 
chiefly found along streams, their posts were usually located on them 
or near their confluence. The latter were deemed the most desirable 
locations, as they gave access to larger districts of country by keel boats 
and pirogues, and hence more easily commanded a larger trade. Their 
only means of transportation was packing on their own backs, or on the 
backs of horses, and light water craft which could be propelled in the 
river with pikes. 

The American and British governments have always maintained 
military posts on the frontier, for the protection of advancing settlement, 
yet they have never led, but always foll.owed these men ; and military 
men in scientifically determining the strategic advantages of locations for 
posts have always found the judgment of these pioneers unerring as to 
the points that held best command of the adjacent country, and have 
located their posts in the vicinity of the traders and where substantially 
the same advantages were secured. 

The principle underlying these facts — underlying the law of trans- 
portation itself — is the long since observed universal physical law that 
"motion follows the line of least resistance." The movements of com- 
munities, classes and individuals whether in commercial, industrial, mil- 
itary or social efforts, no less than of physical bodies, obey this universal 
law. All effort employs the methods, and follows the lines that most 
facilitate the attainments of its object, which is but another form of ex- 
pression of the law that "motion follows the line of least resistance." 



CHAPTER II. 

EARLY EXPEDITIONS AND SETTLEMENTS. 

THE FUR COMPANIES-THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AT BLACKSNAKE HILLS— ROBIDOUX" 
PORTRAIT— HIS LITHOGRAPH— BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH— LOCATES AT CHICAGO- 
THEN AT THE BLUFFS— THEN AT ROY'S BRANCH AND BLACKSNAKE HILLS— 1834" 
1836-ROBIDOUX' HOME— EMPLOYES-SERVANT— FERRY— FROM 1837 TO 1840-RlVAL 
TOWNS— MISSION OF THREE GENTLEMEN— WOLVES. 

The French element of the class of pioneers referred to in the pre- 
ceding chapter, settled Canada and the Northwestern part of the United 
States, as well as the country about the mouth of the Mississippi River. 
They came into the upper Mississippi and Missouri Valleys in 1764, 
under the lead of Pierre Laclede Liguest, (always called Laclede), who 
held a charter from the French Government, giving him Jhe exclusive 
right to trade with the Indians in all the country as far north as St. 
Peters River. Laclede brought part of his colony from France, and 
received large accessions to it in New Orleans, mainly of hunters and 
trappers, who had had experience with the Indians. In the year 1764, 
this colony established itself on the west bank of the Mississippi River, 
and founded the present City of St. Louis. From this point they imme- 
diately began their trading and trapping incursions into the then 
unbroken wilderness in their front. Their method of proceeding seems 
to have been to penetrate into the interior and establish small local 
posts for trading with the Indians, whence the trappers and hunters were 
outfitted and sent out into the adjacent woods. 

These local posts were many of them independent, but usually they 
were under the general management of parties in St. Louis. 

In this way, the country west and northwest of St. Louis was tra- 
versed and explored by these people, at a very early day, as far west as 
the Rocky Mountains. But of the extent of their operations but little 
has been recorded ; hence but little is known of the posts established by 
them. It is known, however, that such posts were established at a very 
early day, on the Chariton and Grand Rivers, in Missouri, and at Cote 
Sans Dessein, in Calloway County. 

THE FUR COMPANIES.. 

The increase of the volume of any business and of the amount of 
capital employed in it, naturally leads to more extended operations and 



390 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

more systematic methods. It gives rise also to a tendeiic}- to concen- 
trate into fewer hands. This was true of the fur and Indian trade as well 
as of all others. In 1787 this universal tendenc}' of business to concen- 
trate led to an abandonment, to a large extent, in Canada, of the simple 
individual methods above described, and the organization of the North- 
west Fur Company at Montreal. John Jacob Astor, of New York, having 
been for some time interested in the fur trade with others, began busi- 
ness for himself in 1807, and in 1809 organized the American Fur Com- 
pany. The year before this event, that is 1808, twelve persons, among 
whom were Pierre and Auguste Chouteau, residing at St. Louis, gave sys- 
tematic shape to the trade of the Missouri valley, by the organization 
of the Missouri Fur Company, of which Manuel Lisa, a Spaniard, was the 
leader. Sometime previous to this the Mackinaw Company was organ- 
ized in the northwest, in the region of the lakes. About 1809 or 18 10 
the Missouri, American and Northwestern companies began to push their 
expeditions across the Rocky Mountains, about the headwaters of the 
Missouri and Columbia Rivers, with a view of establishing a chain of 
posts across the continent, and they thus became strong rivals. They 
made one expedition each and effected the desired lodgment, but, owing 
to the unfortunate killing of a Blackfoot chief, there arose a hostility on 
the part of those Indians which drove out the American and Missouri 
■companies. 

At this time there was another more northern company operating in 
the northwest, known as the Hudson Bay Compan}-. In 18 10 Mr. Astor 
organized the Pacific Fur Company and undertook the Astoria enter- 
prise, of which Washington Irving has written such an excellent history. 
In 181 1 the Mackinaw Company was bought out by the American and 
Northwestern Companies, jointly, and its territory and effects divided 
between them. This }-ear the American Company sent a second expe- 
dition up the Missouri River under the charge of Wilson P. Hunt, who 
was closely followed and strongly opposed by a second expedition of the 
Missouri Company, under Manuel Lisa. 

During the war of 1812, the Astoria enterprise failed, and it was some 
years before the American Company again attempted extended operations 
in the far northwest. In 1813, the Missouri Fur Company was merged into 
the American, and in 1819a branch house of the latter was established in 
St. Louis, under the general direction of Samuel Abbott. The Chouteaus 
.and others who had been connected with the old Missouri Company, then 
became connected with it. Pierre Chouteau, eldest son of Pierre Chou- 
teau, who came from France, was quite prominent in its operations, and 
his brother, Francois Chouteau, was also connected with it. This com- 
pany having inherited the posts and trade of the Missouri Company, 
occupied the territory included in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, and 
extended also into Arkansas and the Indian Territory, although there were 



HISTOR\- OF ST. JOSEPH. 39 1 

still a number of independent traders in this territory. After the absorp- 
tion of the Missouri Company, the American Company began to make 
great efforts to monopolize the trade of the southwest by rooting out the 
independent traders. In pursuance of this, Francois Chouteau was sent 
into the country to establish posts and to bring the local traders into 
subordination to the compan)\ At what time he first entered upon this 
work is unknown, but he was thus engaged for several years. Among 
the posts thus established b}^ him, was one on the Kaw River about 
twenty miles from its mouth, known as the "Four Houses," and one at the 
*'Blufifs," the present site of Council Bluffs and at other points on the 
Missouri River, including one at Ro}'"s Branch above Blacksnake Hills, 
about the year 1826. 

Having followed the Fur Companies from the date of their settle- 
ment in St. Louis, to the year 1826, at which time the}' established a 
post at "Roy's Branch," near the site of the "Blacksnake Hills," we shall 
now speak of the man who founded the city of St. Joseph, and give of 
him a brief biographical sketch. Preliminary, however, to this sketch, 
we shall first refer to Mr. Robidoux' portrait and his lithograph. 

HIS PORTRAIT. 

The stranger, when entering the postoffice in St. Joseph, will now, 
(1881,) see on the west wall of the building, artistically arranged in par- 
allel rows, several hundred photographs of the early and prominent cit- 
izens of the town. About midway, but above the photographs, hangs 
the portrait of Joseph Robidoux. It was painted when the original was 
sixty-two years of age. It, however, represents a much younger look- 
ing man ; one who has scarcely passed the meridian of life. 

Mr. Robidoux, neatly attired in a suit of black, is pleasantly seated 
in a chair, one arm lightly resting upon a table, while near it lies his 
white fur hat. In his hand, he holds quite naturall}- his cane ; his head 
is slightly inclined forward ; his hair, to the right of his temple, is tinged 
with grey ; his face is rather full ; his eyes large, prominent and dark, 
and arched with jet-black eyebrows, while above them is a smooth, 
high forehead. His mouth is not large, nose rather short, straight, and 
broad at the end. 

On the whole, there is in the facial expression much of the boninvant, 
and much of that genial disposition, which are said to have characterized 
him through life. There is also in the expression of the e}'es and coun- 
tenance, as they kindly beam upon you, the indications of a benevolent 
heart. 

"He had a tear fjr pity, and a hand 
Open as day for melting charity." 



392 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

HIS LITHOGRAPH. 

The frontispiece of this work is a lithographic cut of Mr. Robidoux,. 
taken from a photograph some twenty years later, when he had numbered 
his four-score years. The face, somewhat broader and shorter than that 
in the portrait, has grown older; the furrowed lines showing that time 
has left thereon its imprint. 

Indeed, the transformation, which twenty additional years have 
wrought in his physiognomy, is so great, that we can scarcely recognize 
in the lithograph the more youthfully appearing and tastefully dressed 
gentleman who looks down so pleasantly from the portrait. 

HIS BIOGRAPHY. 

Joseph Robidoux, the son of Joseph and Catharine Robidoux, was 
born in St. Louis, August loth, 1783. He was the eldest of a famil} %. 
consisting of six sons and one daughter, to wit : Joseph, Antoine, Isadore, 
Francis, Michel and Palagie. Louis, the second son, lived and died in 
California, after his removal from St. Louis. Joseph, Antoine, Isadore 
and Francis were all buried in St. Joseph. Joseph, the father of this 
family, was a Canadian Frenchman, and came from Montreal, Canada, to 
St. Louis, where he located shortly after the settlement of that city b}- 
the French. 

Being a shrewd business man, and possessing great energy, he accu- 
mulated a fortune. His wealth, his business qualifications, and his 
genial disposition made him many friends among the leading merchants 
and influential men of that city. He occupied a large mansion, located 
between Walnut and Elm Streets, surrounded with every comfort and 
convenience. Here he entertained his friends in a royal style, and sO' 
noted was his hospitality that the First General Assembly of Missouri 
did him the honor of holding its first session at his house, on the 7th of 
December, 1812. 

His children attended school at an early age, the best then to be 
found in the city of St. Louis, where they remained till the completion 
of their scientific and literary courses. 

Joseph, the eldest of the boys, when only eighteen years of age„ 
married Eugenie Delslille, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman of St> 
Louis. 

By this union they had one child, Joseph E. Robidoux, who is still 
living near White Cloud, Kansas, at the advanced age of seventy-two 
years. 

Four years after his marriage, his wife died. After her death, young 
Robidoux, then in the twenty-third year of his age. became an extensive 
traveler, first visiting New Orleans, and different points on the Lower 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 393 

Mississippi, in search of a favorable location for a trading post. Find- 
ing none that offered the advantages desired by him on the Mississippi 
River, he finally located on the present site of the city of Chicago, 
Avhere he was plundered and robbed by the Indians, of his goods and 
TTierchandise, within a few days after his arrival there. 

He returned again to St. Louis, and soon thereafter made a voyage 
lip the Missouri River, in company with one of the partners of the 
American Fur Company. 

" Blacksnake Hills " had been seen by some of the men connected 
with the fur companies, while eii route on one of their expeditions, their 
attention being attracted hither by not only the topography of the 
country, but by the presence of the congregated tribes of the Sac, Fox 
and Iowa Indians, who assembled here en masse at stated seasons of the 
year preparatory to crossing the river, either on a visit to other tribes 
farther west, or for the purpose of hunting. 

Seeing the Indians here in large numbers, while on their journey at 
this time, they debarked, and after looking at the point and its advan- 
tages as a probable future trading post, they proceeded on their way to 
Council Bluffs, Iowa, the original place of their destination. 

The Bluffs at that time constituted the most important trading post 
on the Missouri River, being the headquarters of the Otoe, Pawnee, 
Omaha, Punka and other Indian tribes, numbering about forty thousand. 

Being favorably impressed with the "Bluffs" as a trading post, Mr. 
Robidoux returned to St. Louis and purchased a stock of goods, which 
he transported up the Missouri by a keel boat, arriving at the "Bluffs'' 
in the fall of 1809. 

Here he remained for thirteen years, supplying the Indians with 
goods, and taking in exchange therefor money, peltries and such other 
commodities as they had to barter, in the meantime making occasional 
visits to St. Louis. 

While residing at the "Bluffs" in 1813, he married Angelique 
Vandry, another lady of St. Louis, who died in the City of St. Joseph on 
the 17th of January, 1857. 

By this union they had six sons and one daughter— Faraon, Julius 
C, Francis B., Felix, Edmond, Charles and Mrs. S. P. Beauvis, Charles 
being the youngest. Of the above named, all are dead excepting Edmond 
and Mrs. Beauvis, the former residing in St. Joseph and the latter in St. 
Louis. 

Readily adapting himself to the habits, manners and customs of the 
Indians, and speaking with considerable fluency the dialects of the tribes 
by whom he was surrounded, Mr. Robidoux became an expert Indian 
trader. 

The American Fur Cormjau}' were also in business at the "Bluffs,'' 
and had had a monopol}- of the entire Indian trade for some time pre- 



394 HISTORY OK ST. JOSKPH. 

viously to Mr. Robidoux' locating there. But a short time, however, 
passed after his arrival before he began to divide the trade, and finally 
became so popular with the Indians that he controlled a large portion 
of this trade, to the great detriment of the Fur Company. 

The company, wishing no further opposition from Mr. Robidou.x, 
finally purchased his stock of goods, giving him fifty per cent, on the 
original cost, and in addition thereto the sum of one thousand dollars 
annually for a period of three years, conditioned that he would leave the 
"Bluffs." 

He then returned to St. Louis, where he remained with his family, 
and carried on the business of a baker and confectioner, until the expir- 
ation of the three years, the time agreed upon between himself and the 
Fur Company. Having spent already many years of his life among the 
Indians as a fur trader, a business, if not entirely congenial to his taste, 
had at least been a profitable one, he concluded to embark once more 
in the same pursuit. Not that he really wished — 

" — for a lodge in some vast wilderness — 
Some boundless contiguity of space," 

but that he might reap therefrom a golden harvest. Making known 
his intention to the Fur Company, it at once offered him the post at the 
mouth of "Roy's Branch," just above the " Blacksnake Hills," at a salary 
of eighteen hundred dollars pe'r year, provided he would in no wise inter- 
fere with the business at the " Bluffs." 

This proposition he accepted, and having been furnished with a 
stock of goods, he landed at the mouth of " Roy's Branch," in the fall of 
1826. Shortly afterward he removed to the mouth of "Blacksnake 
Creek," where he continued to work for the Fur Company until 1830, at 
which time he purchased their entire interest in the goods then in his 
possession, and became the sole proprietor of the post at "Blacksnake 
Hills." 

To one living in this, the last half of the nineteenth century, sur- 
rounded with the blessings of civilization, the comforts of home and the 
companionship of genial friends, such a venture as that of Mr. Robidoux, 
would be fraught with too many dangers, difficulties and privations to 
be undertaken single-handed and alone. The desert waste, the forest 
gloom, and the contiguity of savage Indians, seemed to have possessed, 
however, no terrors for the solitary and undaunted Frenchman, who, 
fifty-two years ago, pitched his tent upon the present town site of St. 
Joseph. He came not as a pioneer, conscious of the future populous and 
thrifty city, nor as a missionary to minister to the spiritual wants of the 
red man, but like thousands of others, before and after him, he came, 
seeking new and broader fields of labor, wherein, by honest toil and 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 395 

industry, he could the more successfully increase his own store and 
provide a competency for old age. 

What must have been the nature of his lonely rnusings during the 
long and weary years of his isolation from early friends and associates, 
it is difficult to imagine. Suffice it to say, with a fortitude unsurpassed, 
and a tenacity of purpose which knew no defeat, he patiently bided his 
his time, never dreaming in the early years of his voluntary exilement, 
that he was destined to be the founder of a populous and prosperous 
city. 

For many years, the solitary log cabin of Joseph Robidoux was the 
only evidence of the presence of civilized man within a radius of fifty 
miles. Time rolled on. With every puffing steamer, that ascended the 
turbid waters of the Missouri, came the emigrant and the adventurer, 
seeking homes in the wilds of the far west. Embryo settlements had 
been made along the banks of the great river in Jackson, Clay and other 
counties. 

Northwestern Missouri, including what was afterwards known as the 
" Platte Purchase," had been seen by the emigrant. Favorable reports 
had been made of its great beauty, its rich prairies, its fertile valleys, its 
bountiful supply of timber, and of its perennial springs and numerous 
water courses. 

A few families from Franklin County, Missouri, consisting of Thomas 
and Henry Sollers, Elisha Gladden, Jane Purget and a few others, ven- 
tured hither between 1834 and 1836, and located near the post. 

One of these pioneers who came in 1834, was immediately employed 
by Mr. Robidoux. 

ROBIDOUX' HOME. 

The only building that stood upon the present town site of St. 
Joseph, at that time, was the log house of Joseph Robidoux. It occu- 
pied the spot where the Occidental Hotel now stands — on the northwest 
corner of Jule and Second Streets, and was a building of considerable 
magnitude. It stood east and west, was a story and a-half high, and 
contained nine rooms, three of which were above and six below. A cov- 
ered porch was built on the south side, extending the entire length of the 
building. On the north side was a shed, divided into three rooms. The 
west room of this shed was used by Mr. Robidoux as his sleeping 
apartment. His store-room was the middle room of the main building, 
the entrance to which was through a door at the east end, first passing 
through an outer room to reach it. 

He had in his employ at the time, fifteen or twenty men who were 
French. These men were regularly sent east on mules toward Grand 
River, or' west beyond the Missouri, for the purpose of trading with the 
Indians and brinsfing' in furs. 



396 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

He owned an old colored servant who not only possessed a French 
name (Poulite) but who could speak the French tongue, having been 
raised among that nationality in St. Louis. This old man attended to 
the culinary affairs at the post. 

Mr. Robidoux operated a private ferry just below Francis Street, 
for crossing the Indians and those who were in his employ. The cross- 
ing generally was done in canoes, and occasionally in Mackinaw boats. 
The road leading from the ferry on the other side of the river led to 
Highland, Kansas, or to the Indian Mission, which was established after 
the removal of the indians. The road from the ferry on this side, passed 
below the Patee House, and crossed at Agency Ford, where it divided, 
one branch of which leading to Liberty, Clay County, and the other in 
the direction of Grand River. 

The next house (logj, erected at Blacksnake Hills, was built in 
March, 1836, and occupied b}- Thomas Sollers, east of Finger's packing 
house, for Mr. Robidoux, who wished to take up another additional quar- 
ter section of land, for about this period he began to think that Black- 
snake Hills would develop into something greater than a mere trading- 
post, for the convenience of the non-progressive and half civilized Indian. 
No other improvements of a special character were made until the fol- 
lowing year. The small colony remained in stat?i quo, enduring the 
hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, but looking forward to 
the speedy dawn of a brighter day. 

FROM 1837 TO 1840. 

The treaty for the "Platte Purchase" had been negotiated, the 
Indians removed, the country opened to settlement, and hundreds of 
emigrants were flocking hither, locating in the interior and at different 
points along the Missouri. 

The small colony at "Blacksnake Hills" was increased in number 
by the arrival of F. W. Smith, Joseph Gladden, Polly Dehard, Samuel 
Hull, John Freeman, Charles Zangenett, Father John Patchen, Captain 
James B. O'Toole, Judge Wm. C. Toole, William Fowler, Edwin Toole 
and others. 

RIVAL TOWNS. 

Between the years above named, the country settled rapidly, and 
one of several localities in or near the Missouri River, it was thought, 
would take precedence of all the other settlements, and become the chief 
town in this portion of the state. The respective aspirants for future 
greatness were : "Blacksnake Hills," White Cloud, Savannah, Amazonia, 
Boston and P21izabethto\vn, all north of St. Joseph, some eight or ten 
miles, and within a radius of fixe miles. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 397 

So confident were some of the business men living in Clay and 
Clinton Counties that some one of the last mentioned towns would be 
the future emporium of the "Platte Purchase," that they not only pur- 
chased land, but in one or two instances laid off towns and opened busi- 
ness houses. John W. Samuels and Robert Elliott began business at 
White Cloud, or what was known as " Hackberry Ridge." G. W. Sam- 
uels, now of St. Joseph, built a warehouse at Elizabethtown, where he 
bought and sold hemp. Amazonia was expected to be the county-seat 
of Andrew County. Charles Caples, concluding that the quarter-section 
east and adjoining Amazonia, would be a more elligible spot for the 
building of a great city, laid it off into lots and gave it the name of 
Boston. These places, excepting Savannah, are numbered with the 
things of the past, and live only in the memories of the men whose pluck 
and energy gave them a name and brief existence. Alas ! how true : 

" The best laid plans of mice and men 
. Gang aft aglee." 

MISSION OF THREE GENTLEMEN. 

In the fall of 1839, three gentlemen left the town ot Independence, 
Jackson County, Missouri, destined for " Blacksnake Hills," on a mission 
of business. 

The " Platte Purchase " had been opened to white settlers for two 
years. Being one of the most fertile regions of the state, and lying 
upon its western border, the far-seeing and sharp-sighted business men 
of that day supposed that some one of the small settlements on the 
banks of the Missouri River would eventually develop into a great and 
prosperous city. . 

Tours of inspection had been made, the advantages of geographical 
location had been duly considered, and it was finally concluded by the 
parties above referred to, that " Blacksnake Hills " offered superior 
inducements as a future mart for trade, as a starting point to the great 
unsettled country westward, to any other settled or prospective town on 
the river. # 

So believing, they determined, if possible, to purchase the town site 
of " Blacksnake Hills." To this end one of these gentlemen had corre- 
sponded with the proprietor in reference to the terms, and so confident 
were they of the success of their mission that they had prepared a map 
of the future town, and could doubtless see, in imagination, the already 
risen city, with its superb blocks and valuable corner lots. 

The sum agreed upon was sixteen hundred dollars in silver. This 
they securely fastened in shot-bags, placed it in saddle-wallets, and, 
being well mounted, they wended their tortuous way through the wilds 
of Clay, Clinton and Buchanan Counties, sometimes abreast, oftener in 



398 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

single file, finally reaching " Blacksnake Hills " in the afternoon of the 
second day of their departure. 

Going to Mr. Robidoux' house fthere being no other where the 
wants of man or beast could be supplied,; they gladly 

" Entered his hospitable gate 
Unbarred to all," 

where they found rough, though substantial, fare, and lodging for the 
night. 

After supper the object of their coming was fully and pleasantly 
discussed, and nothing remained to complete the bargain but the pay- 
ment of the money, which could be done the next morning. Had they 
remembered the old aphorism, " Procrastination is the thief of time." 
they would have acted at once, for 

" Good is best when soonest wrought, 
Lingering labors come to naught." 

Being of a genial turn, and wishing to entertain his guests in the 
best manner possible, Mr. Robidoux proposed a social game of cards, 
which was participated in by the parties until bedtime. Just, however, 
before they ceased playing, a slight misunderstanding arose between 
Mr. Robidoux and one of his guests, in reference to the game, which 
finally resulted, for a moment, in a spirited altercation. 

"Dissensions, like small streams, are first begun ; 
Scarce seen they rise, but gather as they run." 

Mr. Robidoux reverted to the trade, which was supposed to have 
been consummated in the early part of the evening, and declined to make 
any further arrangements in reference thereto, and, so determined was he 
in his purpose, that all attempts at a renewal of the negotiations, upon 
the following morning, by his guests, were hopelessly abandoned. 

Thus, unexpectedly to them, terminated an enterprise, which, had 
it been successful, would have told more rapidly upon the destiny of St. 
Joseph, and would, perhaps, have given the town a much earlier start in 
the race to wealth and commercial importance. 

WOLVES. 

In 1839, shortly after the arrival of Judge Toole in the county, he 
came to the "Blacksnake Hills" one afternoon, horseback, and while 
passing along, near the present site of the Pacific House, he saw a large 
gray wolf, which he chased into the bottom, about where the first round- 
house now stands. In fact, the wolves were so numerous at that time 
in and about the "Blacksnake Hills" and their howls were so loud and 
incessant, that to sleep at times was utterly impossible. Often at mid- 
night, all 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 399 

" At once there rose so wild a yell, 
Within chat dark and narrow dell. 
As all the fiends from heaven that fell, 
Had pealed the banner cty of hell. '' 

At such times the whole air seemed to be tilled with the vibrations 
of their most infernal and diabolical music. The wolf was not only a 
midnight prowler here, but was seen in the daytime, singly or in packs, 
warily skulking upon the outskirts of a thicket, or sallying cautiously 
along the open path, with a sneaking look of mingled cowardice and 
cruelty. 

RKMINISCEXSES. 

The first white male child born at " Blacksnake Hills" was Thomas 
B. Sollers. born in 1837. The first white female child was the daughter 
of Polly and Henry Sollers. born in 183S. in a small hut east of the pres- 
ent site of the Occidental Hotel. The first physician who came was Dr. 
Daniel G. Keedy, in 1838. Dr. Silas McDonald arrived about the same 
time in the countv. 




CHAPTER III. 

FROM 1840 TO 1843. 

ARRIVAL OF SETTLERS— SMALL BEGINN[NG-FOUR THOUSAND DOLLAR BURGLARY— 
AUDUBON-LAYING OFF THE TOWN— DECLARATION OF PROPRIETOR— CERTIFICATE 
— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT— RESERV ATION OF LOTS— STREETS— ADDITIONS— FIRST CON- 
VEYANCE. 

Between 1840 and 1843 there were many arrivals of citizens from 
Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Eastern Missouri, and a 
few men representing some of the nationalities of the Old World — all 
had come to cast in their lots with the brave men who had just preceded 
them, and to help build up the town, the nucleus of which was here 
forming by the river's brink. 

Among these was \Vm. P. Richardson, Simeon Kemper, Dr. D. Ben- 
ton, John Corby, Joseph C. Hull, Elias Perry, A. M. Saxton, Rev. T. S. 
Reeves, Isadore Pullen, Dr. Daniel G. Keedy, James W. Whitehead, Law- 
rence Archer, B. C. Powell, John D. Richardson, Jonathan Levy, L and 
J. Curd, Wm. H. P^dgar, Robert J. Boyd, Thomas Mills, Joseph Davis, 
Joseph Fisher, Michael Miller, J. G. Kearns, James Highly, C. Carbry, 
David J. Heaton, and others. 

About half of the above named parties are dead ; the other half 
still remain to enjoy the fruits and triumphs of their early struggles. 

IMPROVEMENTS. 

In 1 841, Dr. Daniel G. Keedy erected a saw-mill in the bottom, 
north of the present fair grounds. 

At the same time, Joseph Robidoux built a flouring mill on the west 
side of Blacksnake Creek. 

A little later, another flouring mill was built by Creal and Wildbahn. 
John Girard was the miller. 

Still, a little later, the first tavern in the place was erected by Josiah 
Beattie, located between Main and Second streets. In this tavern the 
Rev. T. S. Reeves preached the first sermon that was delivered at "Black- 
snake Hills." 

In 1842, came Louis Picard, the first regular carpenter, and Wm. 
Langston, the first plasterer. 

About the same time came the Belcher brothers, who were the first 
brick-makers. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 4OI 

During this year Jonathan Copeland built a warehouse near the cor- 
ner of Jule and Water Streets. 

Then came Jacob Mitchell, a worthy son of Vulcan, the ringing of 
whose anvil was heard by the villagers from "early morn until dewy eve." 

A FOUR THOUSAND DOLLAR BURGLARY. 

Having regard to facts and dates as they occur chronologically, we 
have now reached a period (1842) in this history, when there happened 
an incident which not only attracted the attention of the settlers at 
"Blacksnake Hills" and surrounding country, but furnished a theme 
for conversation around their firesides for months afterward, and as the 
circumstances connected therewith are of an interesting character, we 
shall narrate them : In the summer of 1842, Mr. Robidoux received from 
the Sac and Fox Indians, the sum of four thousand dollars in silver, in 
four different boxes, each box containing one thousand dollars. Mr. 
Robidoux had sold goods to these tribes to this amount, and when they 
were paia their annuity by the government, its agent turned over to him 
the sum above mentioned. 

Having no safe, Mr. Robidoux placed the boxes containing the 
money on one of the lower shelves of his store, behind the counter, near 
a window. This window was secured at night by wooden shutters and 
fastened on the inside by a bolt. 

On the east side of One Hundred and Two River, lived at that time 
three families, bearing respectively the names of Spence, Scott and 
Davis. They were supposed to be counterfeiters, yet no one knew posi- 
tively that they had ever passed any spurious money. The Spence boys, 
whose given names were John, George, Monroe, Andy and James, were 
in the habit, in company with Scott and Davis, of visiting the Black- 
snake Hills almost daily, and while there would spend their time loung- 
ing about the solitary saloon, which stood upon the bottom, west of the 
Blacksnake Creek and at Mr. Robidoux' store. 

P'or some days previously to the occurrence which followed, it was 
noticed that one of the Spence boys would often place himself in a 
recumbent position on the counter, with his face turned towards the 
shelf containing the boxes of money. 

Two or three nights afterward an entrance was effected through the 
window of which I have spoken, and the boxes with their contents were 
removed. As soon as it was ascertained by Mr. Robidoux that his store 
had been burglarized and his money taken, immediate search was insti- 
tuted by his clerk, Mr. Poulin, and others who volunteered their assist- 
ance. Suspecting that the Spence boys knew all about the burglary, as 
well as the whereabouts of the missing treasure, they went in the direc- 
tion of their house. 



402 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

While en route and while crossing Blacksnake Creek, the party dis- 
covered a man's shoe, which had evidently been worn but once, as it was 
entirely new. The day before, three of the Spence boys had purchased 
shoes from Mr. Poulin, at Robidoux' store. He remembered that the 
shoes wxM'e of different numbers ; the smallest pair being number sixes. 
He knew also the style of shoe he had sold them, and recollected at 
their special request he had cut for them unusually long buckskin shoe 
strings. Upon examination he saw that the shoe, which was a number 
six, corresponded in style with those he had sold, and what was "con- 
firmation strong as proof of holy writ," there were the long buckskin 
strings which he had cut and fastened in the shoes. Mr. Poulin also 
distinctl}- recollected that the Spence boys, when they left the store the 
day before, carried their new shoes in their hands. He readil}- came 
to the conclusion from the silent yet significant testimony before him, 
that the Spence boys were in some manner connected with the burglary ; 
that they had worn their new shoes upon the night which had just 
passed, and, having secured their booty, one of them had in his flight 
through the soft clay of the creek bottom, lost one. 

Being thus encouraged, the party hastily pursued their way to the 
cabin where the Spences lived, surrounded it, and captured the Spence 
boys, as well as Davis and Scott. Davis and Scott were however 
released. The others were brought before Justice Mills, and upon a pre- 
liminary examination being held, they were discharged, there not being 
sufficient proof to bind them over for trial. 

Sixteen or eighteen citizens, some of whom are still living, feeling- 
confident that the Spence boys, Davis and Scott, had committed the 
crime, met the next day, and proceeded in a body on horseback to Davis 
and Scott's residence, determined if they could, to bring the offenders to 
justice and restore the stolen money. 

In the meantime, after the preliminar)- trial, Mr. Robidoux had 
offered a reward of five hundred dollars for the capture and conviction of 
thp parties who had taken his silver. Scott and Davis were taken and 
compelled to accompany the party of citizens, who, when about halfway 
back to town, separated, the larger portion taking Davis on a hill and 
leaving Scott in the valley of the One Hundred and Two, in charge of 
Elisha Gladden. 

They took Davis out of Scott's sight, and just far enough away so 
that Scott could hear the firing of a pistol b}' the party on the hill. After 
halting they dismounted, and told Davis that he must tell them where 
Robidoux' money was, giving him to understand that if he refused they 
would hang him. He strenuously denied all knowledge of the affair, and 
told them to "hang and be d — d." They placed a rope round his neck, 
threw one end of it over the limb of a tree, and swung him up, only 
intending to frighten and make him confess to the whereabouts of the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 4O3 

money. After he had remained suspended for some minutes they let 
him down, and asked him to confess the crime. Davis being as bold and 
defiant as ever, they hung him again, this time almost taking his life. 
They again asked him to tell where the rnoney was, when he again 
refused in a fiendish, insolent manner, branding them with a profusion of 
the lowest epithets. Seeing that Dayis would tell nothing, some one of 
the party shot off a pistol, (as previously arranged, if Davis did not con- 
fess), so that Scott could hear it, and at the same time two or three of 
them rushed down the hill where Scott was guarded, shouting that they 
had "killed Davis" and were now "going to kill Scott " 

One of these men held up his hand, which he had accidentally 
bruised coiwing down the hill, and which had some spots of blood on it, 
telling Scott, when Davis was shot, some of his blood had spurted on 
on his hand. Gladden, who was guarding Scott, said, when the concus- 
sion of the pistol was heard, " that Scott's face became as pallid as 
death," he supposing that his accomplice had been killed. 

They gave him to understand that they had disposed of Davis, and 
that if he did not tell them all about the money and the parties impli- 
cated in taking it, they would also dispose of him in a very summary 
manner, but promised that if he would give them this information, they 
would not only spare his life, but would supply him with money enough 
to take him out of the country. 

Believing what he had heard and seen to be true, and that the con- 
dition of things was such as had been represented, Scott asked some one 
present to give him a pencil and piece of paper. This being done, he 
wrote the names of all the parties concerned in the burglary, (the Spence 
brothers, Davis and himself,) and led the way to where one of the 
boxes had been buried, near the banks of the One Hundred and Two. 
So ingenious had been their plan, and so careful had they been to conceal 
all the traces of their villainy, that while digging a hole, in which to 
deposit the money, they placed every particle of dirt in a box and 
emptied it into the stream, excepting enough to refill the hole after the 
money was put in. Having four thousand dollars, they dug four holes. 
They then divided a blanket into four pieces, took the money out of the 
boxes, wrapped each thousand dollars separately, buried it by itself, and 
then refilled the hole, covering it over with the same sod that they had 
taken up, and then burned the boxes. 

Scott could only show them where the first thousand dollars was. 
He did not see them when they buried the other three thousand. They, 
liowever, found the first thousand. How or where to obtain the balance 
■of the money they did not know. Scott could not tell, and Davis, they 
supposed, would not. They had tried threats and hanging with him, but 
without avail. 



404 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

In the meantime Davis was still in custody. They went to him and 
told him that Scott had confessed, and told him it would be better for 
him to make confession also. Scott told them that he knew nothing to 
reveal, and said that they were "lying" to him, when they said that 
Davis had confessed to anything. They answered that he had not only 
given them the names of the parties implicated (showing him the piece 
of paper in Scott's handwriting,) but that he had shown them where the 
first thousand dollars was buried. He still refused to say or believe any- 
thing. In order to convince him of the truth of what they said, they 
took him to the very spot from which they had taken the money, and 
the piece of blanket in which it had been wrapped. 

No longer doubting what he had seen and heard, he called for a 
drink of whisky, which was supplied by one of the men guarding him, 
and after taking it, showed them where the balance of the money had 
been buried. 

To further prove that Davis and his pals were accomplished villains, 
and that they possessed a cunning ingenuity which would have been 
creditable to the pirates and freebooters of the last century, and which, in 
some respects, is not unlike the narrative of "Arthur Gordon Pym," by 
the gifted Poe, it is only necessary to mention how he proceeded to show 
where and how to find the balance of the money. 

He stood at the edge of the hole whence the first thousand dollars 
was taken, and stepped ten paces south, and pointing his index finger 
toward his feet said, "here you will find a thousand dollars." He then 
led the way to a small log upon the ground, with a single knot on it, and 
pointing again, said, "immediately under this knot you will find another 
thousand." Going to the bank of the One Hundred and Two, in the sand, 
near a willow tree, where a limb extended, the end of which had been 
broken off, but still hanging by the bark and pointing downward, he said, 
"here under the point of this hanging limb you will find the last thou- 
sand dollars." 

The money was all recovered excepting twenty-seven dollars, and 
returned to Mr. Robidoux. Scott and Davis were both arrested. During 
the night Davis made his escape, and Scott was finally discharged on the 
ground of his having made confession and giving the names of the par- 
ties who had participated in the burglary. The Spence boys left the 
country after being informed that their further presence here was ob- 
noxious and could not be endured. 

AUDUBON. 

The great naturalist, Audubon, who not only appreciated the phys- 
ical attractions of the animal kingdom, but loved as well the beautiful 
and sublime in nature, while on his way to the Yellowstone, in May,. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 40S 

1843, refers to the " Blacksnake Hills " as follows : "After grounding on 
sandbars, and contending against hard winds and currents, we reached 
the Blacksnake Hills settlement, which is a delightful site for a populous 
city. The hills are two hundred feet above the level of the river, and 
slope gently down on the opposite side, to the beautiful prairies that 
extend over thousands of acres of the richest land imaginable." 

ST. JOSEPH LAID OUT. 

In June, 1843, Mr. Robidoux laid out the original town, the site of 
which was covered with a luxuriant growth of hemp. Simeon Kemper 
acted as surveyor in this important undertaking, and Elisha Gladden as 
chain bearer. Two maps of the town were made, one by F-. W. Smith, 
and the other by Simeon Kemper, bearing respectively the names of 
" Robidoux " and " St. Joseph," in honor of its founder. The map drawn 
by Mr. Smith was selected by Mr. Robidoux, and the more civilized and 
felicitous appellative of St. Joseph was substituted for that of Blacksnake 
Hills. 

This map was taken to St. Louis, where Mr. Robidoux acknowl- 
edged it, in the office of the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas 
(Nathaniel Paschall, who has since been one of the editors of the St. 
Louis Republican, being the clerk at the time), and, after having it beau- 
tifully lithographed, returned to St. Joseph. 

His declaration and certificate of acknowledgment are as follows : 

"DECLARATION OF PROPRIETOR. 

I, Joseph Robidoux, of the County of Buchanan and the State of 
Missouri, do hereby declare that I am the proprietor and owner of a certain 
town named St. Joseph, located upon the southwest fractional quarter of 
section 8, township 57 north, range 35 west, of the fifth principal 
meridian, and that I have laid off the same into lots and blocks, bounded 
by streets and alleys, and a levee or landing on the front, which streets 
and alleys are of the width set forth upon this plat, and the lots and 
blocks are of the dimensions and numbers as are indicated upon said 
plat ; and the course of said streets and the extent of said lots, blocks 
and town are correctly set forth upon this plat of the same, which was 
made by my authority and under my direction. And I do hereby give, 
grant, allot and convey, for public uses, all the streets and alleys, by the 
names and of the width and extent that are set forth upon said plat. 
And I hereby declare this dedication to be made by me, this, the 26th 
day of July, eighteen hundred and forty-three, to be binding upon me, 
my heirs and assigns forever." 

JH. ROBIDOUX. [SEAL.] 

CERTIFICATE OF PROPRIETOR'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ( ^^ 
County of St. Louis. \ " ' 

"Be it remembered that on this 26th day of July, eighteen hundred 
and forty-three, before me the undersigned. Clerk of the St. Louis Court 



406 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

of Common Pleas, within and for said county, came Joseph Robidoux, 
who is personally known to me to be the same person whose name is 
subscribed to the above plat, as having executed the said plat, and who 
acknowledged to me that he executed said plat for the purposes therein 
named. 

In testimony whereof, I have set my hand and affixed the seal of 
said court at office in the City of St. Louis and State aforesaid, 26th day 
of July, eighteen hundred and forty-three. 

NATHANIEL PASCHALL, 

Clerk. 
Bv STEPHEN D. BARLOW, 

Deputy. 

BLOCKS AND LOTS DONATED. 

The west half of block thirty-one was reserved on the map as a 
market square ; the west half of block fifty was donated for a public 
church ; the northwest quarter of block thirty-eight for a public school, 
and the south quarter of the same block for a Catholic church. 

These lots were immediately put upon the market, even before the 
title to them was complete. This was perfected in 1844, at which 
time a United States Land Office was located at Plattsburg, Missouri. 

The uniform price of corner lots was one hundred and fifty dollars, 
and inside lots one hundred dollars. As rapidly as sale could be made 
the money was applied in payment of a mortgage, held by Pierre Chou- 
teau, Jr., of St. Louis, upon the land embracing the town site, amounting 
to six thousand, three hundred and seventy-two dollars and fifty-seven 
•cents. 

The town, as then laid off, included all the territory lying between 
Robidoux Street on the north and Messanie Street on the south, and 
between Sixth Street on the east and the Missouri River on the west, and 
contained sixty-four blocks, twelve of which are fractional. Each whole 
block is 240 by 300 feet, bisected by an alley and containing tweh^e lots. 

The streets are governed by the cardinal points of the compass ; 
those running back from the river in the " Original Town," extending 
north and south, are Water, Levee, Main (or First,) Second, Third, Fourth, 
Fifth and Sixth ; those running at right angles, commencing on the par- 
allel of the north line, are Isadore, Robidoux, Faraon, Jules, Francis. 
Felix, Edmond, Charles, Sylvanie, Angelique, Messanie. These names 
are derived from members of Mr. Robidoux' family. 

ADDITIONS TO THE ORKIINAL TOWN. 

Since the laying out of the original town, covering a period of thirty- 
eight years, there have been added about seventy-two additions, the 
names of which, and the date of their dedication are as follows: 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 407 

880 



Avenue April 3 1 

Bartlett and Russell November 20 

Belvue September 28 

County May 24 

Central December i 

Corby June 20 

Corby August i 

Carter July i 

Carbry November 26 

Donnell and Saxton April 27 

Donnell (R. W.) April 24 

Davidson April 27 

Durfee and Bartlett August 18 

Eastern Extension January i 

Ege's First May 4 

Ege's Second December 1 2 

Fair Ground September 20 

Ferguson's, H. O March 28 

Goodlive June 2 

'Ohio's 

Harris' First March 3 

Harris' Second March 3 

Harris' Second July i 

Hedenberg's First April 7 

Hedenberg's Second September 18 

Highly May 22 

Henry -. February 24 

Hall's First July 8 

Hall's First March 19 

Hall's Second May 20 

Hughes' and Middleton 

Huglies June 2 

Hays' Railroad : March 2 1 

Improvement May 7 

Inslee & Allen September 1 5 

Jackson June 24 

Kemper August 13 

Landis & Hull April 30, 

Landis July 1 1 

Landis June 14 

Likens & Slingluff 

Mayer's First November 27 

Mayer's Second October 6 

^layer's Third April 28 



[873 
[858 

[874 
[876 
[858 

1859 
[867 
;865 
[867 
[868 
[858 
[858 

t873 
[867 
;868 
[869 

[865 
[865 
[872 



[857 
[855 
[870 
[872 
[876 
[858 

[857 
[868 

[857 
[858 

[874 
[857 
[856 
[860 

[875 

[848 

[855 
[860 



408 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Mayer's Third November 1 1 

Mitchell June 5 

Mitchell August 3 

Nye September 3 

Nixon September 16 

Noble , April 2 

Noble Tract 

North St. Joseph First October 28 

North St. Joseph Second May 27 

North St. Joseph Third January 17 

Oliver, Glass & Wilson 

O'Donoghue November 2 1 . 

Original Town 

Patee January 15, 

Patee May 20, 

Patee July 1 2, 

Patee December 8, 

Patee June 20, 

Patee June 25, 

Patee March 13, 

Richardson October 13, 

Riley April 16, 

Robidoux July 20, 

Robidoux ■ March 27, 

Robidoux August 4, 

Robidoux August 5, 

Robidoux November 1 5 , 

Railroad June 10, 

Rogers June 19, 

Smith January 13, 

Smith February 25, 

Smith October 28, 

Smith March 20, 

Smith June 8, 

Smith September 5, 

Stewart February 16, 

South St. Joseph May 15, 

St. Joseph Extension June 18, 

Snyder February 27, 

St. Joseph Gardens April 29, 

Snyder 

Thompson „. . . January 30, 

Thomas Henry September 17, 

Willow Grove ...:.. 



I 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 409 

West November 15, 1856 

Western January 12, 1850 

Wells May 8, 1845 

Wilson April 6, 1857 

Wells February 12, 1 844 

Young April 24, 1 873 

FIRST CONVEYANCE. 

The first conveyance of lots in the new town was made by Mr. 
Robidoux and wife on the 25th of July, 1843, ^^^ is as follows : 

This deed, made and entered into this twenty-fifth day of July, 
eighteen hundred and forty-three, by and between Joseph Robidoux and 
Angelique, his wife, of the County of Buchanan, and State of Missouri, 
of the first part, Kenneth Mackensie and Benjamin Clapp, of the County 
of Saint Louis, of the second part, and Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Com- 
pany, of the City of Saint Louis, and state aforesaid, of the third part, 
witnesseth : that the said parties of the first part, in consideration of the 
debt and trust hereinafter mentioned and created, and of the sum of one 
dollar to them paid by the said parties of the second part, the receipt of 
which is hereby acknowledged, do by these presents, grant, bargain, sell, 
alien, enfeoff, convey and confirm unto the said parties of the second 
part, all those certain town lots, blocks and parcels of ground in a certain 
town, called Saint Joseph, in the County of Buchanan, and State of Mis- 
souri, which town is located on the southwest fractional quarter of section 
eight, township fifty-seven, north of the base line, range thirty-five, west 
of the fifth principal meridian, and is laid out according to a plat made 
by Joseph Robidoux, the proprietor thereof, now recorded in the Record- 
er's office of said county, which lots and blocks hereby conveyed are 
numbered according to said plat as follows, viz.: All of blocks numbers 
one, two, three and four, and fractional block number five, each block 
containing twelve lots, except block number five, which contains eight lots 
and iwo fractional lots, which blocks are bounded west by Water Street 
and east by Levee Street, and also all of blocks numbers six, seven, 
eight, nine and ten, according to said plat, lying between First Street on 
the east and Levee Street on the west, each block containing twelve lots, 
except block No. (6) six, which contains only eight lots, and also all of 
blocks numbers twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four and twenty-five, 
lying between Second Street on the east and First Street on the west, 
each block containing twelve lots, except block No. (25) twenty-five, 
which contains only eight lots, all of which lots contain forty feet front 
upon a street, by one hundred and forty feet in depth, to an alley twenty 
feet wide, except the fractional lots in the fractional block, as will more 
fully appear by reference to said plat, together with all the buildings and 
improvements thereon, and all the privileges and appurtenances there- 
unto belonging — to have and to hold the same, with the appurtenances, 
to the said parties of the second part, and to the survivor of them and to 
the heirs and assigns of such survivor forever, in trust, however, for the 
following purpose; 



410 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Whereas, The said Joseph Robidoux has executed to the parties of 
the third part, his certain negotiable note, bearing even date herewith, 
for the sum of six thousand three hundred and seventy-two dollars and 
fifty-seven cents, payable twelve months after date, to Pierre Chouteau, 
Jr., and Co., or order, without defalcation or discount, with interest at 
maturity, at the rate of ten per centum per annum. Now, if the said 
note shall be well and truly paid, according to the tenor and effect 
thereof, then this deed shall be void, and the property hereinbefore con- 
veyed shall be released at the cost of the said parties of the first part ; 
but if the note, or any part thereof, shall, after the same becomes due, 
be in arrear and unpaid, then this deed shall remain in force, and the 
said parties of the second part, or the survivor of them, or the heirs and 
assigns of such survivor, may proceed to sell the property hereinbefore 
described, or any part thereof, at public vendue, to the highest bidder, 
at the court house door, in the City of Saint Louis, and State of Mis- 
souri, for cash, first giving thirty days public notice of the time, terms 
and place of said sale, and of the property to be sold, by advertisement 
in some newspaper printed in the said City of Saint Louis, and upon 
such sale shall execute and deliver a deed in fee simple of the property 
sold, to the purchaser or purchasers thereof, and receive the proceeds 
of said sale, out of wnich they shall pay, first, the cost and expenses of 
this trust, and next whatever may be due and unpaid of principal and 
interest on said note to the said Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Co., or to 
whomsoever may be the legal owner thereof, and the balance, if an}', 
shall be paid to the said Joseph Robidoux or his legal representatives. 

And the said parties of the second part covenant faithfully to per- 
form and fulfill the trust herein created. 

In witness whei'eof, the said parties have hereunto set their hands 
and seals, the day and year first above written. 

JH. ROBIDOUX, [SEAL.] 

Her 

ANGELIQUP: x robidoux, [seal.] 
mark. 

K. MACKENSIE, [seal.] 

BEN. CLAPP. [SEAL.] 

STATE OF MISSOURI, ( 
County of St. Louis, \ ^' ' 

Be it remembered that on this twenty-sixth da}- of Jul}% eighteen 
hundred and forty-three, before me, the undersigned, Clerk of the St. 
Louis Court of Common Pleas, within and for said county, came Joseph 
Robidoux, and Angelique Robidoux, his wife, who are personally known 
to me to be the same persons whose names are subscribed to the fore- 
going instrument of writing, as parties thereto, and severall}' acknowl- 
edged the same to be their act and deed for the purposes therein men- 
tioned. She, the said Angelique, having been first made acquainted 
with the contents of said deed, acknowledged on an examination, sep- 
arate and apart from her husband, that she executed said deed, and 
relinquishes her dower iif the real estate therein mentioned, freely, \-ol- 
untarily, and without any fear or compulsion, or undue influence of her 
said husband. 



HISTORY OF ST. TOSEPH. 



411 



In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal 
of said court, at office in the city of St. Louis, this twenty-sixth day 
of July, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-three. 

NATHANIEL PASCHALL, Clerk. 
By STEPHEN D. BARLOW, 

Deputy Clerk. 

NOTl-: — The foregoing instrument of writing was deposited for 
record August 3d, 1843. 

WILLIAM FOWLER, Clerk. 
By JOHN A. FOWLER, Deputy. 





FIRST I'OSTOFFICE IN ST. fOSEPH. 




^S^ 




ir.HAiMrg~Eil^sr 



ST. JOSEPH POSTOFFICE IN 1 88 1. 



I 



CHAPTER IV. 

OLD SETTLERS AND WHAT THEY DID. 

POSTMASTERS OF ST. JOSEPH— BUSINESS MEN OF 1845-PROFESSIONAL MEN-PRICES 
CURRENT— FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION— LETTERS-MEETING OF PHYSICIANS- 
INTERESTING INCIDENTS, ETC. 

First postoffice established at Blacksnake Hills June lo, 1840, Julius 
C. Robidoux, P. M. 

Frederick W. Smith appointed August 7, 1841. 

Name changed to St. Joseph, November 20, 1843. 

First Postmaster — Fred. W. Smith, appointed November 20, 1843. 

Second Postmaster — Wm. B. Almond, appointed November 4, 1844. 

Third Postmaster — Wm. Irvin, appointed September 25, 1845. 

Fourth Postmaster — Joseph F. Wyatt, appointed September 21, 1848. 

Fifth Postmaster — Jesse Holladay, appointed September 17, 1849. 

Sixth Postmaster — Henry S. Creal, appointed January 15, 1852. 

Seventh Postmaster — Chas. Dutzschky, appointed April 11, 1853. 

Eighth Postmaster — Henry Clark, appointed April 19, 1854. 

Ninth Postmaster — Henry Slack, appointed April 22, 1854. 

Tenth Postmaster — Wm. A. Davis, appointed October 19, 1855. 

(Office made Presidential, March 24, 1858, and Davis continued.) 

Eleventh Postmaster — John L. Bittinger, appointed April 11, 1861. 

Twelfth Postmaster — Wm. Fowler, appointed March 20, 1865. 

Thirteenth Postmaster— Geo. H. Hall^ appointed March 26, 1866. — 
(Appointment rescinded.) 

Fourteenth Postmaster — Jas. M.Graham; appointed October 31, 1866. 

Fifteenth Postmaster — Geo. H. Hall, appointed November 17, 1866. 

Sixteenth Postmaster — Jos. J. Wyatt, appointed April 11, 1867. 

Seventeenth Postmaster — James Hunter, appointed July 7, 1869. 

Eighteenth Postmaster — Phillip Arnholt. appointed March 13, 1871. 

Nineteenth Postmaster — John Severance, appointed February 26, '75. 

Twentieth Postmaster — Robert P. Richardson, appointed May 25, '76. 

Twenty-first Postmaster — Jas. T. Beach, appointed August 18, 1876. 

Twenty-s'econd Postmaster — Francis M. Posegate, appointed Decem- 
ber 12, 1877. 

Twenty-third Postmaster — Frank M. Tracy, appointed June 12, i88r. 

In 1843, ^^ the period of the laying off of St. Joseph, the settlement 
was small and feeble, and being so remote from the larger centers of 



414 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

population, it was hardly expected by even the most ardent friends of 
the town that it would have in the beginning more than a moderate, 
steady growth. So great, however, was the influx of emigration hither- 
ward Irom the older settled states in the East, that the population had 
increased from two hundred in June, 1843, to five hundred at the close of 
the year. 

Among the earliest pioneers of Blacksnake Hills were C. A. Perry 
and his brother, Elias H. The first trip that C. A. Perry made to the 
town from Liberty, Missouri, was in the summer of 1842. He came 
horseback, reaching the Blacksnake Hills at sunset. While riding 
through the bottom, just south of town, Mr. Perry says, that he could 
just see the sun set through the top of the tall grass. He and his brother 
came in 1843, and commenced business (general merchandise) in the old 
trading house of Mr. Robidoux, on the west side of Blacksnake Creek, 
which was a one-story log house, their stock of goods being the second 
after Mr. Robidoux' in the place. In the fall of 1843 Mr. Perry and his 
brother erected two two-story brick business houses, on Main Street, 
between Francis and Jule, 20x60 feet, fronting east, and located in 
the same block now partly occupied by* the cracker factory of F. L. 
Sommer & Co. A man by the name of Angel did the carpenter work,, 
a Mr. Miller made the brick, and William Langston did the plastering. 

We have here given the names of the owners, builders and locality 
of. the first brick houses erected in St. Joseph. These buildings were 
completed in 1844. Mr. C. A. Perry and his brother, Elias H., are still 
living in St. Joseph, engaged in the grain business, and are among the 
most respected and influential of her citizens. 

With the Perrys, came A. M. Saxton, who was in their employ as 
salesman and book-keeper. He remained with them four years, having 
been employed by them in St. Louis. He /then formed a partnership 
with Robert W. Donnell and\Villiam Duvall, (general merchandise), in a 
house on Second Street, -which stood on the corner of Felix. (See 
biographical sketch.) 

The next business houses were erected in 1844 by Hull & Carter 
and Livermore & Co., on Main Street, between Jule and Francis ; the 
one built by Hull & Carter was a two-story frame ?Ox6o feet, and that ' 
of Livermore & Co. a brick. About the same time Benjamin Powell 
built a one-story frame on Levee Street, and Johnathan Levy a one- 
story frame on the same street. Soon after this, Archie McDonald 
erected a small brick house on Water Street, as far south as Edmond. 
This, with the treacherous bank upon which it stood, has long since gone 
into the Missouri River. 

In the fall of 1843 occurred the first sale of town lots. This sale had 
been advertised quite extensively by printed hand-bills (the printing 
being done in St. Louis) and upon the day of sale a great number of men 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 415 

were present, not only from the county, but the adjoining counties. 
There were but few, if any, land speculators in attendance, the bidders, 
generally, being composed of men who wished to become bona fide citi- 
zens. The sale took place on Second Street, which locality was consid- 
ered the most valuable portion of the town. James Anthony, who was 
at the time the sheriff of the county, was employed by Mr. Robidoux as 
auctioneer. At this sale, about one hundred and fifty lots were sold. 
Mr. Robidoux did not intend to sell more than one hundred, but was 
prevailed on by the bidders to dispose of a greater number. The corner 
lots sold for one hundred and fifty dollars and middle lots for one 
hundred dollars. Mr. Robidoux believed that the price of lots would 
soon advance, hence his refusal to sell any more at that time at public 
auction. 

In the fall of 1844, Israel Landis became a citizen of St. Joseph, and 
began business in a house built by Glasgow, a shoemaker, on the west side 
of Blacksnake Creek. The following spring, Mr. Landis moved over on 
Main Street, between Francis and Felix, into a frame house, Avhich he 
rented of George Brubaker. After remaining here a while, he then mo\ cd 
to the west side of the street and remained there until he moved into one 
of the buildings in Union Block, the latter being the first three-story 
brick building erected in St. Joseph. 

When Mr. Landis arrived, or doing the year thereafter, there were 
two one-story brick or tenement houses, built by Mr. Robidoux ; one of 
these stood on the corner of Felix and Fourth Streets and the other on 
Edmond on the corner of Fourth. Mr. Landis, though long since having 
reached the grand climacteric of human life, is still hale and hearty. 

George Smith was also in business, on the west side of Blacksnake 
Creek, in 1844, and during the next spring moved over to Main Street 
at the same time with Landis, Perry, Powell, Levy and others. 

During the same year Wm. M. Carter, a blacksmith, opened his 
plow manufactory on the 'corner of Second and E^dmond, and Aquilla 
Morrow^ erected a similar manufactory on the east side, between Francis 
and Felix Streets. The tonsorial art was then started by Philip Wort- 
wine, and a meat market was opened by Allendorf & Rhodes, on the 
corner of Francis and Main Streets. It was customary to have meat for 
sale on Monday, W^ednesday and Saturday, and it required a whole week 
to dispose of one animal. 

Glasgow, mentioned above, who, although not an experienced dis- 
ciple of St. Crispin, built a small shop at the side of the bridge over 
"Blacksnake Creek" and began work. At this romantic spot he con- 
tinued to do business for several years, attending to the soles of his pat- 
rons in a very satisfactory manner. 

Joseph Fisher, who now resides on the west side of " Blacksnake 
Creek," came in 1844, and had the honor of running the first regularly 
licensed dray in the town. 



4l6 HISTORY OF ST, JOSEPH. 

John Kennedy built the first ten-pin alley on Main, between Francis 
and Jule Streets. It v\'as a very popular place of resort. 

In i8zj4-45 the first church edifice in the town, a log building 20x30 
feet, was erected, under the direction of Rev. T. S. Reeve, a Presby- 
terian clergyman. It was located on the lot where the business house 
of John S. Brittain & Co. now stands. 

Soon after this church building was completed and occupied, an in- 
cident occurred in it which is worth relatinfr: 

In the fall of 1845, on a Sabbath day eve, while religious services 
were being held, a loud, rough knock was heard upon the door. With- 
out waiting for a response, the door was thrust wide open, when in stalked 
a large, burly looking individual from Grand River. 

With hat on and hand raised, he advanced toward the pulpit and 
motioned to the minister to stop. The man of God (Rev. T. S. Reeve) 
being thus rudely and inopportunely accosted, left off preaching, when the 
stranger said : 

" Is Bob Donnell in this house ? I've got a bar'l of honey for him." 

Mr. Donnell being present and taking in the situation at a glance, 
immediately left his seat and went out of the house with the enterpris- 
ing and redoubtable honey vender. Whether he purchased the "bar'l" 
we cannot say. The man, however, who, nothing daunted, had so per- 
sistently hunted him up, braving the parson and the astonished gaze of 
the congregation, certainly deserved some consideration at the hands of 
Mr. Donnell. We hope, therefore, a bargain was made, and that his 
Grand River friend returned home a happier, if not a wiser man. 

The first church bell to vibrate in the air of the classic hills of St. 
Joseph, was hung in the steeple of the old log church presided over by 
Rev. Mr. Reeve. 

The first three-story building (frame) erected in the town, was the 
"Edgar House," in 1845. It still stands on the corner of Main and 
Francis Streets, east of the cracker factory of'Sommer & Co., as a mon- 
ument of the past. 

Robert W. Donnell came to the county in 1838, from North Caro- 
lina, but did not come to St. Joseph until about 1845. He was in the 
mercantile business some little time at Rock House Prairie. After his 
removal to this city he formed a partnership with George Smith. In 
1848, the style of the firm was Donnell, Saxton & Duvall. Donnell built 
a brick warehouse and then a brick storehouse, both of which are now in 
the river. He also erected a brick residence on the site of R. L. McDon- 
ald's business house, which was at the time considered the finest in the 
place. Mr. Donnell is now (1881) a banker in the City of New York. 

The older citizens will remember the water mill, propelled b\- the 
waters of Blacksnake Creek, operated by Mr. Robidoux, for the benefit 
of the Indians. It ground both corn and wheat, and stood on the Black- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 417 

snake near its mouth. There was then a much hirger volume of water 
in that stream than there is to-day. 

Dr. Martin, from Indiana, opened a boarding house on Second Street, 
between Felix and Francis. His was the first family to move into St. 
Joseph proper after the town was laid off. His boarding house was made 
of hewn logs, and contained six rooms. The price of board per week- 
was two dollars and a half. The Doctor soon after located in the 
country, about four miles from town, where he entered a quarter-section 
of land and began to farm. In 1849, during the "gold excitement," he 
went to California, being then about sixty-five years of age. When 
crossing the river at this place for the Pacific Slope, the Doctor had 
inscribed in large letters upon his wagon cover, the significant legend, 
"Gold or Blood." He was a man of great energy and strong will-power, 
and died in California. 

John Corby was among the early arrivals from Kentucky, and soon 
became one of the most prominent citizens of the county. He possessed 
a good education and was a thorough business man. He opened a bus- 
iness house on Second Street, near the site of the old City Hotel. He 
was a money lender, and a contractor on the Hannibal & St. Joseph 
Railroad ; often furnishing money to parties wishing to enter land, and 
in many instances receiving therefor one half the land in return for the 
accommodation. 

A little later, James Cargill, from Wheeling, Virginia, erected in the 
town a flouring mill on Eighth Street, between Edmond and Felix. This 
mill was considered a large one in that day, operating three runs of 
burrs. His son-in-law, James A. Owens, is now a resident of the city. 

Among the early settlers was John Searcy, who was the first tailor 
in the town, and William Farley the first jeweler, and William Dillon, 
who kept the first livery stable, his place of business being east of Cor- 
by's Block. 

In 1845, Hill & Welding opened the first carriage shop, located on 
Main, near the foot of Edmond Street, and about the same time came 
Isadore Barada, and began the bakery business, on Main and Edmond 
Streets, south side. Jonathan Copeland built the first warehouse, between 
Jule and Water Streets. A man by the name of Inman kept a hotel 
(log house) on the corner of Second and Jule Streets, and a man by the 
name of May opened a similar house, containing two rooms, on Jule 
Street, between Second and Third. Mrs. Anna Hamilton, Benjamin 
Hartwell and George Merlatt were early settlers. Benjamin and Francis 
Northcut, William Carter and Philander Thomas (blacksmiths,) White- 
head & Infelt, Samuel C. Hall (first justice of the peace,) Thomas 
Mills (first mayor) and Alexander Constance, were all here in 1844 and 
1845. 



41 8 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

At the dates above mentioned, such agricultural products as the 
farmer had to dispose of, including horses and cattle, brought, in the 
St. Joseph market, the following prices : 

A good horse, $30 ; a good cow, $7 ; a good yoke of oxen, $25 ; 
wheat per bushel, 37^ cents; corn per bushel, 10 cents. 

Hemp was then the staple product of the farmer and always com- 
manded a good price. 

Many of the business firms had commenced even at that day the 
jobbing trade, and continued up to 1856, when Smith, Tootle & Farley, 
Donnell & Saxton and others began exclusively a wholesale business. 

Steamboats, other than those owned and run by the American Fur 
Company, were very limited in number. Generally about two a month 
passed St. Joseph. 

In April, 1845, the following persons, among others, were in business 
at St. Joseph : 

E. Livermore & Co., general merchandise. 

J. C. Robidoux, • " 

Ross & Harper, '' " 

Hull & Carter, 

Middleton, Perry & Co., " 

Israel Landis, saddler. 

John Patee, drugs and medicines. Mr. Patee's was the first drug 
store in St. Joseph. 

E. Kemp, gunsmith. Mr. Kemp was the pioneer gunsmith. 

Henry McKee, wines and liquors. 

Among the physicians, were the following ; B. V. Teel, J. Lawrence 
Page, J. H. Crane, D. G. Kcedy, D. Benton. 

Among the attorneys, were : Theodore D. Wheaton, George Bru- 
baker, Benjamin Hays, H. L, Routt. 

The following are the wholesale prices current in St. Joseph in April, 

1845 •• 

Axes, per doz., Collins $15,50(^,16.50 

Bale rope, per ft) 5 

Beeswax 25 

Candles, mould g(aAO 

Candles, dipped ' S(w, 9 

Coffee, Rio, per fti. . . . • 8|@ 9 

Havana . 8h (ft) 9 

Domestics, per yard 

Brown sheetings 6^ 

Cotton yarn, per bunch Sj}^ 

Dye stuffs, Indigo, per ft» i 50(^1.75 

Madder 22(a> 25 

Copperas 6\ 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 419 

Dye stuffs, Logwood. . , -. 

Fish, mackerel No. 2 

Herrings 

Flour, per barrel 

Corn meal, per bushel 

Fruit, Apples, dried, per bushel 

Peaches 

Raisins, per box • • 

Glass per box, 8x10 

1OX12 . 

Gunpowder, all kinds, per keg 6.50(0)7 

Hemp per 100 ibs, dew rotted 

Hides, dry • 

Green 

Iron, common bar 

Horshe shoe 

Nails, per lOO fts ,. . . . 

Castings, per ft) 

Lead, bar 

Molasses, per gal 

Tar, per keg 

Oil, Linseed, per bbl 

Castor 

White lead, per keg 

Bacon, hams, per ft) , . 

Sides 

Shoulders 

Lard 

:Butter 

Cheese, common 

Western reserve 

Eggs, per doz 

Salt G. A., per sack 

Kanawha, per bush 

Fepper, per ftj . . . . 

Liquors, per gal 

Brandy; Cognac 

American 

Gin 

E-um, New England 

Whisky, rectified . 

Sugar, Louisiana 

Loaf 

Tobacco, leaf, per 100 ft.s , i -75^3 00 





10 


13 


50 




m 


4.50 




50 


I 


50 


2 


00 


3 


75 


3 


50 


4 


50 


5.50@7 


50 


3 


00 




o7h 




03 




051 




06 


6 


• 25 


.04^(0)0 


05 




• 05 




.40 




.871 


I 


.25 


I 


.00 


2 


•25 




.07 




.07 




.06^ 


.o7@o 


.08 




.07 h 




.06k 




.121 




.06^ 


2 


•25 




.40 


.i5@o 


.16 


2.oo@3 


.00 


.5o@o.75 


. 5o@c 


>.75 




•75 


.23@C 


).25 


. 074(5*0. o8i 




•17 



420 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Tobacco, Mo., manufactured, per ft» io@.i6 

Teas, per ft, Imperial 87i@i.oo 

Gunpowder 87^(0)1.00 

Young Hyson .62@o.75 

Wines, Madeira 2.50@3.oo 

Port 2.oo@3.00 

Malaga, sweet . ,62^@87i 

Port, imitation .75@I.I2 

The celebration of the Fourth of July was first observed in St. 
Joseph in 1845, by the Sunday School. The following is the programme 
for the occasion : 

FOURTH OF JULY. 

CELEBRATION OF THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1 845, 

BY THE 

ST. JOSEPH SUNDAY SCHOOL. 



ORDER OF EXERCISES. 

The Sunday School will convene at the Church at 8 o'clock a. m. 
Procession will form at 8 o'clock, and will leave at precisely 9 o'clock 
for the grove. 

. Music — Instrumental. 

ON THE GROUND. 

Prayer — By T. S. Reeve. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholars — " Where Do Children Love 
To Go." 

Declaration — By a Sunday School scholar. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholar. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholars — " Come Let L^s Join Our 
Cheerful Songs." 

Rehearsal — By a female scholar. 

Music — Instrumental. 

Rehearsal — By a male scholar. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholars — " Tis a Lesson You should 
Heed." 

Rehearsal — By a female scholar. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholars — "Away the Bowl." 

Temperance Dialogue — By five Sunday School scholars. 

Singing — By Sunday School scholars — " My Drink Shall Be." 

Address— By Rev. F. Willis. 

Music- — Instrumental. 

RECESS AND COLLATION. 

Music — Instrumental. 
Oration — By L. Archer, P2sq. 
Music — Instrumental. 

Closing remarks and benediction — By Re\'. T. S. Reeve- 
Procession return. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 42 r 

On the 5th of July, the day following the celebration, the committee 
of arrangements for that interesting occasion, consisting of Israel Landis, 
George Brubaker and Josiah H. Crane, addressed a note to the Rev. F^ 
Willis requesting a copy of his address for publication. On the nth of 
July, they received the following : 

"July ii, 1845. 

" Dear Sirs : I am exceedingl)^ sorry that I cannot comply with 
your request. I cannot do it, for the following reasons : First, I am so 
much of an offhand man, that I never write out any address on any^ 
occasion whatever, and consequently I never memorize. I must 
say in this case, as Belshazzar said to Daniel, ' the thing is gone from, 
me.' Another reason : I have never yet delivered an address worth 
publishing ; either of which reasons, I presume your honors will in charit}' 
deem a sufficient apology. 

" Yours very Respectfully, 

" F. WILLIS." 

Believing that our readers would be pleased to know something^ 
more of the first celebration of our National Holiday, in St. Joseph, we 
will, in this connection, give a verbatim copy of a letter, which was- 
picked up on the street the day following that event, written by a Ger- 
man — an old settler : 

" St. Shoseff, te fift day of Shuly, 
" elteen hoonert and forty-five. 

" Last year, me writes you von letter, mit dells you efry dinks vot 1 
sees in dish new country vot been stranche order new ; unt now me 
writes you vone oder letter. 

" Unt by sure yesterday he peen to Forth of Shuh- akin, und I 
dinks to mineself, I vill go me to St. Sho akin, unt see efry dinks vot te 
beebles peen do dare. Vel, den, ven I cooms dare. Shake Schneider he 
peen dare too. unt I ses, 'Vel, Shake, I peen so mittlen, how you duss. 
Shake.-*' Unt Shake, he tells me if I will trink somedinks unt den coe 
mit him to see the selebration. Unt I ax him, ' yes, I vill,' put vot in de 
tivil he means, I dush not know. Vel, Shake, he dakes me to de shurch,, 
unt efrybody been come dare, unt dare bin Mishter Reef, unt he haf 
great many little shilders dare ; unt I tells Shake, ' mine Got, mine 
Got, vot sort of a man ish dish, vot you calls Reef, to have so much 
shilders.'' Unt how dush he keeb him on meat and breat.'*' Unt he 
sess : ' Philip, you peen vone fool ; dese peen de pcebles' shilders vot 
peen coe to de Sunday School, unt Mishter Reef he been a teacher, unt 
he peen de Superintendent, unt dare dem berty bick galls vot you sees 
dare, unt dem fellows mit his hair so nise unt slick, da peen all Sunday 
Schoolmashters, unt day all shtart out to de voods to eat hi« dinner, unt dare 
peen three udder fore fellows vot peen blaying te fittle unt some udder 
leetle squealin music not much bicker as a fife, unt day comes pefore, unt 
den de shilders day comes, unt day haf vone crate bick hanksheef 
stikin on dop of a bole, und a hunderd yads of ribbins hangen to him, 
und dem berty galls, und dem fellows vot haf de nise slick hair, day peen 
walk on de outsite of de shilders, unt den comes efrybody else folerin. 



422 HISTORY OF St. JOSEPH. 

unt den day march mosht not quite all round St. Sho, lint den shtart 
shtrait out to de voots. 

Unt now I dinks to mineself dish peen von Whig meedin, unt da 
dinks da ville shlip in dot olt dory Henry Clay, ven de trebles not been 
dinkin any dinks about it. Unt I tells Shake I dush not like it, unt 
Shake he ses : "Philip, vot for make you peen von fool ? " 

Vel den, Shake unt me, we goes out mit de rest of the beebles to de 
voods, unt dare Mishter Reef he makes do shilders sing ferry berty, unt 
make speeches like old beebles — unt den von breacher he tells von ferry 
fine sarmon. unt von Mishter lawyer he peen delifer von fine big splendit 
speesh, but I did not undershtand von wort of vot efery von ses, for I 
peen lookin rount at too crate bick long tables, full off efr\- dinks vot 
peen goot. unt efry times de beebles been all looking right shtraight at 
de shilders ven day peen singin' I shlips to de table unt fills mine hat 
mit shweet breat. 

Vel den ven efry dinks peen retty for to eat Shake unt me we coe 
shtrait to de dable vare dare bin a crate many shickens unt a couple off 
leetle haucks, and dare been no nife mit my plate, so I dakes a coople of 
shickens unt buts em in mine breeches bockets, unt den I dakes von 
leetle hauck unt shlips him in mine bosom ; unt den I dakes a coople of 
loves of breat under mine arm ; unt Shake he dakes day odder leetle 
hauck, mit sum breat and shickens, unt we coes into de shate under von 
bick dree, and dare we eat our dinner. 

Now dish peen all I sees till night cooms, unt den we coes to de 
grate frolic at de Edgur House, unt dare peen so many berty galls it 
makes me feel all over in crate bick shtripes, unt I tells Shake I vill make 
de dance mit von, so ven Shake he peen shust fetchin me to von shplen- 
did berty gal mit I peen makin mine bow to him* I looks down unt sees 
mine shirt and mine breaches all cresy mit de shickens unt de leedle 
haucks — unt now I dinks I coes, so I runs shtrait out off de room unt 
nefer shtop till I shwim 102 unt blatte riffer to wash de crease. 

Your goot frient, 

PHILIP SHTUFFINGER. 

The following will doubtless be read with interest by the physicians 
■of St. Joseph to-da)'. 

" NOTICE. 

At a meeting of the practicing physicians of the town of St. Joseph 
and vicinity, holden for the purpose of establishing a uniform s)-stem of 
charges, the following were agreed upon, to wit : 

For a visit within one mile and prescription (day) $ i .00 

each succeeding mile 50 

same services at night, double price 

visit in town and prescription i .00 

" at night •. 2 . 00 

medicine in all cases extra charge 

attendance whole night 5 .00 

consultation 5 . 00 

a simple case of midwifer)- 5 00 

a case of twins 10.00 



lIISTOkV OF ST. JOSEPH. 423 

For difficult cases, fee in proportion to difficult}' 

necessary attention, after four hours, per hour 25 

" bleeding^ r„ 

extracting teeth i-q 

" cupping '. .'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.I to 2. 00 

" blisters, large size 7q 

" medium cq 

advice and prescription at office i 00 

*' administering enema i 00 

setting fracture of upper extremities 5 to lO.cx) 

" . " lower " 10 to 20.00 

dislocation of upper extremities 5 to 10.00 

" lower " 10 to 20.00 

amputating fingers and toes, each 5 00 

" forearm 15 00 

^^^T^ ■'■ 10.00 

leg" 20 . 00 

thigh 25.00 

extirpatmg tumors 2. 50 to 10.00 

" opening abscess cq 

*' vaccination cq 

*' gonorrhea 10 00 

*' syphiUis 10 to 20.00 

The last mentioned disease to be paid for invariably in advance. 
No charge will be made for more than two visits in town same day. 
Hereafter no families will be engaged by the year. 
Settlement in all cases will be required either by note or cash as 
soon as services are rendered. 

JOSIAH H. CRANE. 
D. G. KEEDY, 
J. L. PAGE, 
THOS. J. TODD, 
WM. B. WOOD, 
J. W. HAYES, 
B. V. TEEL, 
ROBT. MARTIN, 
R. A. H. GRAY, 
WM. P. FLINT, 
DELFORD BENTON. 

During the month of May, 1845, the little town of St. Joseph came 
very near being the scene of a duel between two gentlemen of the med- 
ical profession, as the following will show: 

"Woodland, May 3, 1845. 
Dr. Page, 

Sir: I have been informed that some doctor in St. Joseph, from 
Weston, has used very disrespectful language in regard to me, and said 
that I did not know what a cataract knife was, and that I had lent to Dr. 
Belt wrong knives through profound ignorance, &c. Now, sir, I wish 
you to avow or disavow said language. I am a graduate from the college 
of Edinburgh and have my diploma from said institution ; I have been 



424 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

surgeon nearly seven years in the British army, and more recently assist- 
ant surgeon in the United States navy, for three years, aboard the ship^ 
Experiment, Captain Mervin. I refer you to the Navy Chronicle for 
1833, where you will find my appointment. 

I am, sir, with much respect and great esteem. 
Your most obedient servant, 

R. A. H. GRAY, M. D." 
J. L. Page, M. D. 

"St. Joseph, May 3rd, 1845. 

Dear Sir : In reply to your note of 3rd inst., I have to state that 
upon an occasion (the time and place I do not remember) you were the 
subject of the conversation. I then made use of the language in sub- 
stance as follows : ' I have met with Dr. Gray but a few times ; I know 
nothing of him ; I know nothing of his professional qualifications. Some- 
time ago, soon after he came to this country, Dr.B , of Weston, sent 

to him for a Wetzel's cataract knife, and he sent a common Bistoury,, 
such as is usually found in a surgeon's pocket case, and wholly unlike 
the instrument required. Now I know not whether to attribute this tO' 
his own ignorance or his belief in the ignorance of the surgeons at Wes- 
ton of a cataract knife. I further stated that Major C, of Weston, had 
spoken of you as having been engaged in a mercantile house in Pitts- 
burg or Wheeling, and not known there as a physician or surgeon.' 

The foregoing is, in substance, what I have said. I spoke nothing 
of my own knowledge, except in regard to the knife, and permit me to 
add, I did not intend any disrespect to you or cherish any desire to do* 
you injustice. I am happy to learn that I have been deceived in regard 
to your professional character, and I shall have pleasure to contradict 
the reports in circulation relative thereto. 

I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

J. LAWRENCE PAGE." 
To R. A. H. Gray, M. D. 

J. L. Page, M. D. 

Sir: — I have been informed that you avowed the language referred 
to in my last note to you, viz : That I had lent wrong cataract knives 
to Dr. Belt, through profound ignorance, etc. If you know said language 
to be a fact, you had a right to use it, otherwise, I shall require a retrac- 
tion and an apology. 

I am, sir, with much respect and great esteem. 

Your most obedient servant, 

R. A. H. GRAY, M, D. 

My friend P., Esq., is duly authorized to arrange and settle all the 
necessary preliminaries in regard to time, place, and manner of satis- 
faction, in case Doctor Page refuses to do me justice as required above. 

R. A. H. GRAY, M. D. 
May 9, 1845. 

St. Joseph, May 9, 1845. 
Sir: To your note of the 3d inst. I have replied to through the 
medium of the Postoffice at Sparta. I then avowed the language I had. 



HISTORY OF ST. fOSEPH. 



425 



used relative to the cataract knife, &c. I do know, sir, that Dr. Belt, 
of Weston, sent to you for a Wenzel's cataract knife, and that you sent 
a common Bistoury therefor, whether through ignorance or not I do not 
know. Your ob't serv't. 

To R. A. H. Gray, M. D. J. LAWRENCE PAGE. 

J. L. Page, M. D.: 

My Dear Sir: Your communication per my friend Mr. ■ is not 

sufficiently satisfactory. If you made use of the language contained in 
my note to you, for the purpose of injuring my standing as a physician 
or otherwise, I demand an explanation. 

My friend, Mr. M is duly authorized to make satisfactory arrange- 

Tuents with any friend you may please to appoint, otherwise to receive 
a satisfactory apology. Very respectfully your ob't serv't, 

May 9, 1845. R. A. H. GRAY. M. D. 

St. JOSEPH, May 13, 1845. 
J. L. Page, M. D. 

Dear Sir: Yours dated May 3d, has been received and considered 
satisfactory, consequently the subsequent commiunications are withdrawn. 

R. A. H. GRAY, M. D. 
By his friend A. D. McDonald. 

The following is the first list of letters remaining in the postoffice, 
•ever published in St. Joseph. Among these names will be recognized 
many of the old settlers : 

" List of letters remaining in the postoffice at St. Joseph, October 
I, i§45, which, if not taken out within three months, will be sent to the 
general postoffice as dead letters." 



Allen, Lewis, 
Brookheart, John, 
Bate. Cambell, 
Carter, Mrs. A. C, 
Carter, John P., 
Collier, Jos., 
Dunn, Wm., 
Donnell, Robert M., 
Evans, John, 
Farleigh, A., 
George, Wm. P., 
Harness, Lewis, 
Kerb}', Eliza S., 
McHenry, Daniel, 
McHammer, Wm., 
McClaugh, Harrison, 
Martin, John — 2. 
.Noble, Wm., 
Potter, David, 
P3'le, Edward, 



Byne, Miss Mary— 
Beem, Richard. 
Becker, Abraham, 
Coon, Rev. S. M., 
Coy, Wm. S., 
Cook, Elizabeth, 
Dixon, D. B., 
Ewell, Dr. J. B., 
Frost, Harvy, 
Flanagan, Wm. P., 
Gibson, Jas., 
Kremer, Thos., 
McDonald, Alex., 
Maxwell, t^dward, 
McClour, B. F., 
Mungett, Wilson, 
-Nevins, Isaac, 
Neely, Miss Cath., 
Patch, Geo.— 2. 
Palmer, Spolswood. 




iiikfiniiiMiii1 



STATE SAYINGS BANK. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



427 



Robertson, Elijah, 
Swaitz, J. T., 
Teel, Dr. B. F— 6, 
Thompson, John A.,^ 
Thomas, H., 
Vanwickle, Everett, 
Winkler, David, 
Walker, A. J., 
Wright, Isaac R., 
McBeath, Mr. R., 
Beaty, Fulton — 2. 
Baker, Joseph G., 
Chandler, Rev. Thos., 
Coltor, Wm., 
Coton, Wm., 
Dixon & Wilson, 
Deppen & Gay, Messrs., 
Falkner, Miss S. E., 
Green & Co., 
Hays, W. L., 
Johnston, James, 
Locvecy, M. S., 
Myers, Henry, 
McDonal, Thos., 
McChristen, Patrick, 
Pell, Calvin, 
Porter, W. M. 
Richards, Chas., 
Watts. W. B. 



Shults, Peter J., 
Simpson, Isaac A., 
Taylor, Miss Ann, 
Thompson, D. V. 
Vares, Henry M., 
White, James, 
West, Mrs. Frances, 
Wells, Thos. — 2, 
Brooks, D. G., 
Belcher, Geo. A., 
Baker, Benj., 
Cunningham, Joseph, 
Clink, Joshua, 
Carter, Wm. F., 
Doulton, Jonathan S. 
Dunn, Wm. M., 
Francey, Samuel, 
Furgerson, J as., 
Hughes, Geo. W., 
Jasper, Capt. A., 
King, Sarah, 
Lane, Jas. A., 
McCrary, Pinley, 
Martin, Abraham, 
Norton, Edley, 
Price, Jas, 
Preston, A. S., 
Smith. F. W., 



DEATH OF GENERAL JACKSON. 

Upon the receipt of the intelligence of the death of the old hero of 
the battle of New Orleans, fought on the 8th of January, 181 5, the citi- 
zens of St. Joseph repaired to a grove, one mile north of the town, on 
Saturday, the 19th of July, 1845, ^rici listened to a eulogy upon the life 
and services of General Jackson, delivered by Hon. W^illard P. Hall, who 
then resided at Sparta. The Gazette, speaking of that occasion, says : 
" We will not do Mr. Hall the injustice to attempt a sketch of his speech. 
We would only say, the matter of the address was entirely appropriate ; 
his style was concise and perspicuous, sometimes ornamented by beauti- 
ful figures, and the composition lost nothing by the manner of delivery, 
for Mr. Hall is an agreeable speaker. The only objection we have 
heard made to the address is, that it was too short." 



HEALTH OF THE TOWN IN 1 845. 

During the summer and fall of 1845, the old citizens will remember 
that sickness prevailed over the Western States to an unparalleled 
extent. In almost every section of Missouri, disease prostrated a great 



428 MKTO'RY OF ST; JOSEPH. 

Tnany people, and even in Buchanan County they were not entirely free 
from its ravages. In St. Joseph, however, there was but little, if any» 
sickness during that year. The Gazette, speaking upon the subject, in 
October of 1845, says : 

" Had there been any doubts about the healthfulness of our town* 
its history the past year is sufficient to set that doubt to rest, for whilst 
people on the prairies, in the \voodland, in the bottom, on the bluffs, and 
in the new and old portions of the state have very generally been made 
•acquainted with the icy touch of the ' chill ' and the burning grasp of the 
" fever,' the people of St. Joseph have been remarkably healthy all the 
"time." 

In the same connection that paper says of the weather : 

"The weather is now fine — Indian Summer with all its serenity and 
sweetness. On these lovely fall days 'tis a luxury to withdraw from 
the busy strife and hum of business, and seek the quiet solitude of 
tthe country, where nature inspires the mind with contemplations that 
refine and elevate. The faded and falling leaves, the drooping and 
frost-bitten grass, the leafless trees, forcibly remind man that his season 
•of decay will soon come, and bids him, in feeling, imitate the calmness 
and sweetness which seem to pervade all space, and consecrate every 
'Object," 

On the 3d of November, 1845, the "St. Joseph Thespian Society" 
-made its first appearance, in the comedy entitled '' The Prisoner at 
Targe." 

On the 5th of December, 1845, the "St. Joseph Ljxeum " held its 
first meeting in the Presbyterian Church. The question discussed was : 
■" Do the lights of nature teach the immortality of the soul T Dispu- 
tants — Affirmative, Dr. S. D. Overstreet, George Brubaker. Negative, 
L'. Archer, J. H. Young. 

At the next meeting of this society, B. Y . Loan became a member, 
and, among others, discussed the question, " Are the inferior animals 
immortal T 

A small paper was published in Sparta called the Rooster, about 
January, 1846. 

March 6, 1846, appeared the advertisement of the St. Joseph Sem- 
inary for Young Ladies, S. Landis, Principal. 

As the ladies may be interested to know when the first sewing 
•society was organized in St. Joseph, we here quote from the Gazette of 
April 3d, 1846: 

"We take pleasure in calling the attention of our townsmen to the 
St. Joseph Sewing Society, which has lately been established in our 
midst. The object of the association is extremely laudable, viz.. the 
gaining of funds to erect and finish the Methodist Church. We recom- 
.mend those of our young men and others who may wish clothes of any 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 429 

description, to patronize the ladies of the St. Joseph Sewing Society, for 
in doing this, the double consolation is found of wearing garments well 
done up by the fairest fingers, and knowing that the proceeds are well 
appropriated." 

The first circus that visited St. Joseph was Howes & Mabie, in May, 
1846. 

The first daguerrean artist was A. C. Partridge, who came in July, 
1846. 

About this date, there were in St. Joseph and vicinity quite a num- 
ber of Mormons, whose presence here was not desired by a few of the citi- 
zens, as the following will show : 

NOTICE. 

The Mormons now in St. Joseph may do well to leave as earl}- as 
possible, as there is considerable excitement now existing against them, 
and to save trouble I advise them to seek some other home. 

SAMUEL C. HALL. 

Among the advertisements which we find in the Gazette of 1846, is 
one entitled " Big Saddle Poetry." Being a novel, as well as an ingen- 
ious, production, we here insert it : 

"BIG SADDLE POETRY." 

If a good saddle you would find, 
One that's just suited to your mind, 
You need not to St. Louis go, 
For you can get one in St. Joe. 
If in that town you chance to be, 
Call in at Landis' factory. 

You'll know it if you chance to spy ' 

That great big saddle hanging high ; 
The very same on which was found 
The Sparta Rooster, snugly bound ; 
Which, though it happened long ago, 
Can still give forth as shrill a crow 
As when, on that eventful night, 
He challenged Landis to a fight. 
If this direction's not enO'Ugh, 
From Somerville's go six doors south; 
And when you're there if you can't see it, 
Just cross the street to Todd's for physic ; 
If then your sight should not be good, 
Go three doors north of Dr. Wood ; 
And when you're there just take a hint, 
And walk straight up to Dr. Flint. 
Should you to Sparta chance to go, 
On your return stop at St. Joe ; 
For Landis is the man, they say, 
To furnish saddles night and day. 
37 



430 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

CENSUS OF ST. JOSEPH. 

On the 1 8th and 19th of December, 1846, the census of St. Joseph 
was taken with the following result : 

Males under 10 years of age 142 

" between 10 and 21 81 

" " 21 and 45 257 

" over 45 years 30 

Females under 10 years of age 124 

" between 10 and 21 85 

" over 20 years 175 

Male slaves 27 

Female slaves 43 

Free negroes — i male and i female 2 

Total 967 

We note the following : 

PREACHING. 

The Rev. Joshua Wilson will preach in St. Joseph this evening, 
(January 28, 1847,) at early candle lighting, in the house now occupied 
by the Methodists as a church. 

April 16, 1847, the Gazette, speaking of St. Joseph, says : 

" This town, as exhibited at present, seems to answer the expecta- 
tions of those who have been the most hopeful of its advancement and 
prosperity. Many persons long doubted whether St. Joseph would, like 
the " thousand and one " towns that spring up along navigable streams, 
flourish for a while and then dwindle into insignificance, or would take 
and maintain a permanent stand as a place for the transaction of busi- 
ness and ultimately fill the dimensions of a large town. 

" The observation of the place now will effectually drive away all 
such doubts and establish the fact that we will at no distant day exist in 
the midst of a populous and important city. 

"Several additional mercantile houses have been established here, 
many of the older firms have enlarged their business very much, and it 
is generally conceded that all of them are selling and will sell a vast 
amount of goods. The mechanics of every description have an abun- 
dance of work to do, for improvements are being made in every section 
of the town. More buildings are in process of being erected at this time 
than during any preceding season, and those buildings are generally of 
a better quality. Many of the farmers from a distance are now seen 
dealing with our merchants, who formerly carried their produce to other 
towns on the river, and bought their goods there. Take it all in all, we 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSErH. 431 

have never known St. Joseph to present such an animated and business- 
like appearance as is now exhibited, nor have the indications ever been 
so decidedly in favor of its permanent prosperity. 

"Heretofore many difficulties have intervened to retard the progress 
of improvement here, some of which have been entirely overcome, and 
others only in part. We have had to contend with the jealous influences 
of other places, which knew that St. Joseph would soon become their 
successful rival. The character of this place has not been fully estab- 
lished abroad as the most elegible starting point for Oregon and Califor- 
nia, notwithstanding all or very nearly all who have actual knowledge 
of the matter give the preference to St. Joseph. The great emigration 
to California, Oregon and Texas, tended to keep back this county and 
town in point of population and improvement, and the almost boundless 
extent of the lands in those countries which may generally be acquired by 
bare settlement, has conduced to diminish the price of real estate here. 
Furthermore, hemp, grain and pork, the staple products of this country, 
have until recently commanded a very low price, and the navigation of 
our river has been unusually difficult, on account of low water and snags. 

"What progress this place and the surrounding country have made 
has been effected in spite of all these difficulties, but when these obstruc- 
tions shall have disappeared, as all of them must do at some early period, 
the older settler here who has witnessed the town of his choice in all its 
stages, will feel his bosom swell with emotions of pride and exultation at 
the observation of her prosperity and beauty. 

"Again, the spirit of internal improvement is abroad, our people 
are determined not only to improve the transporting facilities now had. 
but to add others, which will place us on terms more nearly equal with 
other parts of the world. Then all the advantages we have in soil and 
climate will become available ; then a new impetus will have been given 
to the industrious farmer; then the call upon the merchant for the nec- 
essaries and comforts of life will have been vastly increased ; then health 
and prosperity will everywhere greet the eye of the beholder ; then ours 
shall be a town and county in which the wealthy, industrious and edu- 
cated of the other and older states will love to settle, and the situation 
of our town and the surrounding scenery, which are now surpassingly 
lovely, will be enhanced by the touch of art, and the citizen or visitor 
of cultivated or refined taste will love to contemplate their beauty." 

The above article was written in the spring of 1847, and is doubtless 
a faithful and correct representation of St. Joseph and her business pros- 
pects at that time. Four years had elapsed from the laying out of the 
town, and the inferences drawn from the editorial are that notwithstand- 
ing many difficulties had theretofore intervened, such as the jealousies 
of rival towns, imperfect navigation facilities, and other hindrances, the 
town had continued to prosper. 



432 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

At that date, several additional mercantile houses had just been 
established here, and many of the older firms had enlarged their busi- 
ness, and it was conceded that the}- were selling a \ast amount of goods- 
Another evidence (always unerring), of the substantial prosperity of the 
town, was that the mechanics and laborers of all classes were then busy. 
Improvements were being made not onl)- in one locality, or upon one 
street, but " in every section of the town." Not only a greater number 
of buildings were in process of erection, but they were generally of a 
better character. 

Had the editor been a little more specific, and gone a little more 
into detail, and given the names of the parties making these improve- 
ments, and located these buildings, it would have been more satisfac- 
tory to the reader of to-day. 

WESTERN MAH.S. 

Thirty-five years ago, in this western country, mails were very irreg- 
ular, sometimes several weeks intervening between times. Like all 
other extreme western towns, St. Joseph Avas frequently inconvenienced 
by the non-arrival at the proper time of the mail. In reference to the 
mail, the Gazette of April, 1847, sa)s : 

"We have not received a mail here for three weeks, nor do we 
know when we shall get one. Why does not the Postmaster at St. 
Louis make some arrangement to forward the mails by the river to this 
place as well as Glasgow ? Is it because we are too high up, or does the 
Postmaster General think that we can do without the mails ? If it be 
true that authority has been given to the Postmaster at St. Louis to 
make contracts for carrying the mails to Glasgow, why does he not 
make a contract with the boats that are coming direct to this place ? 
We could then have a mail once a week. The inconveniences that are 
felt and the loss that is sustained by the people from the outrages and 
intolerable irregularity now experienced, we hope will soon be rem- 
edied." 

We note the following items: 

PUBLIC MEETING. 

A public meeting of the citizens of St. Joseph and vicinity will be 
held at the office of B. F. Loan, on Tuesday next, at 2 o'clock, P. M., to 
take into consideration the propriety of authorizing the corporation of 
St. Joseph to borrow money for the improvement of Blacksnake Creek, 
and such other matters as ma}- come before the meeting. A general 
attendance is requested, particularl}- of the propert}- holders in the 
town. 

MANY CITIZENS. 

June 24, 1847. 



434 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEI'H. 

COMMODORE STOCKTON. 

October 27, 1847, St. Joseph had a distinguished guest in the per- 
son of Commodore Stockton, of the United States Navy. At a public 
meeting of the citizens of the town, a committee was appointed to 
arrange for his reception, who forwarded to him the following letter : 

St. Joseph, Mo., October 26, 1847. 
Com. Stockton : 

Si}-: — The undersigned have been directed to forward you the fol- 
lowing resolutions, adopted unanimously at a public meeting held in this 
place on the 25th inst., the object of which was to formally receive and 
tender to you the hospitalities of the town, and also invite you to par- 
ticipate with the citizens in a public dinner. In the performance of this 
duty, it affords us pleasure to be made the medium through which to 
convey the warm manifestations of regard, as well as the high esteem 
entertained for you as an eminent and brave officer, whose life has been 
spent in aiding to elevate the naval force of our country to that proud 
station it now occupies in the eyes of the civilized world, as also for the 
efforts of that genius that has so materialh' contributed to render it 
effective. 

We are, most respectfull)-, your obedient servants, 

J. M. BASSKTT, 

WM. RIDENBAUGH. 

JOHN CORBV, 

LEWIS TRACY. " Committee. 

SILAS Mcdonald, i 

JOSEPH ROBIDOUX. | 
J. LAWRENCE PAGE. I 

In answer to the foregoing, Commodore Stockton forwarded by 
Lieutenant Thompson, the following reply : 

St. Joseph, Mo., October 27, 1847. 
To J. M. Bassett, John Corby, Le\\is Trac)', Silas McDonald, Wm. 
Ridenbaugh, Joseph Robidoux and J. Lawrence Page. 

Gcntlemoi : — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of }'our 
communication of }'esterday, enclosing to me a copy of the resolutions 
passed at a public meeting, held at St. Joseph, and to express to you my 
thanks for the kind manner in which \ou have seen fit to communicate 
them. 

My stay at St. Joseph will probably be too short to permit me to 
accept the invitation to a public dinner, but I will do myself the honor to 
meet the citizens of St. Jose{)h at an}- hour to-day which thc)- may ap- 
point. 

h'aithfulU', \'our obedient ser\-ant, 

R. F. STOCKTON. 

On the afternoon of the same da\', Commodore Stockton, accom- 
panied by Major Gillespie, of the United States Marines, Lieutenant 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 435 

Wm. H. Thompson, of the United States Navy, and J. C. Norris, the 
Commodore's private Secretary, arrived at the landing, where a large 
crowd of people had assembled to greet them. From the river, he and 
his brave officers were accompanied by the committee and citizens, in 
procession, to the Mansion House, on the balcony of which a great num- 
ber of ladies had assembled. 

Dr. J. Lawrence Page, then, on behalf of the citizens, addressed 
Commodore Stockton in a brief and appropriate manner. The Commo- 
dore replied in a well digested and able address. He spoke of the in- 
juries he had received in Mexico and characterized the war with that 
nation as just, and said that he would be glad to see the Star Spangled 
Banner float in triumph over every foot of Mexican soil. 

After spending the afternoon in a pleasant manner, and taking by 
the hand the citizens of St. Joseph generally, the gallant old hero took 
his departure for St. Louis. 

TEMPERANCE DISCUSSION. 

November 19, 1847. 

The following question " Are temperance associations on the total 
abstinence principle beneficial to the community.'" will be discussed at 
the court house next Thursday evening, at early candle light, by the 
following disputants : 

Affirmative — Henry M. Vories, Wm. Bunting. 

Negative — Dr. January, Jas. B. Gardenhire. 

The citizens are very respectfully invited to attend. 

Our town is now entirely clear of the small pox, the person afflicted 
having recovered and gone. As there is no danger now, we hope that 
persons who have been trading in our town will continue to do so, and 
not listen to the idle trash of a few interested persons who would glory 
in the downfall of St. Joseph. 

There were 1,861 votes cast for Governor in Buchanan County in 
1848. At the November election of that year, General Cass received 
357 majority in the county over General Taylor. 

THOMAS H. BENTON. 

On the 9th day of August. 1849, Colonel Thomas H. Benton 
addressed the people of St. Joseph upon the history of the Platte Pur- 
chase, the Missouri Resolutions and the great Pacific Railroad. It was a 
memorable day in the history of Buchanan County. At an early hour, 
the streets of St. Joseph were thronged with her own citizens and the 
people from the county and other neighboring counties, who nad come 
to hear the great man speak. The place of meeting had been adv^er- 
tised to be the Presbyterian Church, but owing to the immense con- 



436 HISTORY OF ST. JOSErH. 

course of citizens, not more than one-fourth of whom the church could 
accommodate, the meeting was held in a grove near the town. At the 
hour of two o'clock, P. M., Colonel Benton took the stand, where the 
crowd had already gathered, eager to hear the great expounder of Dem- 
ocratic principles. For three hours he was listened to by the vast assem- 
blage with the closest attention. 

Every one present seemed to be on the tiptoe to hear and catch 
every word that fell from his lips. Although his auditors had to stand 
on their feet, jammed together, and the greater portion of them under 
the rays of a hot sun, shining directly upon their heads, yet there was 
no confusion, no changing of places, no talking and nothing to mar the 
feelings of the speaker, or to interrupt him in his masterly defense of the 
Constitution of the United States. 

GENERAL DAVID R. ATCHISON. 

On Monday, the 24th day of September following, General David R. 
Atchison addressed the people of St. Joseph on the subjects involved in 
Colonel Benton's speech of August 9th. He was treated with the utmost 
courtesy by the citizens, a large number of whom were present. Gen- 
eral Atchison was an anti-Benton man, and severely criticized the Col- 
onel's political career, and especially many of his votes upon important 
questions in the United States Senate, denouncing them as "Abolition 
votes." 

On the following day. General J. B. Gardenhire replied to General 
Atchison, and in an able and eloquent manner defended Colonel Ben- 
ton's course. 

PROSPERITY. 

From the last day of March, 1849, to the last day of September the 
same year, there were erected in the town : 

Buildings of all kinds 123 

Brick houses 51 

Frame " , 47 

Log " : 25 

Brick stores 3 

Frame stores 2 

Steam saw mills 2 

Brick brewery i 

Brick warehouses 6 

Frame " i 

Frame shops 4 

Frame offices 2 

Brick " 3, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 437 

Frame stables 9 

Log " I 

Additions to houses 1 1 

Rope walks 2 

From September to December the same year, there were erected 
twenty more buildings, which certainly speaks well for the growth of 
St. Joseph during the year 1849. 

CHARLES ROBIDOUX. 

On the night of the 8th of September, 1850, occurred the death of 
Charles Robidoux, the youngest son of Joseph Robidoux, the founder of 
St. Joseph. The circumstances connected with his death are as follows : 

On the night above mentioned, about eleven o'clock, young Robi- 
doux, in company with other young men of the town, were on the street, 
engaged in some harmless sport. They were rapping at the doors of 
the business houses, to awaken the clerks and others sleeping therein. 
They rapped on the door of D. & T. D. S. MacDonald, and, after leaving 
it, they went to a post set in the ground, at the edge of the pave- 
ment opposite the building, and commenced pulling it up. Young 
Robidoux pulled the post up, and, placing it on his shoulder, he started 
towards the opposite side of the street, and when he had gone about 
one-third of the distance, a gun was fired from the window of the second 
story of MacDonald's store. The load, which consisted of shot of large 
size, took effect in the back part of his head, tearing it almost to atoms. 
He expired in a few minutes. 

Duncan MacDonald confessed that he had shot the gun, but with no 
intention of injuring any person, as he knew no person then on the 
street. 

Charles Robidoux was in the twentieth year of his age, was much 
respected, and his death was a source of great regret to his friends and 
numerous acquaintances. 

CITY ELECTION — 1 85 I. 

Below we append the vote of St. Joseph in the spring election of 
1851. 

FIRST WARD. 

Mayor — Thomas Mills 93 

Marshal— F. M. Wright 51 

E. W. Freeman ^7 

Wiley Williams 9 

Councilmen — J. B. Pendleton 87 

John Angel 68 

J. M. Searcy 37 



43^ 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



SECOND WARD. 

Mayor— Thomas Mills 132 

Marshal— F. M. Wright. .....■..•.•.■...... 100 

E. W. Freeman 26 

Councilmen — W." M. Carter 97 

Israel Landis 81 

John Kerr 45 

Lewis Tracy 34 

D. G. Keedy 15 

THIKD WARD 

Mayor— Thoma.s Mills 88 

Marshal— F. M. Wright 65 

E. W. Freeman 21 

Wiley Williams 14 

Councilmen — J. H." Whitehead .86 

J. A. Anthony 69 

G. W. Lincoln 28 




THE FIRST SETTLER. 




ST. JOSEPH CITY HAI.l. AXI- MARKKT IIorsK, l88[. 



CHAPTER V. 

CITY OFFICERS— 1845 TO 188 1. 

1845. 

Joseph Robidoux President 

Isadora Barada Trustee 

John F. Carter Trustee 

Johnson Copeland Trustee 

Wiley M. English Trustee 

St. Clark K. Miller Trustee 

Benjamin C. Powell Trustee 

B. F. Loan Clerk 

Howell Thomas Constable and Collector 

Robert I. Boyd Treasurer 

Charles White Assessor 

F. W. Smith ' Surveyor 

1846. 

Wiley M. English President 

Preston T. Moss Trustee 

Johnson Copeland Trustee 

Allen G. Mansfield , Trustee 

Posy N. Smith Trustee 

Henry S. Creal Trustee 

Joseph Robidoux Trustee 

Levi T. Carr Clerk 

Henry S. Smith Constable and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

George W. Waller Assessor 

Simeon Kemper Surveyor 

William King Street Commissioner 

r847. 

Henry S. Creal President 

Wiley M. English .Trustee 

Johnson Copeland Trustee 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 441 

Preston T. Moss Trustee 

Edward Searcy Trustee 

William H. High ..Trustee 

Aaron Lewis Trustee 

James B. Gardenhire Clerk 

John W. Glasgow Constable and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Milton H. Wash Assessor 

Simeon Kemper Surveyor 

David J. Heaton Street Commissioner 

1848. 

Lewis Tracy President 

Joseph Smith ■ Trustee 

William Ridenbaugh Trustee 

Preston T. Moss Trustee 

Samuel D. Overstreet Trustee 

Thomas Wildbahn Trustee 

James A. Anthony Trustee 

Willian P. Loan Clerk 

p:dward Searcy Constable and Collector 

Robert I. Boyd Treasurer 

Simeon Kemper Assessor 

Simeon Kemper Surveyor 

William King Street Commissioner 

1849- 

James A. Anthony President 

John Whitehead Trustee 

Henry S. Creal Trustee 

Thomas Price Trustee 

Wiley M. English Trustee 

Thomas Wildbahn Trustee 

Lewis Tracy Trustee 

A. D. Madeira Clerk 

V. Tuller : Constable and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

H. S. Smith Assessor 

Simeon Kemper Surveyor 

V. Tuller ' Street Commissioner 

D. G. Keedy Health Officer 

1850. 

James A, Anthony President 

Lewis Tracy Trustee 



442 IIISTORV OF ST. JOSEPH. 

John Rhode Trustee 

William M. Carter Trustee 

James B. Pendleton • Trustee 

Abraham M. Dillon Trustee 

Lewis Stigers Trustee 

Joseph J. Wyatt t Clerk 

V. Tuller Constable and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

James O'Donoghue Assessor 

Simeon Kemper Surveyor 

William Langston Street Commissioner 

J. H. Crane Health Officer 

TS51. 

Thomas Mills Mayor 

John Angel Councilman First Ward 

James B. Pendleton " " " 

William M. Carter Councilman Second Ward 

Israel Landis " " " 

James A. Anthony Councilman Third Ward 

John H. Whitehead 

Milton H. Wash City Register 

Alexander W. Terrel City Attorney 

F. M. Wright Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Isadore Ponlin Assessor 

Charles Schreiber City Engineer 

Johnson Copeland Street Commissioner 

J. H. Crane Health Officer 

V. Tuller Market Master 

R. L. McGee Wharf Master 

1852. 

Robert B. Lambdin Mayor 

John Angel Councilman First Ward 

James B. Pendleton " " " 

Joel J. Penick Councilman Second Ward 

W. M.Carter 

John H. Whitehead Councilman Third Ward 

B. F. Loan 

Milton H. Wash City Register 

John Scott City Attorney 

Allen McNew Marshal and Collector 

John Curd • Treasurer 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 443 

F. M. Wright Assessor 

Charles Schreiber City Engineer 

James Connell Street Commissioner 

James Sykes Health Officer 

V. Tuller Market Master 

Georee Merlatt Wharf Master 



185 



J«ames A. Anthony Mayor 

H. D. LoLithen Councilman First Ward 

B. O'Driscoll 

W. M. Carter Councilman Second Ward 

Joel J. Penick " " " 

John H. Whitehead Councilman Third Ward 

Thomas Wildbahn " " " 

Milton H. Wash City Register 

John Scott City Attorney 

Allen McNew Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

James A. Owen Assessor 

Charles Schreiber City Engineer 

James Connell Street Commissioner 

James Sykes Health Officer 

V. Tuller Market Master 

George Merlatt Wharf Master 

1854. 

Robert Boyle Mayor 

John C. Cargill Councilman First Ward 

Emery Livermore " " " 

R. W. Donnell Councilman Second Ward 

Joseph C. Hull 

Thomas Wildbahn Councilman Third Ward 

Robert L. McGee 

Milton H. Wash City Register 

John Scott City Attorney 

George Merlatt Marshall and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Felix Robidoux Assessor 

Mereweather Thompson City Engineer 

Jesse B. Lowe Street Commissioner 

James Sykes Health Officer 

James O'Keefe ....'. Wharf Master 



444 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

i855- 

J. M. Bassett Mayor 

H. D. Louthen Councilman First Ward 

James B. Pendleton " " " 

Joseph C. Hull Councilman Second Ward 

Preston T. Moss " " " 

Armstrong Beattie Councilman Third Ward 

John O. Fisher 

Milton H. Wash City Register 

John Scott City Attorney 

A. A. Dougherty City Recorder 

George Merlatt Marshal and Collector 

John Curd • Treasurer 

William C. Toole Assessor 

Mereweather Thompson City Engineer 

A. L. Creal Street Commissioner 

John A. Chambers Health Officer 

George Merlatt Wharf Master 

John Fox Market Master 

1856. 

John Corby Mayor 

John Angel Councilman First Ward 

James B. Pendleton " " " 

O. B. Knode Councilman Second Ward 

Preston T. Moss 

Armstrong Beattie Councilman Third Ward 

John O. Fisher 

W. C. Toole City Regist&r 

Alexander Davis City Attorney 

George Merlatt City Recorder 

John Curd Treasurer 

John A. Dolman Assessor 

Simeon Kemper City Engineer 

Robert Dixon Street Commissioner 

J. H. Crane Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

John Fox Wharf Master 

1857- 

A. Beattie Mayor 

F. W. Smith Councilman First Ward 

N. J. McAshan 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 445 

O. B. Knode Councilman Second Ward 

Charles Kearney 

John J. Johnson Councihuan Third Ward 

Samuel t loyd 

William C. Toole City Register 

Thomas Thoroughman City Attorney 

Felix Robidoux City Recorder 

Shad R. Wa^T-es Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

James A. Owens Assessor 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

A. L. Creal Street Commissioner 

C. F. Knight Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

John Fox ■• Wharf Master 

1858. 

A. Beattie Mayor 

N. J. McAshan Councilman First Ward 

John Rhodes 

O. B. Knode Councilman Second Ward 

J. A. Chambers 

John J. Johnson Councilman Third Ward 

Samuel G. Floyd 

William C. Toole City Register 

Thomas Thoroughman City Attorney 

Felix Robidoux City Recorder 

Shad R. Wao-es Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

James A. Owens Assessor 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

A. L. Creal Street Commissioner 

J. G. Meacher Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

John Fox Wharf Master 

1859- 

M. Jeff Thompson Mayor 

Michael McGee Councilman First Ward 

William Lenox 

Thomas Keys Councilman Second Ward 

Wm. J. Taylor 

James Highly Councilman Third Ward 

Samuel G. Floyd 



38 



446 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

William C. Toole City Register 

W. R. Likens City Attorney 

John A. Dolman City Recorder 

Shad R. Wages Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Charles Thompson Assessor 

P. K. O'Donnell City Engineer 

Thomas Byrne Street Commissioner 

J. G. Meacher Health Officer 

James B. Alder Market Master 

Robert Boyle Wharf Master 

i860. 

A. Beattie Mayor 

W. R. Penick . Councilman First Ward 

John Rhode " 

D. J. Heaton Councilman Second Ward 

R. F. Maxwell 

}. J. Johnson Councilman Third Ward 

R L. McLaughlin 

W. C. Toole City Register 

Joseph P. Grubb City Attorney 

John A. Dolman City Recorder 

Allen McNew Collector and Marshal 

John Curd Treasurer 

Preston T. Moss Assessor 

P. K. O'Donnell City Engineer 

Charles Lehman Street Commissioner 

C. F. Knight Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

Joshua Blangy Wharf Master 

John Cowie Weigh Master 

1861. 

F. W. Smith Mayor 

Michael McGee Councilman Plrst Ward 

T J* TT ...... 

Louis Hax 

A. G. Clark Councilman Second Ward 

John Saunders, Sr " " " 

James A. Storm Councilman Third Ward 

Samuel H. Boyd " " " 

William C. Toole City Register 

Isaac C. Parker City Attorney 

John A. Dolman City Recorder 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 447 

Allen McNew Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Joseph McAleer Assessor 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

John Sheehan Street Commissioner 

Hugh Trevor Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

John Fox Wharf Master 

John Cowie , Weigh Master 

1862. 

Thomas Harbine Mayor 

James Tracy Councilman First Ward 

Klias Eppstein " " " 

George T. Hoagland Councilman Second Ward 

William Fowler " " " 

Joseph C. Hull Councilman Third Ward 

John Colhoun " " " 

W. C. Toole City Register 

R. J. S. Wise Marshal and Collector 

John Curd Treasurer 

Cyrus E. Kemp Assessor 

V. K. O'Donnell City Engineer 

J. B. Harder Street Commissioner 

W. I. Heddens Health Officer 

John Fox Market Master 

John Fox Wharf Master 

Gotleib Volmer Weigh Master 

1863. 

Thomas Harbine Mayor 

J. D. McNeely Councilman First Ward 

G. W. H. Landon 

Antoine Kloss Councilman Second Ward 

R. Fisher " " " 

Joseph Steinacker Councilman Third Ward 

Henry Boder '* " " 

W. C. Toole City Register 

Isaac C. Parker City Attorney 

M. L. Harrington City Recorder 

R. J. S. Wise Collector and Marshal 

(jcorge Lyon Treasurer 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

J. H. Harder Street Commissioner 



448 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

John Fox Market Master 

K. H. Saville Assessor 

Gotleib Volmer Weigh Master 

1864. 

W. R. Penick (elected for two years) Mayor 

T. H. Ritchie Councihiian First Ward 

W. Z. Ransom " " " 

Jiohn R. Bell ,. Councihnan Second Ward 

W. L. Chadwick 

John Corby Councilman Third Ward 

Geo. T. Hoagland " 

J. D. McNeely Councilman Fourth Ward 

A. Andriano 

H. N. Turner Councilman Fifth Ward 

Jeremiah Whalen " " " 

John A. Dolman City Register 

James Hunter City Attorney 

W. C. Toole City Recorder 

E. H. Saville Collector and Marshal 

George Lyon Treasurer 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

J. B. Harder Street Commissioner 

John Angel Assessor 

James F. Bruner Health Officer 

David Bender Wharf Master 

Gotleib Volmer , Weigh Master 

1865. 

W. R. Penick Ma>-or 

W. Z. Ransom Councilman First Ward 

W. M. Albin 

W. L. Chadwick Councilman Second Ward 

John Colhoun 

John Corb}- Councilman Third Ward 

Geo. T. Hoagland 

J. D. McNeely Councilman Fourth Ward 

A. Andriano 

H. N. Turner Councilman l^'ifth Ward 

Isaac Wilkins 

John A. Dolman Cit\- Register 

J. B. Hawlcy City Recorder 

E. H. Saville Collector and Marshal 

[ames Hunter ^ City Attorney 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 449 

George Lyon , Treasurer 

J. B. Harder • Assessor 

Charles Housding City Engineer 

Wm, B. Gilmore Street Commissioner 

J. F. Bruner ... Health Officer 

David Bender Wharf Master 

Gotleib Volmer .*. Market Master 

1866. 

A. Beattie Mayor 

W. Z. Ransom Councilman First Ward 

W. M. Albin 

W. L. Chadwick Councilman Second Ward 

Ed. R. Brandow 

Geo. T. Hoagland Councilman Third Ward 

Samuel Hays 

A. Andriano Councilman Fourth Ward 

Bernard Patton 

Jeremiah Whalen Councilman Fifth Ward 

Isaac Wilkins 

Thomas H. Ritchie City Register 

Jeff. Chandler City Attorney 

J. B. Hawley City Recorder 

Enos Craig Marshal 

Thomas Henry Collector 

Samuel S. McGibbons Treasurer 

James A. Matney Assessor 

John Severance City Engineer 

J. L. Bowne Street Commissioner 

F. T. Davis Health Officer 

George W. Britton : . Market Master 

John Fox Weigh Master 

D. L. Walsvvorth Wood Inspector 

Dennis Burns Calaboose Keeper 

E. J. Knapp Inspector Weights and Measures 

Dennis Burns • Weigh Master Second Ward 

1867. 

Francis J. Davis Mayor 

Thomas Henry Collector 

Samuel S. McGibbons Treasurer 

John E. McGinty Assessor 

John Severance City Engineer 



450 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

John Quiglc}- , Assistant Cit)- Kngineer 

Joseph A. Corby " " 

John Sheehan Street Commissioner 

R. C? Bradshaw Cit\- Register 

William \V. Brown Clerk- 
George W. Britton Market Master 

R. J. Knapp Wharf Master 

John Fox Weigh Master F'ourth Ward 

John Sheehan " Second 

M. A. Ashbrook " Fred'k Av. 

E. J. Knapp Wood Inspector Third Ward 

John Sheehan " Second " 

Edward Mulr}- Inspector Weights and Measures 

John Sheehan Calaboose Keeper 

John A. Dolman President of Council 

R. C. Bradshaw Clerk 

W. Z. Ransom Councilman First Ward 

Philip Finger " '' 

J. H. Dayton Councilman Second Ward 

Robert Gunn 

John Corby Councilman Third Ward 

John A. Dolman 

J. D. McNeely Councilman Fourth Ward 

D. H. Winton 

P. H. Earh' Councilman Fifth Ward 

M. Fitzgerald 

Philip Pinger, D, H. Winton and M. Fitzgerald, Standing Commit- 
tee on Public Works. 

1868. 

G. H. Hall Mayor 

F. Kiley Councilman First \\'ard 

W. Z. Ransom 

I. V. Riley Councilman Second Ward 

O. M. Smith 

John A. Dolman ^ Councilman Third W^ard 

Thomas ¥.. Tootle 

D. H. Winton ■ . . . . Councilman I'^ourth Ward 

M. McGee 

P. H. Early Councilman Fifth Ward 

M. Fitzgerald 

R. C. Bradshaw Cit)- Register 

Thomas Henry Collector 

W. UDonoghue Assessor 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 45 [ 

John Bloomer Street Commissioner 

Dr. A. V. Banes Health Officer 

I. N. Thompson Market Maste 

1869. 

Georo-e H. Hall Mayor 

F. Kiley Councilman First Ward 

J. C. Kessler " " 

Robert Gunn Councilman Second Ward 

I.V.Riley , 

J. A. Dolman Councilman Third Ward 

A. C. V. McNeal 

D. H. Winton Councilman Fourth Ward 

Philip Finger 

P. H. Early Councilman Fifth Ward 

M. Fitzgerald " ' " 

W. H. Collins Treasurer 

R. C. Bradshaw City Register 

James A. Matney Assessor 

Thomas Henry City Collector 

Allen McNew City Marshal 

John Severance City Engineer 

G. B. Skinner Street Commissioner 

I. N. Thompson Market Master 

A. V Banes Health Officer 

Charles M. Thompson City Recorder 

1870. 

John Severance Mayor 

J . C . Kessler Councilman First Ward 

Seymour Jenkins " " " 

Robt. Gunn Councilman Second Ward 

George Buell " " 

A. C. V. McNeal Councilman Third Ward 

C. W. Davenport " " " 

P. Finger Councilman Fourth Ward 

Geo. R. Hildebrant " " 

M. Fitzgerald Councilman Fifth Ward 

Henry Blum " " " 

L G. Knapper Treasurer 

H. R. W. Hartwig City Collector 

W. W. Brown Cit>- Register 

W. Drumhiller Citv Recorder 



452 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

J. Chandler .• ■ ■ • City Attorney 

L. Stroud City Marshal 

E. H. Saville Assessor 

A. A. Robinson City Engineer 

W Prick Street Commissioner 

W. B. Lewis Market Master 

J. D. Smith Health Officer 

1871. 

John Severance Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 

Joseph Diedrich 

George Buell Councilman Second Ward 

Fred Westpheling " " " 

C. W. Davenport Councilman Third Ward 

E. Toole " 

Geo. R. Hildebrant Councilman Fourth Ward 

Jno. Burnside " " " 

Henry Blum Councilman Fifth Ward 

Jas Bowen " " " 

W. W. Brown City Register 

Wm. Drumhiller Recorder 

Jeff Chandler • City Attorney 

H. R. W. Hartwig Collecto.r 

I. G. Kappner Treasurer 

J. B. Hawley Assesso-r 

Louis Stroud Marshal 

John Ouigle\- City Engineer 

C. F. Knight Health Officer 

1872. 

John Severance Mayor 

J. Diedrich Councilman First Ward 

Seymour Jenkins " " " 

Fred Westpheling Councilman Second Ward 

Oscar Schramm 

Edwin Toole Councilman Third Ward 

Isaac Curd " " " 

John Burnside Councilman Fourth Ward. 

John Keiffer 

James Bowen Councilman Fifth Ward 

E. W. Ray. .. .... .•..•.•.■ 

W. W. Brown ■. . . City Register 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 453 

C. M. Thompson City Recorder 

W; D. G'Toole City Attorney 

Thonaas H. Ritchie Marshal 

Geo. M. Hauck City Collector 

H. N. Turner Treasurer 

Wm. Drumhiller Asses.sor 

John Ouigley City Engineer 

Dr. J. A. Gore Health Officer 

1873- 

John Severance Mayor 

Joseph Diedrich Councilman First Ward 

Seymour Jenkins " " 

J. H. Dayton Councilman Second Ward 

Oscar Schramm " " 

J. M. Street Councilman Third Ward 

Isaac Curd " " 

Geo. R. Hildebrant Councilman Fourth Ward 

John Keiffer " 

Joseph Hermann Councilman Fifth Ward 

E. W. Ray 

H. N. Turner Treasurer 

W. W. Brown City Register 

Geo. M. Hauck City Collector 

Wm. Drumhiller Assesso-r 

William D. O'Toole City Attorney 

Thomas H. Ritchie Marshal 

C. M. Thompson City Recorder 

John Ouigley City Engineer 

Dr. C.l^. Knight Health Officer 

Augustus Saltzman Chief Engineer F^ire Department 

1874. 

Isaac T. Hosea Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 

Joseph Diedrich " " 

James H. Dayton Councilman Second Ward 

Oscar Schramm " " 

James M. Street Councilman Third Ward 

Donald M. McDonald 

Geo. R. Hildebrant Councilman Fourth Ward 

William Seidenfaden " '• " 

Joseph Hermann Councilman Fifth Ward 

Michael Kiley 



454 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

W. B. Johnson Treasurer 

Hardin A. Davis City Register 

Daniel T. Lysaght Cit}- Collector 

James H. Ringo Assessor 

John T. Baldwin City Attorney 

Jno. Broder City Marshal 

C. M. Thompson City Recorder 

John Quigley City Engineer 

1875. 

Isaac T. Hosea Mayor 

Joseph Diedrich Councilman First Ward 

Seymour Jenkins " " " 

Oscar Schramm Councilman Second Ward 

J. H. Dayton 

William H. Wood Councilman Third Ward 

James M. Street 

George R. Hildebrant Councilman Fourth Ward 

William Seidenfaden " " " 

Michael Kiley Councilman Fifth Ward 

Joseph Hermann " " " 

W. B. Johnson : : Treasurer 

Hardin A. Davis City Register 

Daniel T. Lysaght City Collector 

James H. Ringo Assessor 

John T. Baldwin : . Cit}- Attorney 

John Broder City Marshal 

Charles M. Thompson Cit}' Recorder 

John Quigley City Engineer 

J. M. D. France Health Officer 

1876. 

Isaac T. Hosea Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First VV^ard 

Jacob Arnholt " " " 

Oscar Schramm Councilman Second Ward 

J. H. Dayton 

William H. Wood Councilman Third Ward 

Thomas H. Hail " " 

J. D. McNeely Councilman I'\>urth Ward 

William Seidenfaden 

Michael Kiley. . Councilman l^'ifth Ward 

Charles H. McKinnis 



HISTOKN' OF ST. JOSEPH. 455 

William B. Johnson Treasurer 

Hardin A. Davis City Register 

C. M. Thompson City Recorder 

John T. Baldwin City Attorney 

Daniel T. Lysaght City Collector 

John Broder City Marshal 

Thomas M. Long Citj- Engineer 

James A. Millan Assessor 

John Clark Street Commissioner 

Cyrenus Cox Market Master 

Dr. D. I. Christopher Health Officer 

1877. 

A. Beattie Mayor 

J. Arnholt Councilman First Ward 

Charles Howe " " " 

J. H. Dayton , Councilman Second Ward 

George W. Morris " " " 

Thomas H. Hail Councilman Third Ward 

H. C. Cockrill 

W. Sidenfaden Councilman Fourth Ward 

J. Mclnerny " " " 

T. Aylesburx- Councilman Fifth Ward 

Jno. Kieffer " " 

Geo. C. Hull Treasurer 

E. J. Crowthcr City Register 

R. B. Fleming City Recorder 

W. P. Hall.Jr City Attorney 

H. N. Turner City Collector 

J. A. Millan Assessor 

B. F. Buzard City Marshal 

J. McCabe City Engineer 

F. Kiley Street Commissioner 

T. H. Doyle Health Officer 

T. R. Smith Market Master 

B. R. Vineyard Cit}- Counselor 

1878. 

A. Beattie Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 

Charles Howe 

George W.Morris Councilman Second Ward 

Thomas H. Hail Councilman Third Ward 

H. C. Cockrill 



456 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

J. D. McNeely Councilman Fourth Ward" 

J. Mclnerny 

T. Aylesbury .... Councilman Fifth Ward* 

M. Hickey 

G. C. Hull Treasurer 

Enos J. Crowther City Register 

R. B. Fleming City Recorder 

W. P. Hall, Jr City Attorney^ 

H. N. Turner City Collector 

B. F. Buzard City Marshal 

J. M. McCabe City F^ngineer 

John T. Baldwin Assessor 

F. Kiley Street Commissioner 

T. R. Smith Market Master 

T. H. Doyle Health Officer 

B. R. Vineyard City Counselor 

1879. 

J. A. Finer Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 

John Newcum 

George W. Morris Councilman Second Ward 

I. B. Thompson 

C. W. Campbell Councilman Third Ward 

S. Westheimer " " 

J. D. McNeely Councilman Fourth War.di 

J. Mclnerny 

T. Aylesbury Councilman Fifth Ward: 

M. Hickey 

George W. Belt Treasurer 

Knos J. Crowther City Register 

S. B. Green City Recorder 

Wjlliam Fitzgerald City Attorney 

H. N. Turner City Collector 

Phil. Rogers City Marshal 

J. M. McCabe City Engineer 

R. C. Bradshaw Assessor 

I. N. Brooks Street Commissioner 

Samuel Hattabaugh Market Master 

J. A. Gore Health Officer 

Andrew Ro\\-il City Counselor 

1880. 

J. A. Finer Mayotr 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 457 

John NewcLim Councilman First Ward 

George W. Morris Councilman Second Ward 

I. B. Thompson " 

C W. Campbell Councilman Third Ward 

S. Westheimer " " 

J. W. Atwill Councilman Fourth Ward 

J. Mclnern}- " 

T. Aylesbur)- Councilman Fifth Ward 

M. Hickey 

George W. Belt Treasurer 

Enos J. Crowther City Register 

S. B. Green City Recorder 

William Fitzgerald City Attorney 

H. N. Turner City Collector 

Phil. Rogers Marshal 

M. J. McCabe City Engineer 

R. C. Bradshaw Assessor 

I. N. Brooks Street Commissioner 

Samuel Hattabaugh Market Master 

J. A. Gore Health Officer 

M. Oliver ,.,.-., City Counselor 

1 88 1 

J. A. Finer Mayor 

Seymour Jenkins Councilman First Ward 

S. Geiger 

J. S. Lemon Councilman Second Ward 

L B. Thompson 

C. W. Campbell Councilman Third Ward 

S. Westheimer 

J. W. Atwill Councilman Fourth Ward 

E. Wagner 

R. H. Womach Councilman Fifth Ward 

O. Hare 

C. Frenger Treasurer 

J. H. Ringo City Register 

G. W^ Belt City Recorder 

Joseph Andriano City Collector 

E. J. Crowther City Attorney 

Enos Craig City Marshal 

M. J. McCabe City Engineer 

R. C. Bradshaw Assessor 

H. Dunn Street Commisioner 

P.J. Kirschner City Health Officer 



CHAPTER VI. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

Soon after the organization ofthe churches and schools in St. Joseph^ 
the printing press was set up, thus completing the means of iaj-ing the 
foundation for a progressive and intelligent people. 

THE GAZETTE. 

The first newspaper, the Gazette, a weekly, was established in St. 
Joseph in 1845, its first issue appearing on Friday, the 25th day of ApriV 
of that year. The proprietor was William Ridenbaugh. When com- 
mencing the publication of his paper he had extensively circulated 
throughout Buchanan and the adjoining counties, the following pros- 
pectus : 

PROSPECTUS 
OF THE 

ST. J(3SEPH GAZETTE. 

The undersigned has commenced the publication of a newspaper 
under the above title in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. This 
point is believed to be the most favorable in u-pper Missouri for the dis- 
semination of news, destined as it is shortly to be the commercial empo- 
rium, not only ofthe greater part ofthe Platte country, but also of much 
the largest portion of the fertile and growing region lying along North 
Grand River. The Gazette will aim to bring into notice the wealth and 
resources of this magnificent region, and lend a helping hand to what- 
ever may develop its greatness and hasten its onw ard march in improve- 
ment and prosperity. In politics it will maintain the principles of the 
Democratic faith, which have once more triumphed so gloriously in the 
late presidential campaign, and will give a steady support to the adminis- 
tration of James K. Polk. 

Apart from politics, the paper will contain all the news of the da)-, 
congressional, foreign and domestic ; the state of the markets, carefully- 
prepared ; authentic information of the Oregon and Texas movements, 
which are of so much interest in this section just now, and likely to be 
so for many years, etc., etc. In a word, the undersigned will spare no 
pains to make his journal an agreeable companion in every circle. 

Edited by L. .\rcher. Terms, $2 ])er annum, in advance, or $3 at 
the end of the year. 

WM. RIDENBAUGH, 
Proprietor and Printer. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 459 

The first issue of the (iazette contained the inaugural address of 
James K. Polk. President of the United States, some carefully selected 
reading matter from the best authors of that day. including the then 
recently published poem entitled "Stanzas." by Henry W. Longfellow, 
two or three editorials upon the political status of the country, quite an 
array of advertisements and the following local notice: 

Married, on Wednesday. 16th inst., by the Rev. William Worley, 
Mr. George Mark to Eliza Hines, daughter of William Hines, all of this 
county. 

We have been informed that the type used at that period in the 
Gazette office, was a portion of the type owned by the Mormons as 
early as 1833, and used in the publication of a weekly paper, published by 
them at Independence, Missouri, called the Evening Star. In this paper, 
appeared weekly installments of " revelations," promising wonderful 
things to the faithful, and still more wonderful things against the un- 
godly Gentiles. So bitter and denunciatory was their paper that the 
indignant and outraged Gentiles seized the press and type, and threw 
them into the Missouri River. The type, thereafter, being partially re- 
covered, became the property of Mr. Ridenbaugh, who brought it with 
him to St. Joseph, where it did good service in the production of the 
Gazette for many years. The first journeyman employed on the Gazette 
was Ichabod Hathaway, who afterwards learned the profession of dentistry 
and immigrated to California. The first apprentice in the office was Henry 
C. Patchen. In 1854, the paper passed into the hands of Holly & 
Carter, and then to General Lucien Eastin. 

In 1854, the Gazette was purchased by P. S. Pfouts and J. H. R. 
Cundiff, who, in 1857, began to publish the daily Gazette, the first daily 
newspaper ever published in St. Joseph. 

In January, 1876, Captain Posegate, in an address delivered at a 
banquet, speaks of the founder of the Gazette as follows : 

"To the memory of William Ridenbaugh we may drop a tear, for no 
better printer, nor truer-hearted nor bigger-souled man ever walked the 
streets of St. Joseph. No widow nor orphan ever appealed in vain ; no 
printer ever asked of him and did not receive. He had ' charity for all 
and malice for none.' Peace be to his ashes." 

February 4. 1862, George Rees and Jacob T. Child, w^ho had pur- 
chased from Wm. Ridenbaugh the office, equipments, franchise, etc., of 
the Daily and Weekly Gazette, which had been suspended since the pre- 
vious year, appeared in their first issue. Ridenbaugh, the original pro- 
prietor and founder of the paper, held a mortgage on the concern, w^hich, 
being unsatisfied at the period of the suspension of the paper and with- 
drawal from St. Joseph of Pfouts and Cundiff, its owners and publishers, 
at the breaking out of the war, the same was foreclosed. Rees and Child 



460 IIISTORV OF ST. JOSEl'H. 

then became the owners of the Gazette, subject to the same mortgage, 
they being unable to pay the full amount of the value of the paper. 

They published the paper together till July. 1862. when J. T. Child 
withdrew from the partnership. Rees continued the publication of the 
Gazette till the following November, when, deeming the risk and annoy- 
ance of publishing a paper under difficulties consequent on the distracted 
condition of the country incommensurate to the dignity and emoluments 
of the proprietorship, he surrendered possession to the original owner 
and mortgagee and retired to private life. 

The paper was not again revived under its proper, original and 
present name till after the close of the civil war. 

In the summer of 1864, Jacob T. Child and Charles Thompson, 
started, on the Gazette press, a paper called the Evening News. 

It was a campaign publication, in the interest of George B. McClel- 
lan, and expired after the Presidential election. The material with which 
they printed the paper they afterwards sold to the Tribune company. 

June 28, 1868, the Gazette again appeared and in entire new dress, 
from new material purchased in Cincinnati, Ohio. William Ridenbaugh, 
Colonel J. H. R. Cundiff and Peter Nugent composed the publishing- 
firm. To Cundiff was assigned the editorial management. Ridenbaugh 
assumed charge of the business office, and Nugent of the mechanical 
department. A job office was shortly after added. This association 
continued till the fall of 1873, when the paper was sold and Joseph Corby 
and Peter Nugent became the purchasers for the sum of $25,000. The 
issue of Saturday, December 20th, 1873, came out with "Jos. A. Corby 
& Co., Proprietors," at the head of its columns. 

Some time after, the paper was sold by Mrs. Corby, who held a lien 
on the office. F. M. Tufts, George W. Belt and J. B. Maynard became 
purchasers and immediately assumed possession, styling themselves 
the "Gazette Printing Company." 

Towards the close of November, 1875, J- ^- Maynard retired from 
the co-partnership and was succeeded by S. A. Gilbert. The Gazette's 
issue of Sunday morning, April 7th, 1878, first appeared in quarto form 
and astonished its readers by its announced consolidation, under the 
3t\lc of Saint Joseph Gazette-Chronicle, the latter, an evening Demo- 
cratic paper, jniblished by Rev. M. B. Chapman. F. M. Tufts was 
announced as business manager. Between these two papers a bitter war 
had recently raged, and the consolidation astonished the reading public. 

In the issue of June 15. 1878. still styled the "Gazette-Chronicle," 
the paper was changed back to its original, folio, form. F. M. Tufts and 
S. .\. Gilbert were announced as retiring from the paper, and C. B. Wil- 
kinson and M. B. Chapman respectively succeeding to the management 
and editorship of the same. About this period, the name and st>'le of 
the paper was "Gazette and DaiU' Chronicle." From the issue of Sun- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 461 

day, September 29, 1878, the "and Daily Chronicle" was dropped and 
the paper again appeared under its ancient and original title. 

The Gazette of November 21, 1878, says: "The entire Gazette 
establishment, including type, presses, accounts, good will and telegraph 
franchise was sold yesterday, under deed of trust, held by D. D. Burnes, 
of St. Joseph, originally given to secure the purchase money when Belt 
and Tufts bought the paper from Nugent and Corby, five years ago. 
Charles B. Wilkinson purchased the establishment as trustee for parties 
in New York, who advanced the purchase money. Mr. Wilkinson, this 
morning, assumes sole editorial and business management of the paper." 

In the Gazette of March 12, 1879, appeared the following: "Upon 
the old original mortgage made by the Gazette-Chronicle Company, to 
George C. Hull, trustee, to secure a debt contracted during the reign of 
Gilbert, Tufts and Maynard, the Gazette was sold yesterday. The future 
publishers and proprietors will be the Gazette Publishing Co. This cor- 
poration will be under the direction of a board of trustees consisting of 
C. B. Wilkinson, Lewis Burnes and W. E. Smedley, of New York. Mr. 
Wilkinson will remain in charge of the editorial. [lepartment." 

Colonel C. B. Wilkinson remained editor of the Gazette till July 12, 
1879, when he moved to Denver, where he died in January, 1881. 
November 17, 1879, Lewis Burnes died. The paper is still (1881) con- 
ducted by the Gazette Publishing Company, of which James N. Burnes, 
Jr., is President. 

THE ADVENTURE. 

The second newspaper started in St. Joseph was the Adventure, a 
Whig sheet, which made its first appearance in 1848. It was published 
by E. Livermore, and was at that period regarded as a worthy rival of 
the Gazette, its sole competitor in the county. 

In March, 1853, James A. Millan, (present Recorder of Deeds of 
Buchanan County), purchased from Livermore this paper, and changed 
its name, calling it 

THE CYCLE. 

It was published as an independent sheet. About a year after his pur- 
chase of this paper, he took into partnership E. C. Davis, the first State 
Superintendent of Public Schools elected in Missouri. A short time after 
this arrangement, in consequence of difference of political sentiment, J. 
A. Millan being a Democrat, the partnership was dissolved, E. C. Davis 
buying out his associate. The latter published the Cycle as a Whig 
paper about one year, when he, in turn, sold out to Matt. France, who 
continued to publish it as a Whig paper about the period of another year. 
France then sold to Asa K. Miller and J. T. Child, who changed the 
name of the paper, calling it 



462 IITSTORY OF ST. lOSKPlI. 

TllK lOl'RNAl,. 

This was .ibout \S^6 or 1S57. In 1S5S, '59 and '60, the Journal was edited 
and published by John \\ Bruce and Jacob T. Child. This j)apcr strongly- 
advocated the claims of Bell and ICverett during- the presidential canvass. 
It suspended publication about 1862. 

It may not be improper to state here that in the spring of 1856, the 
first job printing office was opened in St. Joseph. This enterprise was 
started by Millan & Posegate, on the south side of Francis, between 
Main and Second Streets. iMghteen months after, the latter sold out for 
the purpose of engaging in the publication of a newspaper, and on May 
I, 1858, F. M. Posegate, who had learned the printing business in the 
Cycle office, imder Jas. A. Millan. issued the first nvmiber of 

riiK WK.sr. 

at that time, a hantls(Miiel\' printed, eight column* weekly. His associ- 
ates in the enterprise were Washington Jones, and Edward Y. Shields, 
the latter a man of marked and widely recognized journalistic ability. 
The paper, with strong union procli\ities, was independent in politics. 
F. IM. Posegate. was afterwards one of the publishers of the St. Joseph 
Morning lleraKl. President of the St. Joseph Steam Printing Company, 
and Postmaster of St. Joseph nearl\- four years. In the spring of 1859 a 
daily was started in connection with the weekly West. 

February 6, i860, V. M. Posegate bought out his partners and be- 
came sole editor and proprietor of the paper, warmly and abl)- supporting 
the claims of the Bell and h^verett part)'. 

In August, i860, he sold the West to James Trac}- & Co. The Com- 
pany of the concern included B. Y. Fish, E. Y. Shields antl George 
Baxter. The paper, under this management, advocated the claims of 
John C. Breckenridge to the Presidency, and boldly avowed its secession 
sentiments. 

During the winter of 1860-61, the publication of the paper was sus- 
pended. The Hoe cylinder press and other superior appliances of a first- 
class newspaper office, which belonged to the West Compan}', were sold 
and became the property of Colonel C. B. Wilkinson, who started there- 
with a Republican paper, the 

ST. lOSEPIl MORMNt; IIKR.M.D. 

The press is still (1881) in use in the Herald office. The first issue 
of this, then a six column daily, appeared Wednesday, February 12, 1862, 
Wilkinson & McKibbin, editors and proprietors. In the issue of April 
10, 1862, the proprietorship was announced under the style of Wilkinson 
& Co. Saturday, October i, 1864, the Morning Herald appeared con- 
solidated with the Daily Tribune. It continued to be published in this 



his'Kjky of s'I". joski'H. 463 

style till July 25, 1866, when "Daily Tribune" was dropped fromits name 
and it aj^ain resumed its original simple title of Morning Herald. 

fn 1H67, \\ M. Posegatc, above referred to in connection with the 
West, returned to St. Joseph and took charge of the business manage- 
ment of the Herald, he having been absent a part of the seven years in 
Ohio, serving during said time four years in the Federal Army, during 
which he rose from the ranks in the Forty-eighth Ohio, to the grade of 
Captain. He remained with the Herald three years, the first two as 
business manager for Wilkinson & Bittinger, and the third as a partner 
of the former, he having bought the interest of John L. Bittinger. 

In the summer of 1869, Wilkinson & Posegate sold out to Hallowell 
& Bittinger. In April, 1870, the firm became Hallowell, Bittinger & 
Co., C. B. Wilkinson constituting the company of the concern. 

About the end of August, 1870, Albert II. Hallowell withdrew from 
the partnership and severed his connection with the paper. The firm 
then became Wilkinson, Bittinger & Ward. July 8, 1871, Henry Ward 
withdrew from the partnership, and the firm became Wilkinson & Bit- 
tinger, continuing such till the whisky-ring develo[)ments of 1875, which 
wrecked the fortunes of both members of the firm. 

In the spring of 1876, John Severance, Wm. D. (J'Toole and Major 
John T. Clements purchased the Herald. 

A short time after, W. W. Davenport, formerfy publisher of the St. 
Charles, Mo., Cosmos, was admitted a member of the firm, which con- 
stituted what they styled the Herald Printing Company. Under this 
administration the paper was a financial failure. 

July II, 1876, it appeared reduced from its former size, a nine-col- 
umn, to an eight-<iolumn sheet, and continued to be so published till near 
the close of September following, when Tracy & Co., became owners of 
the concern, and immediately restored the paper to its former size — a 
nine-column folio. The issue of September 26, 1876, was the first to 
appear with the announcement "Tracy & Co., Proprietors." The head 
of the firm was Frank M. Tracy, the Co. included Robert Tracy and D. 
W. Wilder. 

Robert Tracy subsequently severed his connection with the paper, 
and D. W. Wilder sold his interest to F. M. Tracy, recently appointed 
Postmaster of St. Joseph. D. W. Wilder, however, continued his con- 
nection with the editorial department, and June 2nd, 1879, a company 
being formed under the name and style of "The Herald Company," Mr. 
Wilder again became a stockholder in the concern. 

The original style of the paper, from the period of its coming into 
existence, was the "Saint Joseph Morning Herald." The issue of Tues- 
day, October 10, 1876, appeared first with its present title, "St. Joseph 
Herald." PVom the first origin of the Herald, a weekly edition has, in 
connection with the daily, been regularly issued. 



464 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE ST. JOSEPH WEEKLY FREE DEMOCRAT 

Was an eight-column sheet, its first number being issued May 29, 1859. 
The paper was printed on material brought from Kansas, and formerly 
used in the office of the Geary City Era, at that time owned by 
Joseph Thompson and Earl Marble. E. H. Grant edited the paper, and 
was assisted in the business management by Joseph Thompson. It was 
neatly printed and extensively patronized, but during the short period 
of its existence failed to prove a financial success. 

John Doy, who had been tried in the St. Joseph Circuit Court and 
found guilty of negro stealing, was in the St. Joseph jail, awaiting the 
issue of an application for a new trial. On the night of Jul}^ 23, 1859, ^^^ 
was rescued by a band of ten men from Lawrence, Kansas, and liberated. 
This occurrence, as may be supposed, created intense excitement in St. 
Joseph. E. H. Grant, the editor, was charged with being an accomplice 
in the jail delivery, and his life threatened. To avoi-d any unpleasant con- 
sequences that might result from this condition of things, he left St. 
Joseph and went to St. Louis. His wife, Mrs. Sarah T. Grant, then 
assumed the editorial tripod, and the paper forthwith began to display a 
degree of ability it had failed before to manifest. On September 3, 1859, 
Frank M. Tracy, now, (1881), Postmaster of St. Joseph, and one of the 
publishers of the Herald, bought out the interest of E. H. Grant and 
Joseph Thompson, and assumed the publication of 

THE FREE DEMOCRAT. 

Under this management, the paper was conducted ^ill September 15, 
i860, when D. W. Wilder, now, (1881), one of the editors of the St. Joseph 
Daily and Weekly Herald, bought an interest in the Free Democrat 
and became one of its editors. 

November 24, i860, B. P. Chenoweth became a member of the firm, 
the style of which was Tracy, Wilder & Chenoweth. 

December 31, i860, the publishers of the paper were indicted by a 
special grand jury for uttering and circulating incendiar}- publications. 
Judge Silas Woodson, afterwards Go\ernor of the State, then occupied the 
bench. He charged the grand jury with special reference to the Free Dem- 
ocrat, a copy of which he then held in his hand. The publishers, get- 
ting wind of this, moved their editorial headquarters across the river to 
Elwood, Kansas, Joseph Thompson and Robert Tracy, however, contin- 
uing to print the paper in St. Joseph. About this time D. W. Wilder 
severed his connection with the Free Democrat, which was thereafter 
published by Tracy and Chenoweth. This continued till April, 1861. 
On the 13th of that month appeared the last issue of the Free Democrat 
in St Joseph. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 465 

The proprietors, and every employe of the ofifice, immediately entered 
the Union army. All lived to return home at the close of the war. 
We state this latter fact on the authority of Mr. Joseph Thompson, a 
printer in the office, who was connected with the paper from the begin- 
ning of its career in St. Joseph till its final suspension. 

THE EVENING NEWS. 

the first paper of its kind in St. Joseph, was started in 1862, by Asa K. 
Miller, and lived about four months. This was about two years prior to 
the appearance of a campaign paper of the same name before referred to. 
In August, 1862, appeared the first issue of the 

DAILY TRIBUNE, 

A. K. Abeel, editor and publisher. It was a seven column sheet. Republi- 
can in politics. Shortly after starting the paper, Abeel sold a half inter- 
est in the same to Judge P. Bliss, and they continued to publish it 
together six or eight months. Colonel Albin, James T. Beach and James 
Hunter then purchased the other half from Abeel. A bitter war of 
words ensued about this period between the Tribune and the Morning 
Herald with reference to the claims of the rival journals on public adver- 
tising patronage. This continued till October, 1864, when the Tribune 
and Herald were consolidated. 

On the 7th December, 1864, appeared the first issue of the 

S.\INT JOSEPH UNION, 

a daily and weekly paper established in consequence of the uniting of 
the Tribune with the Herald, and published in the interest of the 
extreme radical Republican party. The founders and first publishers of 
this journal were James Hunter and James T. Beach, at that time City 
Attorney. E. J. Montague became its first political editor and con- 
tinued to fill that position a year and a half, when Judge P. Bliss assumed 
editorial charge. He continued in the same about a year. The first 
local editor of the Union was Jacob T. Child. Sherwood, Albin and Har- 
rington, late in the following year, became interested. Other parties 
became from time to time by the purchase of stock, interested in the 
publication of the Union. 

In the spring of 1866, James Hunter sold his interest in the paper to 
William Fowler and to A. N. Schuster. In the summer of the same 
year, Fowler, Schuster and others, who owned stock in the paper, sold 
out to J. W. Strong, who published the same till October following, when 
he sold and transferred the paper to James T. Beach and J. W. Dinsmore. 
They continued to publish the paper till early in 1868. Another stock 



466 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

company, called the Union Printing Company, was formed about this 
time. To this company Beach & Dinsmore sold out. The paper was 
then managed and edited by R. D. Mitchell. In March, 1869, about a 
year after this arrangement, the company sold out to Eugene Ayers and 
William Everett, who published it till about January i, 1871, when it 
was sold to C. W. Marsh, formerly of the Hannibal Courier, and J. B. 
Hinman, now of the Chicago Times. During the period included between 
March, 1869 and January i, 187 1, the subscription list was doubled. 
Marsh & Hinman published the Union about a year, when it finally 
suspended. 

There probably never was a paper published in the state with refer- 
ence to which there was, at different times, as much litigation. From 
the founding of the Union till the period of its sale to R. D. Mitchell, 
Willis M. Sherwood had large pecuniary means invested in the same. 

NEW ERA. 

In August, 1862, appeared in St. Joseph the first issue of the New 
Era, an eight-column weekly, published in the interest of the new order 
of things, by Harrison B. Branch, at that time Superintendent of Indian 
Affairs. In 1863 this paper was sold to a party who moved it to Savan- 
nah, Missouri. 

DAILY COMMERCIAL. 

The Daily Commercial was a small paper established in 1866, by 
Jule Robidoux & Co. Its career was brief. 

THE EVENING COMMERCIAL. 

The Evening Commercial, a daily Democratic paper, was started by 
Charles C. Scott, in 1872, and published by him two years. 

THE WEEKLY STANDARD. 

The Weekly Standard, the first illustrated paper published in the 
county, appeared in its first issue, Sept. 7, 187 1. It was conducted by 
R. R. Calkins and continued till Februar}- i, 1875. It was independent 
in politics. 

THE VINDICATOR. 

The Vindicator, a Democratic paper, published by James A. Millan, 
first appeared in 1865, as a weekly. At the end of the first year of its 
existence, a daily edition was also issued from the same press. Both 
then continued to be published till the close of the second year. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 467 

THE REFLECTOR. 

The Reflector, a weekly Democratic journal, published by James A. 
Millan, made its first appearance in St. Joseph in March, 1872, as an 
eight-column sheet. This was, soon after, enlarged to a nine-column. 
It was discontinued at the end of the first year. 

THE EVENING TRIBUNE 

was a small campaign daily published fifty-three days, from September, 
1870, by Joseph Thompson and C. B. Bowman, in the interest of the . 
straight Republican party. 

THE BOARD OF TRADE CIRCULAR, 

an eight page four column monthly, was published from March, 1871, to 
April, 1873, by Woolworth & Co. The Co. of the concern was George 
Rees, " the printer." 

THE WEEKLY REPORTER. 

an independent journal, was established by Rev. M. B. Chapman, and 
made its first appearance May 8, 1875. It was published as the Reporter 
till September, 1875, when its name was changed to Saturday Chronicle, 
Loren Boyle becoming a partner in the publication of the paper. In 
July, 1876, the Daily Evening Chronicle was issued from the same press. 
On Saturday evening, April 6. 1878, appeared the last issue of the Even- 
ing Chronicle. On the following morning it appeared consolidated with 
the Gazette. 

THE MONDAY MORNING NEWS. 

was started by Isaac Pheifer. Its first issue appeared August 20, 1877. 
It soon fell into the hands of Col. C. B. Wilkinson, whose brilliant and 
versatile gifts of mind, coupled with his large and varied newspaper 
experience, soon achieved for his little paper a reputation which no other 
similar enterprise had before enjoyed. The last issue of the Monday 
Morning News appeared in June, 1878, when Colonel Wilkinson assumed 
editorial charge of the Daily and Weekly Gazette, which he afterwards 
purchased, as stated in our sketch of that paper. 

In July, 1878, a week or two after its suspension, the material and 
franchises of the Monday Morning News were purchased by George E. 
King, and used by him in publishing an illustrated weekly. This enter- 
prise was crowned with success. 

In October following he sold out to Judge Andrew Royal and W. 
M. Patton, who continued its publication under the original name of 
Monday Morning News. This, some time after, was changed to Western 
News. 



468 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

May 3d, 1879, the Daily Evening News was started in the office of 
the Western News by Judge A. Royal and George H. Cross. It was, at 
first, a small four-column sheet. September 3d following, this • was 
enlarged to a five-column sheet. April 19, 1881, the paper was pur- 
chased by W. F. Bassett and J. W. Spencer, who enlarged it to a 
six-column sheet, and otherwise greatly improved it. It has a large 
and rapidly increasing circulation. The weekly edition is still styled 
the Western News. 

THE EVENING REPORTER, 

started by Max Kauffinan and Fred F. Schrader, made its first appear- 
ance in June, 1878. In September following the paper died. 

THE TELEPHONE 

was another ephemeral periodical which came into existence August 
12, 1878, and died in early infancy, its last issue appearing October 20,. 
1878. It was a tri-weekly, edited by -F. M. Tufts. 

THE COLLEGE CHAPLET 

was a handsome four-column, eight-page, double sheet, published in 
1877, 'y8 and '79. The columns of this periodical were filled with the 
productions of the young ladies of St. Joseph Female College. 

THE GOOD WAY. 

The Good Way is a religious periodical which was started in 
Savannah, Mo., March i, 1879, Rev. J. W. Caughlan, editor. February 
I, 1880, it was moved to St. Joseph, where it is now (1881) published by 
the Southwestern Holiness Association, J. W. Caughlan, editor. It was^ 
at first, an eight' page, twenty-four column paper. It now embraces 
thirty-two columns. 

THE BUGLE AND STANDARD. 

The Bugle and Standard, started by Caughlan & Park, in Savannah^ 
Mo., in August, 1879; ^'^'^^ moved, with The Good Way, to St. Joseph,, 
in February, 1880, where it continued to be published till April 25, 1880, 
when it suspended. It was, at that time, edited by R. M. Tunnell,. 
formerly editor of the Milan Ventilator. 

THE ST. JOSEPH DAILY ADVOCATE. 

The St. Joseph Daily Advocate, a one cent, four page evening paper,. 
10x13 inches, was started September 20, 1880, by J. D. McClain, the 
present (1881) editor and publisher. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 469 

THE CATHOLIC TRIBUNE.. 

The Catholic Tribune, a weekly journal, was founded in Kansas City 
Mo., April, 1879. It was there published by Wm. A. Maynard and W. 
W. Davis. In October, 1880, it was moved to St. Joseph, where it has 
since continued to be published by Davis & Royal. It is an eight page, 
six column paper. 

THE DAILY SUN. 

The Daily Sun, founded by W. W. Davis and Phil. Schmitz, first 
appeared April 11, 1881. It expired April 23, 1881. 

THE SATURDAY DEMOCRAT. 

The Saturday Democrat, originally started in Savannah, Mo., Feb- 
ruary 14, 1880, by Geo. E. King, its present editor and proprietor, was a 
success from its first appearance. July 15th, following, without suspend- 
ing an issue, it uttered its first number in St. Joseph. It is a handsomely 
printed, fifty-six column quarto, the largest paper published in the city. 
As its name implies, it is Democratic in politics. Its columns are also 
largely devoted to literary, scientific and social matters. 

COMMERCIAL ADVICES. 

Commercial Advices, a weekly, issued every Saturday, made its first 
appearance February 9, 1878. It first appeared as a six column sheet, 
and was afterwards (January, 188 1,) enlarged to a seven column. It still 
continues to be published by Dr. J. J. Jewitt, its founder. 

ST. JOSEPH VOLKSBLATT. 

The first German newspaper established in St. Joseph was the Volks- 
blatt, a Republican journal. It was started in 1856 by Leopold Marder, 
who, two years after, sold the paper to J. H. Buschmann. 'This was in 1858. 
Francis Rodman, afterwards Secretary of State, was editor. Wednesday, 
March 28, 1866, the daily evening edition, a five column paper, made its 
first appearance, this was started by Gustavus Heinricks. In 1868, R. L- 
Morgenstern purchased the paper and Leopold Marder became editor. 
November 8, 1 868, Conrad Eichler and H. W. Kastor bought and conducted 
the paper. The firm was styled C. Eichler & Co. H. W. Kastor was 
editor. It was then enlarged to a six column, and, shortly after, to a seven 
column sheet. 

November 8, 1875, H. Brunsing purchased the interest of C. Eichler. 
Since that period to the present time (1881) the publishers of the 
Volksblatt have been H. Brunsing & Co. H. W. Kastor is still editor. 



470 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



September lo, 1879, the paper was enlarged to its present size, an eight 
column sheet. It is the representative German newspaper of Upper 
Missouri and has a wide circulation. Leopold Marder, the founder of 
the Volksblatt, died in Omaha. 

THE ST. JOSEPH ANZEIGER. 

The St. Joseph Anzeiger, a German daily, made its first appearance 
August 25, 1879. It was a seven column sheet, established by Kurth 
& Schrader. Its brief life ended September 17, 1879. 

We have spared no pains or expense in presenting a full and com- 
plete history of the newspapers and periodicals which have had an ex- 
istence in St. Joseph, beginning with the Gazette, which made its ap- 
pearance in April, 1845, and concluding with the Daily Sun, which was 
established in April, 1881, covering a period of thitty-six years. 

During this period there have been thirty'five papers, averaging 
almost one for each year. For the sake of convenience we here give a 
list of their names and the dates of their first publication : 



1845 — Gazette. 1848 

1853— Cycle. 1856- 

1856— Volksblatt. 1858 

1859 — Free Democrat. 1862 

1862 — Evening News. 1862 

1862 — New Era. 1864 

J 865— Vindicator. [866 

1870 — Evening Tribune. 1871- 

1872 — Evening Commercial. 1872 

1875 — Weekly Reporter. 1875- 

1875— Weekly Standard. " 1876 

1877 — Monday Morning News. 1877- 
1878— Illustrated Weekly News. 1878 

1878— Telephone. 1878 

1879 — Good Way. 1879 

1879 — Anzeiger. 1880 

1880 — Catholic Tribune. 1880 
1 88 1 — Daily Sun. 



-Adventure. 
—Journal. 
-West. 
—Herald. 
—Tribune. 
—Union. 

-Daily Commercial. 
3 — Board of Trade Circular 
—Reflector. 
—Chronicle. 
-Evening Chronicle. 
-College Chaplet. 
—Evening Reporter. 
—Commercial Advices. 
—Bugle and Standard. 
—Advocate. 
— Saturday Democrat. 



St. Joseph, as will be seen from the above list, has had during her 
brief existence of thirty-nine years, her full share of newspapers. No 
other city, perhaps, of her age and population can boast of having had a 
greater number, and none, we are sure, take them in the aggregate, have 
had a class of newspapers which have more faithfully and zealously advo- 
cated the interest of the city. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



471 



St. Joseph has had, and has to-day, hundreds of enterprising and 
public spirited men, who are proud of their city and punctilious about her 
claims of respect and who have done much for her material prosperity, 
but had it not been for her newspapers, which have so ably and earnestly 
sustained them in their efforts to build up the city, the embryo settle- 
ment of thirty-nine years ago would have scarcely emerged from its 
chrysalis condition. 

What, indeed, could St. Joseph have done without her newspapers .'' 
What was it during her past struggles for recognition that was ever 
faithful and full of hope ? What is it, with unabated persistency that has 
constantly sent out its silent, yet potent messengers, through all the 
towns and cities of the East, inviting hither, with their thousand elo- 
quent tongues, capital, labor and skill .'* What is it that has been chiefly 
instrumental in swelling her population, encouraging business and caus- 
ing St. Joseph to be known throughout the country as a thrifty city.-* 
Need I say it is the St. Joseph press .'* Deprive her of her press and you 
at once inflict a death-blow to her prosperity. 

Her people appreciate the fact that newspapers are the great educa- 
tors of the masses and constitute the only book of the millions, hence 
they believe in fostering and sustaining good and wholesome journalism. 

The editor of this work acknowledges himself greatly indebted to 
the Gazette, for much of the material which composes this history ; in 
fact, we hardly know what we could have done without its friendly aid 
and assistance. Being published cotemporaneously with the events as 
they have occurred in the city and county since 1845, and being the only 
file intact since that period, we have found it replete with invaluable 
facts and data, from which we have made frequent and copious extracts. 




THE LEVER THAT MOVES THE WORLD. 




THIRD SIKKET, ST. lOSKl'Il, LOOKIM; SoriTl. 



CHAPTER VII. 

CHURCHES OF ST. JOSEPH. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

In 1838, a wandering Jesuit priest visited the obscure and lonely 
trading post at Blacksnake Hills. Here, in the rude log house of Joseph 
Robidoux, a primitive altar was extemporized from a common table, and, 
in the presence of the wondering red man and the scarcely less unculti- 
vated pioneer, was celebrated the sacrifice of the mass. This was the 
small beginning of the march of Christianity in our midst. 

In 1840, another transient priest made his appearance at the settle- 
merit, who elicited no small degree of comment, from the singular mark 
of a cross on the back of his coat. This was the Rev. Father Vogel. On 
the 17th of June, 1847, the foundation of the brick church on the corner 
of Felix and Fifth Streets' was laid. Services were held in this building 
before its completion, and in the same year, in September, the house 
was dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Kendrick, of St. Louis. In 1848, 
the two-story vestry was erected (brick) and in i8'53 an addition of 
twenty-two and a half feet was made to the church. The lot was donated 
by Joseph Robidoux. 

At the organization of the church there were about twenty families, 
two of which were Irish and the balance Canadian French. In 1847, 
there were about three hundred members. The first permanent pastor 
in the church was Rev. Thomas Scanlan, who began his labors in 1847. 
His first service was in a frame building, belonging to Mr. Robidoux, on 
Jule Street, beyond the Blacksnake. He was succeeded by the Rev. D. 
F. Healy. Rev. Francis Russie succeeded Father Healy, and he, in turn, 
was succeeded by the Rev. S. A. Grugan. 

In 1859, the Rev. James Power assumed the duties of assistant min- 
ister, which position he filled until the removal of Father Scanlan, in 
i860. In i860, Rev. John Hennessey took charge of the pulpit, and con- 
tinued the charge of the same till 1866, when he was promoted to the 
See of Dubuque. His successor in St. Joseph was the Rev. James Power. 
The house of worship was abandoned in 1871, and used for a while there- 
after as a court house. In 1868, St. Joseph was erected into a diocese, 
and the Rt. Rev. John Hogan was constituted Bishop of St. Joseph. 



474 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The cathedral building on Tenth Street, near Robidoux, is 88x166 feet. 
The principal material used in its construction is brick. It is of plainest 
Corinthian style, but substantial and chaste in appearance, costing about 
$70,000. 

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, on the corner of Tenth 
and Angelique Streets, was completed in 1868, costing $iO,ooo. It is a 
gothic brick building and has a fine appearance. 

On Twelfth Street, near Monterey, in South St. Joseph, is the ele- 
gant ecclesiastical structure of St. Patrick's Church. This is a hand- 
some brick building of the Romanesque order, faced with cut stone. 
It was finished at a cost of $20,000. In 1873, the Rev. Eugene Kenny 
had charge of the church as pastor. 

In 1874 and 1875, the Cathedral is reported in charge of Rt. Rev. 
Bishop Hogan, assisted by Rev. Thos. Denny. 

Of the German Church of the Immaculate Conception, Very Rev. 
Charles Linenkamp was pastor iil charge during the above mentioned 
period, and Rev. Eugene Kenny filled the pastorate of St. Patrick's 
Church. 

The report of January 1877, shows that Rt. Rev. John J. Hogan, 
Bishop, was assisted during the previous year at the Cathedral, by Rev. 
C. Kearful, Rev. M. Milay and Rev. James Herbert. No change re- 
ported in the ministry of the other Roman Catholic Churches during 
that period. 

January i, 1878. No change in the ministry of the Roman Catholic 
churches for this year. A bell and a belfry was added to the Cathedral 
at a cost of $2,500. There was also reported St. Roch's Church, a 
wooden building, in the north part of the city, valued at $750, and used 
by the French Catholics. Rev. John Galvin, priest in charge. 

January i, 1879. Churches and ministering priests reported same as 
during previous year. 

January 1880. Rev. Fathers Ignatius and Cullen reported as assis- 
tants in the Cathedral. 

Since the death of Rev. Eugene Kenny, which occurred about the 
close of 1879, Rev. Thos. Walsh has had charge of St. Patrick's Church. 
The succeeding year shows no change. 

One of the most noted ecclesiastical structures in Northwest Mis- 
souri, and indeed in the state, is the 

CHURCH OF ST. JOHN, THE BAPTIST, 

Erected by Mrs. Corby to the memory of her late husband, John Corby, 
of St. Joseph. This church is situated about two miles north of the city 
limits, near the road leading to Amazonia. This is, perhaps, the most 
elegant and complete structure of the kind in Missouri, while in point of 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 475 

beauty of design, solidity of construction, and tasteful and artistic ele- 
gance of finish, it will compare favorably with any similar edifice on the 
continent. The principal material of which this rare specimen of archi- 
tectural beauty is constructed is our native limestone. The facings and 
interior stone-work are of a superior sandstone, brought from Carroll 
County, Missouri. 

The church is a gothic structure, built in the shape of a Latin cross, 
measuring in the clear eighty-four feet nine inches in length, and forty- 
eight feet nine inches across the transepts, and is capable of seating an 
audience of three hundred and fifty persons. The aisles are separated 
from the nave of the church, or rather, the limit of aisles is marked by 
rows of massive cast iron columns, painted in representation of stone, the 
only feature of the entire building that is not really what it appears to 
be. These pillars support the elaborately decorated arches of the groined 
roof, which reflect with wonderfully beautiful effect the mellow light 
streaming through the variegated panes of the tall lancet windows by 
which the church is lighted. The pulpit, altar, font, etc., are all of 
massive sandstone. Even the mullions of the windows are of that solid 
material, while the window sashes are of iron. The aisles and chancel 
are paved with a beautiful variety of tesselated tiling of different colors, 
imported from the manufactory at Stoke-upon-Trent, in England. The 
doors, seats and light stairway leading to the organ loft, are the only 
features of the entire structure that are made of wood. 

The building is absolutely incombustible. The sixteen windows by 
which the church is lighted are glazed with stained glass of very supe- 
rior quality and beauty of design. The frescoing of the groined arches 
is chaste and elaborate in design and reflects, in the execution, great 
credit on the artist. The walls of the aisles are decorated with full 
length paintings of the twelve apostles — six on each side. These are 
admirably executed, and all have the appearance of sculptures in alto 
relievo. 

In the sacristy or vestry, north of the altar, are depicted on the 
walls, in the same style of art, two scenes from the life of Christ, viz.: 
the Women at the Sepulchre and the Ascension. 

The external appearance of the bulling is solid and massive, and 
suggestive of the character of the ecclesiastical architecture of the old 
world. The roof is of slate. There is no steeple. Nor does this appear in 
the least a defect. On the summit of the easl gable, at which is the front 
entrance, rises a small, but massive belfry, plain and in perfect keeping 
with the solid character of the edifice. On the northwest corner of the 
building, below a niche in the outer wall, on a plain tablet of sandstone, 
flanked by two columns in bas relief, appears the inscription, '^Erected 
to the Memory of John Corby, iSjiT The cost of this structure, some- 
times styled the Corby Memorial Church, was nearly fifty thousand dol- 



4/6 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

lars. It is in the immediate care of an order of Monks, styled the 
" Fathers and Brothers of the Holy Cross." 

, NEW SCHOOL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The churches of a city, reflect in some measure, the social and 
religious life of its inhabitants. St. Joseph is a church-going city, and 
all the prominent religious sects, find here their representatives and 
exponents. 

In the year 1843, the first church was established in St. Joseph by 
the New School Presbyterians. In September of that year, the first sale 
of town lots was had. The Rev. T. S. Reeve, a minister attached to this 
church, was present at the sale, and about the same time preached the 
first Protestant sermon within the limits of the newly organized town, 
in a log house kept as a tavern by one Mr. Beattie on the corner of Main 
and Jule Streets, the site of the present Occidental Hotel. Once or 
twice during the winter of the same year, he preached at a grocery on 
Main Street, and other times in private houses. 

During the spring of 1844, the building of the first church was com- 
menced by the Rev. T. S. Reeve. It was a log building, twenty by 
thirty feet, near the corner of Third and Francis streets, on a lot owned by 
George Brubaker, and was finished during the winter 1844-45. The tim- 
ber for the church building, was donated by William Langston, who 
owned a tract of woodland near the town. Parson Reeve, attended by 
a number of assistants, shouldered his axe, led the way into the country, 
and with his own hands, assisted in cutting down the first tree. 

" A stubborn, sturdy oak," 

for the building of the church. His wife did the cooking for the work- 
men during the progress of the building, the parson taking their dinners 
at the hour of noon. 

On the 15th day of September, 1844, the following persons, at their 
own request, were, by the Rev. T. S. Reeve, the pioneer minister, organ- 
ized into a Presbyterian Church, viz.: 

Abraham Brubaker, Mrs. Elizabeth Brubaker, Mrs. Nancy McMunn, 
Mrs. Luna Postal, George A. Smith, George Brubaker, Miss Julia A. 
Brubaker, Mrs. Jane McMunn, Mrs. Jane E. Reeve, and Mrs. Harriet 
Castle. 

On motion, it was resolved that the name of this church be styled 
the Presbyterian Church of St. Joseph. As to ecclesiastical connection, 
it was resolved that this church be under the care of the Lexington Pres- 
byterian Church of the United States of America. The congregation 
then elected George Brubaker a ruling elder in the church, which office, 
Mr. Brubaker having been previously ordained, consented to assume. 



"HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 477 

The log church was first permanently occupied in the winter of 1844- 
45. In the fall of the year 1844, the first Union Sabbath School was 
■organized, and a committee of ladies sent out for the purpose of making 
collections for the school. Joseph Robidoux, the founder of the city, 
made the first donation of ten dollars in money for the school. This 
was the first time a subscription paper had ever been carried around, 
and it elicited some practical jokes from its novelty among those who 
subscribed, and who are now among the oldest citizens. 

The log church was also occupied once a month by the Methodist 
denomination for some time, and twice a month, until their own church 
was built in 1846. In August of that year, trustees were appointed by 
the First Presbyterian Church, under the care of the Lexington Presby- 
tery, in connection with the "Constitutional General Assembly of the 
Presbyterian Church." During the same year, a building committee Was 
appointed to make the necessary arrangements for the erection of a new 
house of worship. Money was raised by subscription, and, in 1847, was 
■erected the brick building on the northeast corner of Fourth and Francis 
streets, in dimensions fifty feet front by sixty feet. The first services 
were held in the church in the winter of 1849-50. 

This building was used without interruption till the closing of the 
church and dispersion of the congregation in 1861, at the breaking out 
■of the civil war. It then passed through various hands, till it finally 
became, by purchase, the property* of the German congregation, now 
occupying it. 

As soon as the brick building was ready for occupancy, in the winter 
of 1848-49, the old log church, the first ever built in St. Joseph, was sold 
to the First Missionary Baptist Society. When the New School Church 
was organized in 1843. it consisted of but the ten members whose names 
we mentioned in the beginning of this article. In 185 i, the congregation 
numbered one hundred and five members, and from the date of its orga- 
nization to July, 1858, the number of names had increased to one hun- 
dred and seventy-two. During the existence of this church, from its 
organization in 1843 to its dissolution in 1861, there were entered on its 
books the names of one hundred and ninety-five communicants. 

The Rev. T. S. Reeve, the first pastor of the church, continued his 
labors till the spring of 1855. From that time to the spring of 1857, the 
church was supplied by ministers from the Presbytery and traveling 
preachers in search of new locations. In 1857, the Rev. Frederick R. 
Gallager accepted a call from the church in St. Joseph, and began his 
labors in the summer of the same year, at a salary of one thousand 
dollars a year. 

At the end of his pastoral year, he resigned, and the church was with- 
out a minister until the spring of i860, when the Rev. P. E. Sheldon was 
called to the charge of the church. He discharged the duties of pastor 

30 



478 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

one year, at a salary of one thousand dollars. At the close of his annual 
term, the action of the Synod of Missouri, together with the difficulties 
occasioned by the war, resulted in the closing of the church and disband- 
ing of the congregation, many of whom then united with various churches 
in St. Joseph, several forming in part the present Westminster Church, 
some uniting with the Old School and others joining the Baptist, Con- 
gregational, etc. 

The Sabbath School of this church, was in its day, one of the best 
attended and most successfully conducted in the city. It numbered at 
one time from one hundred and fifty to two hundred scholars. The 
existing church book shows the following record : One suspended and 
afterwards reinstated ; eighteen died ; seventeen marriages took place ; 
fifty infants were baptized ; sixty-four adult baptisms took place in the 
church, snd seventy-six were dismissed by letter. 

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The Westminster Presbyterian Church was organized in St. Joseph 
on the 9th of May, 1863. The church, at that time, numbered but twenty 
members, and was, for several months, without a regular pastor, different 
ministers preaching as occasion demanded and opportunity offered. 

On the 31st of January, 1864, the Rev. B. B. Parsons, D.D., of Illi- 
nois, preached his first sermon to tUis congregation, and in May follow- 
ing was duly installed pastor, in charge of the Westminster Presbyterian 
Church. \ 

The original elders of this church were : Joseph Lambright and 
Elbridge Gurney ; the deacons were Captain George Lyon, Robert F. 
Maxwell and Guy C. Barton, Esq. 

The church at this time occupied as a place of worship McLaughlin's 
Hall, on the corner of Second and Francis Streets. In January, 1864, 
John DeClue and Willis M. Sherwood were elected elders, which position 
they have held with credit to themselves and honor to the church. 

In October, 1866, the stone chapel on Felix, between Seventh and 
Eighth Streets, was completed and dedicated. This was designed to 
serve the purpose of a wing to the main body of a building which it was 
the intention of the congregation to erect at some future period, as 
necessity demanded and ability warranted. The lot on which the build- 
ing stands was donated to the church by Mr. E. Gardney. This, with 
the building, was valued at $21,500; indeed, such was the actual cost. 

The chapel is a small but massive stone structure of the Gothic 
order, and was, we believe, the first building roofed with slate in the city. 
Had the edifice been completed on the plan of its original design it 
would have presented one of the most attractive architectural features of 
the town. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. " 479 

On the loth of January, Dr. Parsons having resigned his pastoral' 
charge, was dismissed by the Presbytery. The Rev. Henry Bullard, the 
present (1881) minister in charge, began his pastoral labors in St. Joseph 
in May, 1868. In October, 1872, the church, having abandoned the idea 
of completi ng their new building on Felix Street, purchased the property 
known as the Sixth Street Presbyterian Church, located on Sixth, just 
below Faroan Street. The consideration of this purchase was the con- 
veyance of the Felix Street property, each being valued at about $20,0(X). 

At the time of this tranfer, the Old School Presbyterian Church, on' 
Sixth Street, generally known as the Sixth Street Presbyterian Church, 
was completed. For several years it had remained in an unfinished 
state — nothing but a spacious and massive basement, with a temporary 
roofing of black composition, rising but a few feet above the neighboring 
sidewalks, and presenting a singularly gloomy and unattractive appear- 
ance. The superstructure that was raised on the basement compares 
favorably with any similar edifice in the city. It is a solid brick, 60x100 
feet, chaste in design, and comfortably fitted up for an audience of four 
hundred. This church, in 1873, numbered two hundred and fifty mem- 
bers. In the spacious and commodious basement story, used so many 
years as a place of worship by the Old School Presbyterian Church, the 
Westminster Sunday School meets every Sunday, and is in a flourishing 
condition, having a large membership. The building was occupied in 
1867, by the Presbyterians, who remained true to the General Assembly. 
Among their ministers, was the Rev. Mr. Gill, who remained two or 
three years, as did, also. Rev. Mr. Newell, who preceded him. 

THE NORTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

In September, 1869, a chapel was erected and dedicated on the 
corner of Third and Isabelle streets. This was accomplished mostly by 
funds furnished by Westminster Church, under whose care a Sunday 
School was immediately started in the new building, with S. M. Markle 
as Superintendent. • 

In October, 1873, this resulted in the organization of a church of 
eleven members, now located on the corner of Third and Isabelle streets 
and known by the name and stjde of the North Presbyterian Church, of 
which John F. Riggs and B. D. Elliott were elected Elders. On the 14th 
of October, 1873, the Rev. W. H. Isley was installed as pastor of this 
church. The building is a small frame 20x45 ^^^t, and cost, with the lot, 
$ 1 ,600. 

OAK GROVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

is a small frame structure outside of the city limits, and on the eleva- 
tion beyond the New Ulm Gardens. It was built in 1870. Services 



48o • HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. , 

were at first, from time to time, held by young ministers. The first reg- 
ular pastor was Rev. T. D. Roberts. At present (1881) services are held 
there every Sunday afternoon by the Rev. Henry Bullard, pastor of the 
Westminster Presbyterian Church in St. Joseph. 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH. 

In the year 1843, the Rev. Edward Robinson, preacher in charge of 
the St. Joseph Circuit, organized the first class in St. Joseph. The 
leader of this class was John F. Carter, and the other members of the 
same were Rufus Patchen, Clara Patchen, Mrs. Jane Kemper and Mrs. 
Sarah Jeffries. 

At the time of the organization of this class, the Rev. William W. 
Redman was the presiding elder of the district which included St. 
Joseph. The first permanent organization of the church in the town 
occurred in the early part of the year 1844, and the first preacher in 
charge was the Rev. E. Robinson, who effected the organization. The 
building occupied by the congregation at the time was a small frame on 
Main Street, once occupied by David J. Heaton as a furniture store and 
shop, and during the space of nearly two years the congregation met and 
worshipped in this humble and primitive structure. The number of the 
membership at that time we have been unable definitely to ascertain, 
but it was doubtless small, though from the beginning the blessing of 
God seems to have rested on the infant organization, which to-day has 
increased to comparatively giant proportions, and constitutes one of the 
leading Protestant churches of St. Joseph. 

In the fall of 1844, the Rev. Reuben Aldridge was preacher in 
charge of the St. Joseph Circuit, and the Rev. Benjamin R. Baxter, .was 
assistant preacher. The presiding elder during that period was the Rev. 
Thomas Chandler. Mr. Aldridge served until the year 1845, when he 
was succeeded as preacher in charge by the Rev. George W. Love, who 
served the church in that capacity for one year. 

During that period, the Rev. William KetonVas presiding elder. 
His term of office continued till the year 1847. From 1846 to 1847, the 
Rev. John A. Tutt had charge of the church. During that period the 
congregation having largely increased in numbers, began to feel the 
necessity of a more commodious and suitable house of worship. Accord- 
ingly on a lot on the corner of Felix and Third Streets, donated for that 
purpose by Joseph Robidoux, when he located the town, was erected a 
brick church, forty by sixty feet in extent. This was the first church 
building owned in St. Joseph by the Methodist Episcopal Church South. 
It was used as their only place of public worship for eleven years, and 
was vacated in the year 1857, when the building was sold for $5,700, 
and the proceeds applied to the erection of a new church, which the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 481 

wants of a largely increased and increasing congregation urgently 
demanded. 

From 1847 to 1848, the Rev. Edwin Robinson was preacher in 
charge, and the Rev. William Patton presiding elder. In the fall of 
1848, the church in St. Joseph was made a station, with the Rev. Wm. 
M. Rush, as pastor, and the Rev. Wm. Patton, as presiding elder. At 
this time the Sabbath School was established, which is to-day one of 
the model institutions of our city. The following named persons appear 
on the records at that time as members of the official board : J. B. Smith, 

B. Sherwood, D. J. Morrow and Simeon Kemper, stewards ; D. K. 
Harding, class leader. This arrangement continued from 1848 to 1849. 
From the latter period to the following year, 1850, the Rev. William M. 
Rush was pastor, and the Rev. William Patton presiding elder. 

During that year, the same official list existed with the addition of 
D. J. Heaton and L. Stigers to the Board of Stewards. From 1850 to 
1852. the Rev. Wm. Holmes was pastor and the Rev. Wm. Patton was 
presiding elder during the first year, succeeded by the Rev. Wm. G. 
Caples, during the second year of that term. During the year 185 1, the 
following additions appear in connection with the official board : A. B. 
Lyon, class leader ; John Armour and S. K. Miller, stewards ; James 
Kay, leader and steward. During the year 1852, George T. Hoagland's 
name appears as leader and steward. He was, at that time, with Dr. 
Silas McDonald, also added to the board of trustees. At the quarterly 
conference for the year 1852, George T. Hoagland was licensed to preach 
the Gospel. From 1852 to 1854, the Rev. C. I. Vandeventer was pastor, and 
the Rev. Wm. G. Caples wss presiding elder. During the year 1854, Wm. 

C. Toole was chosen local deacon, and Allen H. Vories, Esq., Superintend- 
ent of the Sabbath School. During the summer of 1854, the first par- 
sonage owned by the church in this city, was purchased for the sum of 
nine hundred dollars. It was a small, but new and neat building, lo- 
cated on the east side of Sixth Street, between Francis and Felix Streets 
and was first occupied as a parsonage by the Rev. C. I. Vendeventer. 
The building is still standing. In the same year, the two lots on the 
northwest corner of Francis and Seventh Streets, occupied as the site of 
the church building, now owned and used by the church, were purchased 
by the Rev. George T. Hoagland for the sum of $500, and sold to the 
trustees of the church for the same price. From 1854 to 1855, the Rev. 
B. A. Spencer was pastor, and the Rev. W. G. Caples was presiding 
elder. During this year, the name of B. S. Cox appears as licensed ex- 
horter. From 1855 to 1856, the Rev. Samuel W. Cape was pastor, and 
the Rev. Wm. Perkins presiding elder. During this year the name of 
Henry Dunster appears on record as local preacher. From 1856 to 
1858, the Rev. E. R. Miller was pastor, and the Rev. Wm. Perkins pre- 
siding elder. 



482 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

In January, 1857, the old church building was sold to the St. Joseph 
Insurance Company for the sum of $5,375. 

During the year 1858, the name of Dr. John Bull appears on the 
records as local preacher, and J. B. Jennings, steward. 

During the administration of Mr. Miller, in the year 1858, on the 
lots on the corner of Francis and Seventh streets, before referred to, 
and deeded to the church by the Rev. George T. Hoagland, the present 
spacious and elegant edifice, known as the Francis Street Methodist 
Church, South, was erected, with the adjoining parsonage, at a cost o^ 
about thirty thousand dollars ; the proceeds of the sale of the old par- 
sonage and church amounting to $7,375, having been applied to aid in 
the erection of the new building. 

The new building is eighty feet long by fifty feet wide, and the 
basement forty-seven by fifty-seven feet in the clear. The audience 
room is sixty-seven by forty-seven feet in the clear, altogether, one of 
the most substantial and attractive ecclesiastical edifices in the city. 
The site of the old church is now occupied by the present (1881) Bank 
•of St. Joseph, formerly the German Savings Bank. 

About the year 1858, the name of Robert Kay, a colored man, is 
mentioned as an exhorter, although he had officiated in this capacity 
among his people for several years previous to that period. From 1858 
to 1859, the Rev. W. G. Berryman was pastor, and the Rev. Wm. Perkins 
presiding elder. The church at this time numbered 230 communicants. 
At the inference of 1859, ^h^ station was left to be supplied. Two or 
three months afterwards, the presiding elder, the Rev. W. G. Berryman, 
secured the services of the Rev. E. G. Nicholson, who served as pastor 
from that time till the close of the year. 

During the early part of the conference year, the pulpit was chiefly 
supplied by the Rev. George T. Hoagland, local preacher, who at this 
time, and previously, also, had frequent appointments in the country, 
and who, especially during the sessions of the annual conferences, in the 
absence of the regular pastors, as well as in connection with them, ren- 
dered much valuable service to the church, not only in preaching, but 
also in visiting the sick and in burying the dead. 

From i860 to 1861, the Rev. W. M. Rush was pastor, and the Rev. 
Horace Brown was presiding elder, while the Rev. John R. Taylor was 
in charge of the St. Joseph Mission. During the year, the name of 
Richard Fisher appears as Superintendent of the North St. Joseph Sab- 
bath School, and the names of Samuel Lockwood and Robert A. Britton 
as stewards. 

From 1 86 1 to 1862, the Rev. W. M. Rush was pastor, and the Rev. 
Jesse Bird presiding elder. During this year, the Rev. Wm. M. Rush was 
prohibited from preaching to his congregation b}- the militar}^ authori- 
ties, and soon after the church building was placed in the hands of a 




FELIX STREET, ST. lUSEPH, EOOKINe; EAST 



484 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.. 

committee of its own member.s. The church was occasionally occupied 
by ministers invited by them, but was without any regular pastor until 
the services of the Rev. Henry H. Hedgpeth were obtained. The 
Rev. Middleton R.Jones was at this time presiding elder. The records 
fail to show what changes, if any, occurred in the official board about 
this time. From 1864 to 1865, the Rev. Wm. M. Leftwich was pastor, 
and the Rev. H. H. Hedgpeth presiding elder. In 1867, the names of 
W. R. Johnson, Samuel S. McGibbons, and Thomas Ashton were added 
to the official board as stewards, and, in 1868, the names of James L. 
Hanna, Wm. J. Bigerstaff, Wm. H. Woodring and Isaac Owens. From 
1868 to 1872, the Rev. C. I. Vandeventer was pastor, and the Rev. Wm. 
M. Rush, the Rev. Willis E. Dockery, and the Rev. W. A. Mahew, were 
presiding elders. Mr. Vandeventer served as pastor in charge until 
September, 1872, when he was succeeded by the Rev. E. R. Hendrix. 

On the night of the 13th of July, 187 1, a terrific storm did great 
damage to the church building, blowing down one gable end, and badly 
injuring the east wall. The cost of the repairs amounted to $6,000.. 
During the repairing of the edifice, the congregation worshiped in the 
Sixth Street Presbyterian Church. 

From 187 1 to 1874, the names of John C. Evans, W. H. Woodring, 
John B. Hundley, Samuel Campbell and Hiram Patterson were added to 
the official board. The Francis Street Methodist Episcopal Church 
South established a Mission Sunday School, in the southern part of the 
city, about the year 1867, during the pastorate of the Rev. Wm. M. 
Leftwich, which was conducted by Allen H. Vories and Wm. J. Biger- 
staff. This mission school met in Huxley Hall, and was the nucleus of 
the 

TENTH STREET METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH. 

During the summer of 1869, the Rev. C. I. Vandeventer solicited 
and obtained subscriptions to purchase a lot on the southeast corner of 
Tenth and Patee Streets, at a cost of $1,000, which was aiterwards 
sold, and a lot and a half on the northwest corner of the same streets 
purchased for $1,300, for the purpose of erecting a church building in 
that part of the city. During the next year, 1870, subscriptions were 
obtained to build a house of worship, which was put up and enclosed and 
the basement room completed about the first of January, 1871. This 
house is a two-story brick building 36x55 feet. The prospective organiza- 
tion was left to be supplied by Bishop H. N. McTyiere, who, in 
December, 1870, transferred the Rev. M. M. Hawkins from the North 
Alabama Conference to the North Missouri Conference, and appointed 
him in charge of the work. Mr. Hawkins served one year, and in the 
fall of 1 87 1, the Rev. S. W. Atterberry was appointed to the charge. He 
served two years, to the fall of 1873, when he was succeeded by the Rev, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 485 

A. V. Bailey. The audience room of this church was completed during 
the summer of 1873, and dedicated by Bishop Marvin. The cost of the 
church, with the lots, was $6,500. The membership, in 1873, was 75, with 
a congregation of 220 in regular attendance. The Sunday school, at 
that date, numbered 190 scholars and 17 teachers. Rev. J. F. Linn was 
pastor in 1876-77. Rev. W. E. Dockery to 1881. 

AVENUE CHAPEL., 

In connection with the Francis Street Church, a mission was estab- 
lished in 1872, on Frederick Avenue, known as Avenue Chapel. Preach- 
ing was held here once a week, the organization being at the time prop- 
erly under the Rev. Mr. Hendrix. This building cost $1,200. The 
Sunday school was conducted under the supervision of J. L. Hanna, and 
numbered 120 scholars, with 12 officers and teachers. 

The- ministers of the Francis Street M. E. Church South, who suc- 
ceeded Rev. Dr. E. R. "Hendrix were, in turn. Rev. Thomas J. Gooche 
and Rev. E. K. Miller. 

THE METHODLST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

We have given a history of the Methodist Episcopal Church South 
in St. Joseph, and in that sketch we necessarily included a portion of the 
history of the mother church, for the reason that the two wings of the 
church here were one until 1849. At that time Rufus Patchen, Clara 
Patchen, John Brady, N. B. McCart and the Rev. A. J. Armstrong, local 
preacher, reorganized the old church under its proper title, the "Metho- 
dist Episcopal Church," without any geographical distinction. 

The preacher in charge of this church was the Rev. C. H. Kelley, a 
transfer from the Indiana Conference, and the presiding elder, the Rev. 
A. Still. They held their meetings sometimes at the house of Mr. 
McCart, and sometimes in the old log church, built and owned by the 
Presbyterians. 

A lot was soon purchased on Fifth Street, below Slyvanie, and in 
1850, under the direction of the Rev. J. W. Taylor, the ways and means 
for building a church were canvassed. With the Rev. G. W. Robinson, 
presiding elder from 1850 to 1854, and J. M. Chivington and Walter 
Perry, joint pastors in 185 1 and 1852, a brick church, 35x45 feet, was 
erected and remained in their possession till 1863, when it was sold 
under a deed of trust, to satisfy a debt of $1,600. 

In 1853, the Rev. M. T. Kleffer became pastor. During 1854 and 
1855, the church was under the care of J. H. Hopkins, as presiding elder^ 
the Rev. D. H. May, being presiding pastor. In 1856, the Rev. A. C. 
Clemens became pastor, and and J. M. Chivington presiding elder. In 
1857, the Rev. James Witten was placed over the district and served but 
seven months, the time of holding the Missouri Conference being 



486 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

changed from fall to spring. During this year, St. Joseph was included 
in a circuit and the Rev. J. H. Hopkins and the Rev. J. W. Caughlan 
had charge. At this period, the church must have been very weak, for a 
newspaper dated July 3d, 1858, says of it: "For some considerable 
time this church has been without any distinct organization. The Rev. 
Wm. Hanley has now been appointed to the charge and his first ser- 
vices will be held to-morrow." 

The Rev. T. H. Bratton, in 1858, succeeded Mr. Hanley, and 
remained in charge two years, the Rev. J. H. Hopkins being presiding 
■elder from 1858 to 1862. During 1861, the church was left to be supplied 
and the Rev. Richard Haney, a veteran Methodist preacher, famous in 
the annals of Illinois Methodism and Chaplain of the Sixteenth Illinois 
Regiment, which built the fortifications on Prospect Hill, occupied the 
pulpit most of the time till March, 1862, when the Rev. Alpha Wright 
was appointed by Bishop Simpson, and took charge of the church till 
September, 1863. About this time, the church below Sylvanie Street 
having been sold for debt, new officers were chosen and a new board of 
trustees were elected. These at first rented the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church, then situated on the corner of Sixth and Edmond Streets. 

They afterwards fitted up and furnished in an attractive style, a 
large room in the Odd Fellows' Hall, where they remained till the 9th 
of May, 1866,, when they dedicated and moved into the church on Fifth, 
between Francis and Jule Streets. In September, 1863, W. S. Went^ 
being presiding elder, the Rev. T. H. Hagerty, of the Rock River, Illi- 
nois, Conference, became pastor, and remained until May, 1865, when 
the Rev. J. T. Boyle, of Erie Conference, assumed charge, the Rev. 
Samuel Huffman being presiding elder, and holding that office from 1864 
to 1868. 

Under the united labors of the Rev. Mr. Hagerty and the Rev. Mr. 
Boyle, funds had been raised for the purchase and improvement of the 
present church property, and, soon after the Rev. W. G. Mattison became 
pastor, the church was solemnly dedicated to the service of Almighty 
God. The Rev. J. W. Flowers had charge of the church for two years, 
when the Rev. J. S. Barwick succeeded him in March, 1869, and re- 
mained for one year, exchanging places with the Rev. C. H. Stocking in 
March, 1870. In the meanwhile, the Rev. J. T. Boyle had been placed 
over the district as presiding elder, which office he filled until March, 
1872, when the Rev. Z. S. Weller was invited into the cabinet of the 
.bishop, and assigned to the St. Joseph District. The Rev. C. H. Stock- 
ing remained in charge three years — until March, 1873, when the Rev. 
W. H. Turner was appointed, but declined serving, whereupon Bishop 
Bowman invited to the position the Rev. D. J. Holmes. Under the 
pastorate of the Rev. C. H. Stocking, the Stocking Mission Sabbath 
.School was oreanized. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 487 

Rev. D. J. Holmes was succeeded in the pastorate in 1875 by Rev. 
S. W. Thornton. In 1877, he was succeeded by John Wayman, who 
became pastor. He was succeeded in 1880 by Rev. J. M. Greene. 

GERMAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

The congregation of the German Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
St. Joseph, was organized in March, 1849. The first pastor was the Rev. 
William Eliers, the communicants numbering ten. The ministers who 
followed in charge of the congregation, were in succession as follows : 
The Rev. C. F. Walther, Rev. David Huene, Rev. A. Holzbeierlin, Rev- 
Peter Hellweg, who assumed charge in 1852, the Rev. Wm. Schreck 
"Rev. R. Haveghorst, the Rev. C. Dreyer, the Rev. C. Bonn, who suc- 
ceeded to the pastoral charge of the church in 1858. 

The church building on Edmond Street, between Fifth and Sixth, 
was erected in 1852. A short time previous to the erection of the pres- 
ent brick church, on Third Street, this house, while undergoing repairs, 
was destroyed in a storm of wind. The lot on which it stood was then 
sold, and the site of the present church purchased. In 1858. the build- 
ing of the present church was commenced. This was during the pastor- 
ate of the Rev. Mr. Bonn. It was completed when the Rev. Charles 
Heidel took charge of the congregation, in October, 1859. Mr. Heiael 
served the church until 1861, when he was succeeded by the Rev. Philip 
Hener, who served one year. In 1862, the Rev. Gotleib Widman was 
appointed pastor. He died on the 23d April, 1863, before the term of 
his service expired. Xhe remainder of his clerical year was filled 
by Rev, Frederick Rinder. He was succeeded by the Rev. Jacob 
Feisel, who served until 1865, and was succeeded by the Rev. Philip 
Merkel, who continued in charge till 1867. The Rev. John G. Kost was 
minister in charge from 1867 to 1870, when he was succeeded by the 
Rev. Wm. Shiveind, who retired in 1871, when the Rev. Louis Harmel 
assumed the duties of pastor of the church. In 1873, the Rev. Jacob 
Tanner was the presiding elder. The German Methodist Episcopal 
Church prospered from its first establishment in St. Joseph, and its 
course has been one of encouraging harmony. Its membership, in 1873, 
was about 150. The church building is a plain, but substantial and neat, 
brick structure, on the southeast corner of Third and Robidoux Streets. 
It is provided with an airy and commodious basement, which is used for 
Sabbath School and other church purposes. The parsonage is a neat 
brick building in the rear of the church. These buildings were com- 
pleted at a cost of $10,000, including the ground they occupy. Rev. E. 
H. Kriege, in 1876, had partial charge of this church. In 1879, ^e was 
succeeded by the Rev. Jacob Tanner. In 1881, Rev. Henry Reamer 
.became pastor of this church. 



488 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

SOUTH ST. JOSEPH OR SECOND METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

was organized in 1875, before they erected a building for a place of wor- 
ship. The present neat gothic brick structure was erected on the corner 
of Twelfth and Renick Streets in the following year. Its value, with the 
lot on which it stands, is about $2,500. Rev. J. W. Newcomb was its 
first pastor. He was succeeded, in 1878, by Rev. L. A. Shumate. In 
1879, Rev. Samuel Huffman succeeded to the pastorate of this church. 
In the following year, Rev. Mr. Hall became pastor. The report of Jan- 
uary, 1881, shows the Rev. J. P. Boyle pastor. 

EBENEZER CHAPEL, AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 

is a neat and commodious gothic brick structure, on the corner of Third 
and Antoine Streets. The seating capacity of the audience room is 650. 
A large Sunday School is connected with the church. The building was 
erected in 1868. Among the later pastors of this church were Rev. 
Moses Dixon, a distinguished minister of the same. Rev. Anthony Morton,, 
and Rev. Mr. Harrod. 

One of the earliest religious associations established in St. Joseph 
was the 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This was first organized March 22d, 1845. It was an offshoot of what 
was then known as the " Dillin's Creek Church." 

The names of the members who constituted this, the original 
church in St. Joseph, were, Elijah Bush, Mrs. Jane Bush, afterwards Mrs. 
Pendleton, Mary J. Riney, Agnes Hall, John C. Hall, Emarine Hall, 
Rachael A. Eliot, Lucy Hall, Henderson Smallwood, Thomas Newman, 
Maria I. Newman, Lydia Adams, Thomas Price, Lucy Price, James J. 
Keaton, and Catherine Keaton. Henderson Smallwood was clerk at 
this meeting. 

At a subsequent meeting, held Saturday, April 26, 1845, the clerk 
not being present, the convention adjourned to the next evening, Sun- 
day, when it was agreed, first, that the church be styled " The St. Joseph 
Church." At this meeting. Elder Wm. Worely was received by letter. 
Thomas Price was chosen standing clerk for the St. Joseph Church, and 
H. Smallwood, treasurer. 

The first minister to hold divine service for this church, was Elder 
William Worely. This was on March 22d, 1845, the day of its organiza- 
tion. He was succeeded as minister by Elder Jas. I. Robinson, in July. 

1847- 

At a meeting held on the fourth Saturday in October of the same 
year, it was agreed that the church pay their pastor, Rev. Jas. R. Robin- 
son, one hundred dollars for his labors for one year,, instead of the fifty 



HISTORY OP' ST. JOSEPH. 489 

'dollars and his board, according to the first contract, and he pay all his 
own expense* 

During all this period, the Church was without a permanent place of 
worship of its own. Meetings were held in private houses and in rented 
rooms in different localities. At a meeting held on the fourth Saturday 
in February, 1848, a committee appointed to purchase the '"old log 
church," originally built and owned by the Presbyterians, as referred to 
in our sketch of that church, reported that the sum of forty-four dollars 
and forty cents had been paid on the same, and that there remained due 
and unpaid fifty-five dollars and sixty cents. At this meeting, Joel J. 
Penick was added to the committee intrusted with the purchase of the 
church, in place of Robinson, whose resignation was accepted. 

Among the earlier ministers who preached about this period, was 
Elder Neville Haycraft, being an active member of the church. At a 
meeting of the church, held July 22d, 1848, Rev. Isaiah T. Williams was 
chosen pastor for the ensuing year. 

At a regular meeting, held in October, 1849, Jonas D. Wilson 
accepted the position of agent to go abroad into Kentucky and solicit 
contributions for the purpose of building a suitable church in St. Joseph. 
The compensation agreed on was forty dollars per month and his neces- 
sary traveling expenses. 

At a meeting held in April, 1850, Rev. Isaiah T. Williams resigned 
pastoral charge of the church. He shortly afterward visited California. 

Saturday, September ?8, 1850, the church directed the trustees to 
purchase and receive the title bond for a lot of ground on the corner of 
Francis and Sixth Streets, for the use of the church for a building. 

December 28, 1850. at the regular meeting held on this day, the 
trustees were directed to apply to the Legislature of the State for an act 
of incorporation authorizing the church to hold property. On motion of 
J. M. Hawley, the name of the church was changed to its present (1881) 
style, the " First Baptist Church of St. Joseph, Missouri." 

May, 185 1, Rev. Squire L. Helm, of Kentucky, was called to the 
charge of the church. He accepted on condition of his not being 
required to enter upon his duties till the following fall, which was agreed 
to. This arrangement, however, it appears, was not accomplished. 

In October of the same year, the church agreed to move its place 
of meeting from the old log church to Mrs. Burr's schoolroom, which was 
accordingly done. The compensation which she received was four dol- 
lars per month for the use of the room and fuel till May ist, following. 

At a special meeting, called December 3d, 185 1, Rev. J. Hickman, of 
Kentucky, was invited to the pastoral charge of the church. On the 
27th of the same month, the church agreed to pay him $150 for his ser- 
vices as pastor until the April meeting, and if he remained longer he 
should be paid at the rate of $400 a year. 



490 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

At a regular meeting, held Saturday, January 24, 1852, the trustees 
reported that they had sold the old log meeting-house at auction for $16.25^ 
on sixty days' credit. Of this building they had held possession nearly 
four years. The ground on which it stood was never the property of 
the Baptist Church. 

At a special meeting, held February 8, 1852, Robert W. Donnell, 
applied for membership upon relation of his christian experience, and 
was thereupon received into membership of the church, and entitled to 
its privileges so soon as baptized, which ordinance was administered by 
Elder Cline on the same day. 

It appears that, about the period of the close of the year 1852, the 
meetings of this church were held in the court house. 

September 20, 1852, Rev. W. F. Boyakin, of Illinois, was called to 
the pastoral charge of the church. 

March 26, 1853, he accepted the call and immediately assumed the 
duties of pastor. At a regular meeting, held May 15, 1853, Rev. W. F. 
Boyakin was appointed to represent the First Baptist Church of St. 
Joseph, in the coming General Association of United Baptists, of the 
State of Missouri. 

At special meeting, held September 15, 1853, Rev. W. F. Boyakin^ 
R. W. Donnell, J. J. Penick, Boon, Keeson and Dutzschky were chosen a 
building committee, and appointed to procure funds for the erection of 
a building for the purposes of a church. 

From 1854 to 1857 there seems to be a gap in the records of this 
church, and minute particulars of the occurrences in the history of the 
same, during that period, are not attainable. 

In 1856, during the pastorate of Rev. Wm. Price, a minister origin- 
ally from Kentucky, the present (1881) brick structure of the First Bap- 
tist Church, which stands on the southeast corner of Sixth and Francis 
Streets, was built. 

In November, 1859, Rev. William I. Gill accepted a call to the pas- 
torate of this church. Thisjie resigned March 18, i860. 

June 9, i860, a unanimous call to the charge of the church was 
extended to Rev. E. S. Dulin, D. D., L.L. D., and was by him accepted 
in the following month. In December, 1862, Dr. Dulin tendered his 
resignation of the pastorate ; but, at the unanimous desire of the con- 
gregation, was induced to withdraw his resignation. In March, 1864, he 
positively declined re-election, and was succeeded by the Rev. T. 
W. Barrett, of Leavenworth City, Kansas. On the 30th April, 1864, he 
entered upon his pastoral duties, which he continued to discharge till 
April, 5, 1865, when his resignation was accepted by the church. 

On the 6rh July, of the same year. Rev. Jos. R. Manton, of Provi- 
dence, Rhode Island, accepted a call to the pulpit of this church, which, 
in view of ill-health, he resigned in April, 1868. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 49I 

He was succeeded, in July, 1868, by Rev. Dr. Jas. Dixon, of Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin, who continued in the pastorate till February, 1870, when 
he resigned. 

In November, 1870, Rev. J. M. C. Breaker, a man of distinguished 
ability, accepted a call to the charge of the church, the duties of which 
he discharged till October, 1876, when his resignation was reluctantly 
accepted. 

He was succeeded by the present incumbent. Rev. Wm. Harris, of 
Louisville, Kentucky, in May, 1877. 

This, the First Baptist Church of St. Joseph, is a large and well 
appearing brick building on the corner of Sixth and Francis Streets, 
fronting on the former, from which it is approached by a flight of steps. 
In a lofty basement, extending beneath the entire building, is taught 
one of the largest Sunday Schools in the city. This has been (1881) for 
the past eighteen years, superintended by W. W. Bernard. Adjoining 
the church, in the rear, and fronting on Francis Street, is the parsonage, 
a neat and commodious two story brick residence, built in 1868, at a cost 
of $4,000. The estimated value of the whole of this church property is 
$18,000. 

A prosperous Mission Sunday School in South St. Joseph is under 
the superintendency of H. G. Wall<er, Esq. 

The First Baptist Church was incorporated under the State law in 
June, 1872. 

THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH, 

a neat frame structure on the corner of Twelfth and Penn Streets, was 
erected in 1871. It is generally well attended, and has always main- 
tained a prosperous Sunday School. 

THE FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH 

is reported in the New Year's papers of 1875 as having an organization, 
in charge of the Rev. James Hummer, at the Sixth Street Market House, 
in North St. Joseph. In the following year, they are rep'brted as Free 
Communion Baptists, with the same place of worship, a membership of 
eighty-four and a Sunday School of no pupils, superintended by Dr. 
Blackburn. 

The minister in charge of the church, at this time, was Rev. O. S. 
Harding. In January, 1877, Rev. Claib Williams is mentioned as pastor 
of the church, with a membership of eighty in his charge. 

The New Year's report of 1878, referring to this church reads, "sixty 
members, no pastor and no building." 

The report of 1879, speaks of "The Mission Sunday School," an 
organization under control of the First Baptist Church, and located on 
North Sixth Street, Dr. J. T. Westover, Superintendent. 



492 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE FRANCIS STREET MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH (COLORED). 

The place of worship of this organization is a handsome brick struc- 
ture, on Francis Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The lot 
on which it stands cost $900. The building measures 72x38 feet. It 
was commenced in 1874, and afterwards completed at a cost of about 
$10,000. Rev. W. W. Stewart, the present (188 1) minister, has been 
for many years pastor in charge of this congregation, which is said to be 
the largest in the city. A numerously attended Sunday School is also a 
feature of this church. The colored Baptists of St. Joseph had a large 
organization in the city long prior to the building of this church. 

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 

This great and rapidly increasing religious organization was initi- 
ated in 1809, by Thomas Campbell, a preacher of piety and distinction 
among the Seceders, aided by his son Alexander, to whose ability and 
energy its successful progress is mainly attributed, and by whom it has 
been chiefly directed. 

In the year 1844, Elder Duke Young, of the Christian Church, 
preached the first discourse in the then village of St. Joseph, at the pri- 
vate residence of Mrs. Northcutt, on Second Street, near the Market 
Square. In 1845, Mr. Shackleford, a private member of the church, 
made an effort to gather the few members for social worship in what 
was known as the Kemper school house. At the first meeting there 
were only three persons present, to wit : Mr. Shackleford, Mrs. Boyd 
and Mrs. Preston Moss. These meetings were continued through the 
summer and fall of 1845. ^^^ 1847, Elder Duke Young held a protracted 
meeting in the court house. The congregation continued to hold its 
meetings from house to house till 1850, when the church was organized. 

Dr. S. D. Overstreet, and Allen G. Mansfield, were the elders. The 
meetings, after the organization, were held in the court house, until 1858, 
when the chui»ch edifice on the corner of Third and Robidoux Streets, 
was erected. During these years, the conversion of Elder J. J. Wyatt 
occurred, and from the time of his conversion until 1858, he supplied the 
pulpit, with occasional assistance. On the death of Dr. Overstreet, Mr. 
Wyatt was elected to the eldership, and filled the pulpit until 1859, vvhen 
Mr. M. E. Lard became the pastor of the church. Mr. Lard resigned 
after the breaking out of the civil war, when Elder J. J. Wyatt again 
served the church until 1866, when Elder W. C. Rogers was called. 
Upon the resignation of Elder Rogers, Elder Wyatt again supplied the 
pulpit until 1869, when Elder John Lindsay succeeded him. Elder Lind- 
say resigned in 1870, and Elder Wyatt again supplied the pulpit until 
1872, when he voluntarily resigned. October ist, 1872, Elder Thomas 




CHRISTIAN CHURCH AND ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL. 



31 



494 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

P. Haley took charge of the church. He was succeeded by Elder John 
H. Duncan, in December, 1876, who in turn was followed by Elder John 
B. Corwin. Elder M. M. Good is now (1881) pastor. 

The new Christian Church, on the corner of Tenth and Edmond 
Streets, was built in 1874-75- The lot on which it stands was purchased 
from Isaac Curd, for the sum of $2,200. 

The building is a handsome brick edifice, with a seating capacity in 
the main audience room of 700. Its cost was about $15,000. John 
DeClue, the contractor, took in part payment, the old church building 
on Third Street, at a valuation of $3,500. The membership of this 
church is large, and a correspondingly large Sunday School is attached- 

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

On the 14th day of September, 185 1, the first missionary service of 
the Episcopal Church was held in St. Joseph, in a small room on Jule 
Street, afterwards occupied as the residence of Wm. A. Davis, the post- 
master. There were but five members in the place at that time. These 
included Mrs. Nancy Taylor, Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Jas. Owen, Mr. and Mrs. 
Cargel. On the 14th of April, 1852, a parish was organized, and a small 
frame building on the northwest corner of Jule and Third Streets, was 
purchased and fitted up at a cost of about $1,000. 

The Rev. M. McNamara remained in charge of this church about 
fourteen months. In March, 1854, the Rev. W. N. Irish, on the resigna- 
tion of Mr. McNamara, took charge of the parish. He administered his 
first communion to four persons, the membership numbering only seven. 
In 1856, a lot on the northeast corner of Francis and Seventh Streets, 
was purchased for a church building. In August, 1857, the corner-stone 
of the new building was laid. The foundation was subsequently aban- 
doned. 

In November, 1858, the Rev. W. R. Pickman took charge of the 
church. In February, i860, a neat frame building was erected for a par- 
sonage on the corner of Francis and Seventh Streets, at a cost of $1,700. 
Mr. Pickman remained in charge of the church till October, i860, when 
he resigned, leaving a congregation of fifty-three communicants. 

In October, i860, the Rev. R. H. Weller, became rector of the 
church. On the 20th of December, 1862, the parsonage was accidently 
destroyed by fire. A lot north of the church, 60x120, was purchased 
with a frame building for a parsonage. In June, 1864, the church build- 
ing was extended twenty-five feet in the rear, forming an addition of 
chancel, choir, vestry room and twenty-two pews, which cost $2,000. 

On the 15th of October, 1866, the Rev. R. H. Weller resigned his 
charge of the parish and removed from St. Joseph. On the i8th of 
October the Rev. W. C. Hopkins commenced services as rector of Christ 
Church. About this time an aid society was organized from among the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 495 

members of the church. Between January and May, 1867, more than 
$2,000 of the parish debt was paid. In March of the samCv year, a par- 
ish school was commenced in the parsonage, with the Rev. C. F. D. 
Lyne, who had just been elected assistant minister of the parish, as 
principal. 

In 1867, a library association, of young people of the parish, was 
organized in the parsonage, for mutual, literary, social and spiritual 
improvement, and for the accumulation of a good library for adults. On 
the 30th of August, 1867, the Rev. W. C. Hopkins tendered his resigna- 
tion, to take effect November 15, 1867, which was accepted. On the 2d 
of Septerr^ber, the parish school commenced Michaelmas term, in a 
room over Sandusky's grocery store, on the corner of Edmond and Sixth 
Streets, with the Rev. Lyne, principal, assisted by Mrs. G. M. Teale. 

In January, 1867, the Mission Sunday School was revived with about 
eighty pupils, and afternoon services were commenced in the Hannibal 
& St. Joseph Railroad station house. On the 8th of July, 1867, the. Rev. 
Lyne began his missionary work at that point. On the i8th of October 
of the same year, was organized Christ Church Branch Co-operative Mis- 
sionary Society. Between the 12th and 15th of November, following, 
the convocation of North Missouri met in Christ Church. Nine clergy- 
men were present, including the Right Reverend T. H. Vail, Bishop of 
Kansas, who confirmed thirteen persons. On the 15th of November the 
first service of the St. Joseph Mission was held in P. A. Huxley's new 
hall. Rev. W. C. Hopkins preached here his last sermon. During the 
period of his ministry, fifty-seven were added to the church, and forty- 
two were baptized. T4ie Rev. Lyne resigned as assistant minister. 

In November, 1867, Rev. W. R. Pickman was recalled, and served 
as rector until April, 1869, when he resigned. Rev. Wm. Phillips suc- 
ceeded Mr. Pickman, and served until January, 1871. From January ist, 
1871, to June 1st of same year, the parish was vacant. On the ist of 
June, 1871, Rev. Dr. Runcie took the pulpit of the parish, and has 
remained in charge to the present time (1881). He also superintends 
the large Sunday school of this church. 

December 24, 1876, the old, patched-up frame building of Christ 
Church was destroyed by f^j-e. The only article of value saved from the 
flames was the organ, and this was recovered in a damaged condition- 
The present edifice was speedily erected on the site of the burnt build- 
ing, the new church fronting on Seventh, instead of on Francis, as did 
the original building. 

The new edifice of Christ Church, which was completed about a year 
after the fire, is, with the exception of the Cathedral, the most spacious, 
and, in point of design and finish, the most elegant ecclesiastical struc- 
ture in the city. It is of brick, trimmed with free stone, and its graceful 
and towering spire renders it a conspicuous object of the town. 



496 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The seating capacity of this church, exclusive of the organ loft, is 
seven hundred and twenty-five. The cost of this building was about 
twenty thousand dollars. 

The corner-stone was laid in July, 1877, and the first services were 
held in November of the same year. The building was completed Feb- 
ruary I, 1878. This church has a large membership. 

HOLY TRINITY MISSION OF CHRIST CHURCH, 

For several years a prosperous Sunday School organization, holding 
services in the German Evangelical Church, in South St. Joseph, com- 
pleted in the spring of 1881, a neat frame church structure, on the north- 
east corner of Thirteenth and Monterey Streets. Services are held here 
by Rev. Dr. Runcie, rector of Christ Church. 

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The church of which the present congregation is a development, 
was organized on the 12th of January, 1854, by a committee of the 
Presbytery of " Upper Missouri." The organization was effected in the 
parlor of Mrs. Susan N. Combs. The following are the names of the or- 
iginal members of this organization : Dr. O. Brown, C. C. Carson, 
James Dysart, Mrs. Susan N. Combs, Mrs. E. Carson, Mrs. L. Dysart, 
Mrs. L. Fore, Mrs. L. Fulkerson, Dr. James E. Hewlett, Francis Irvvine, 
James M. Irwine, Mrs. Louisa C. Irwine, Mrs. N. D. Langford, Mrs. 
Hettie Monroe, John Montgomery, Mrs. E. Montgomery, Mrs. Wm. 
Sublette, Mrs. S. S. Sublette, Wm. Varnarsdale and George C. Venable. 

The first elders of the Church were : Dr. O. Brown, C. C. Carson 
and James Dysart, and others were chosen as the church grew, the 
names of whom, as far as can be ascertained, are as follows : John 
Colhoun, 1854; James E. Hewlett, 1855 ; James McConnell and Alexan- 
der Smiley, 1856; Joseph Venable and J. B. Howard, 1857 ; J. F. Bruner, 
John Williams, Charles W. Campbell and E. E. Bacon, 1864; Thomas R. 
Smith and J. B. Lorance, 1868. 

The deacons: James E. Hewlett, Wm. Sublette, George Venable, 
E. B. Neely, George Lyon, Cyrus E. Robst, E. A. Hitchcock, John A. 
Varnarsdale, E. E. Colhoun, John Williams, Louis Huggins, Thomas E. 
Tootle, Edward W^elsh, Robert Douglas, Christian Kessler, Nelson P. 
Smith, Thomas R. Smith, C. B. France, Wm. E. Hosea, R. L. McDonald, 
Walter P. Sanders and Daniel McDonald. 

This church had no regular pastor till the fall of 1855, when the 
Rev. A. V. C. Schenck took charge of it, occupying as a place of worship 
a hall over the Market House. The Rev. Mr. Schenck was installed in 
February, 1856, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, then located 
on the corner of Third and Felix streets. During the winter of 1856, 
Mr. Schenck resigned his pastorate, and in April, 1857, his pastoral rela- 
tion was finally dissolved by the Presbytery. In the spring of 1858, the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 497 

Rev. John G. Fackler became the pastor. At that time a small room 
was used by the congregation over the drug store of Mr. Stuppy on 
Fifth Street. Number of communicants at the time, was fifty-four. The 
congregation soon secured a larger room, in the second story of a build- 
ing on Felix Street, which was occupied by the church in July, 1858. 
The services were held here until i860, when the congregation moved 
into the basement of the church on Sixth Street. 

Previous to this time, the church had been known and designated 
simply as "The Presbyterian Church, (O. S.) St. Joseph, Missouri," but 
thereafter the organization was known and called " Sixth Street Church." 
The civil war coming up, the building was not completed. In the winter 
of 1863, fourteen members withdrew for the purpose of forming the 
"Westminster Presbyterian Church." After a service of six years, in 
March, 1864, the Rev. John G. Fackler, in view of his declining health, 
resigned his pastoral charge. The Rev. A. P. Forman succeeded him in 
July, 1864, and remained in charge until 1870. 

In 1867, occurred the painful division of the congregation, with 
which many are familiar. This separation took place on the basis of a 
friendly and equitable division of the property belonging to the congre- 
gation ; that portion of the church adhering to the General Assembly 
receiving the unfinished building on Sixth Street, while those adhering 
to the old Synod of Missouri came in possession of the parsonage. 
There exists between the two churches no unfriendliness or unkindness. 
At the time of the division, the church had 180 members, 54 of these, 
remaining under the jurisdiction of the General i\ssembly, and those 
adhering to the Synod of Missouri adopted the name of the "First 
Presbyterian Church of St. Joseph, Missouri." The congregation being 
without a house in which to meet, secured the Academy of Music, and 
continued their services here until their new church was ready for occu- 
pancy. In September, 1870, the Rev. John G. Fackler resumed his pas- 
torate labors. 

The new church was dedicated on the 21st of January, 1872, with 
solemn and impressive ceremonies. The building, a brick structure, is 
one of the largest, most substantial, and tastefully finished churches in 
the West. It was completed in 1868, at a cost of near fifty thousand 
dollars. The main altar is wrought of pure white marble, and is an 
offering from the children of the church, bearing the inscription : " First 
Presbyterian Church — The Children's Offering, 1871." The bell of this 
church, which was cast in Baltimore, weighs over two tons, and cost, 
with fixtures, $1,500. The organ cost $4,500. 

In 1876, the Rev. R. S. Campbell, D. D., a distinguished graduate of 
the University of Dublin, assumed pastorate charge of this church, 
which he still (1881) retains. 

The Sunday school of this church is numerously attended. 



498 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 

was completed in 1881. It is a neat brick structure, on the north- 
west corner of Twelfth and Penn Streets. A very large and prosperous 
Sunday school is connected with this church. 

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

t 

The place of worship owned and occupied by this organization is a 
new gothic frame building, 40x60 feet, located on Edmond, between 
Ninth and Tenth Streets, and is provided with ante-rooms, choir loft, 
etc., and has seating capacity for three hundred persons. The building 
was erected in 1869, at a cost of about $6,000. The church was organ- 
ized on the I2th of May, 1867. The incorporators were L. L. Rich- 
mond and wife, Isaac Weightman and wife, E. Foote, Jr., and wife, Mrs. 
M. E. Montague, Mrs. M. W. Bliss, Mrs. E. M. and H. K. White, Esq. 
The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Wm. L. Bray. He served 
from November, 1867, to July, 1868, when, on account of ill health, he 
resigned. In July, 1868, he was succeeded by Rev. J. Crane, who 
remained till 1870, and then Rev. F. L. Kenyon took charge of the 
church, continuing till August, 1878, when he resigned. 

In 1873, the trustees were E. G. Sheldon, W. H. Campbell, Esq., and 
Joseph Durfee. The deacons were Wm. H. Campbell, Esq., and Mr. 
Joseph S. Ford, and the clerk was H. K. White, Esq. The church, 
beginning with eleven members, had, during 1873, upwards of sixty. A 
large Sunday school has always been connected with this church. This, 
for some time past, has been ably superintended by H. K. White, Esq., a 
prominent attorney of St. Joseph. 

Rev. W. R. Seaver, of Muskegon, Michigan, by invitation, assumed 
pastoral charge of the church in January, 1881. 

HEBREW CONGREGATION OF ADATH JOSEPPI. 

The oldest religious denomination in the world is the Jewish Church. 
A striking peculiarity of this venerable body is the fact that it has main- 
tained its existence intact through the space of more than eighteen hun- 
dred years, ensuing the capture of the Holy City by Titus, and that 
without a recognized leader, or any s}\stem of union which approximates 
' a general organization. 

Previous to 1859, the Israelitish congregation of St. Joseph occupied 
as a place of worship, a temporary hall on Felix Street. They then pur- 
chased and fitted up a small church building formerly owned by the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Sixth and Edmond 
Streets. This, shortly after its completion, was destroyed by fire. In 
1859, the present synagogue was commenced and completed the follow- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 499 

ing spring. In occupies a site on the corner of Sixth and Jule Streets. 
Though the exterior appearance of the building is Gothic, of the plainest 
style, the interior is strikingly chaste, elegant and attractive. 

Among the founders of the St. Joseph Synagogue, were Joseph Leo- 
pold, David Westheimer, Joseph Oppenheimer, Charles Eppstein, 
Schwabucher, and perhaps some others of whose names we are not at 
present informed. The Jews have numerous benevolent institutions 
throughout the United States. Prominent among these, is the widely 
extended charitable association known as the Sons of the Covenant. It 
consists of a grand lodge, which meets annually to direct the general 
interests of the order. The subordinate elements of the organization 
consist of the seven or eight districts into which the United States is 
divided. St. Joseph is in District No. 2, commonly known as the Cincin- 
nati District. 

Rev. S. Kaufmann was rabbi of the synagogue till 1875, when he was 
succeeded by Rev. S. Gerstmann, who served till 1879, when he was suc- 
ceeded by the present (1881) rabbi, Rev. Doctor Isaac Schwab. 

THE GERMAN EVANGELICAL ZION'S CHURCH. 

was organized in St. Joseph in 1865, with Rev. A. H. Kirchoff as pastor. 
The building occupied by them stands on the corner of Fourth and 
Francis. It was sold under a deed of trust and became the property of 
this church in 1865. The first pastor of the congregation was Rev. A. 
H. Kirchoff. He remained in charge till 1874, when he was succeeded 
by Rev. C. Nestel, the present (1881) minister. The congregation 
includes forty families. A prosperous Sunday School is attached to the 
church. 

This was the "old brick church," built by the new school Presbyte- 
;rians in 1847, and the second ecclesiastical structure of any kind erected 
in the city, the first having been the •' old log church," mentioned in the 
history of the Presbyterian Church, and referred to in other sketches in 
this history. 

In April, 1881, the German Evangelical Zion's Church sold this 
ancient landmark of St. Joseph, with the elevated lot 80x240 feet, on 
which it stands, to A. M. Saxton, for $11,000. The work of grading 
•down the lot forty feet to the level of Francis Street, for the purpose of 
erecting a bank structure, was immediately inaugurated, Mr. Saxton 
permitting that portion on which the buildings of the church and 
parsonage stand to remain till October, 188 1, when the congregation will 
move to their new church on the corner of Ninth and Jule Streets. The 
lot on which this is being erected cost $4,000, and the church and par- 
.sonage will cost between $9,000 and $10,000. 



500 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE SECOND GERMAN EVANGELIC.\L CHURCH, 

• 
organized in 1874, owns and occupies a neat brick building of recent 
construction. It stands on the corner of Thirteenth and Monterey 
Streets, and was completed at a cost of $5,000. Rev. Julius Kramer was 
pastor of the church till the close of the year 1876, when he was suc- 
ceeded by Rev. F. Grabeau. January, 1878, Rev. F. Grabeau was still 
reported pastor with a membership of forty families, and eighty-five in 
the Sunday school. January, 1881, Rev. F. Weltge is reported as the 
successor of Rev. F. Grabeau, and the church as having a membership 
of twenty-five families. 

GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH. 

In 1875, this church occupied the building on the corner of Third 
and Robidoux Streets, formerly owned by the " Christians," and now 
(1881) used to accommodate a medical college. The report of January, 
1876, gives a membership of twenty-five, under the pastoral charge of 
Rev. J. Heineger. and a Sunday School of seventy-five scholars. No 
change is reported till January, 1879, when Rev. C. F. Kaessman appears 
as minister. The same report appears in January, 1880. 

THE CHURCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION, 

occupies a frame building on the corner of Eleventh and Lafayette 
Streets, valued at $1,200. Rev. H. Walte is reported as minister in 1880 
and 1 88 1. In the report of the latter year, is a Sunday school of fifty 
pupils attached to. the church, and superintended by A. Fick. 

REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. 

This church has an organization in the city with a considerable 
membership. They are at present unprovided with a building of their 
own, but worship in a hall in Tootle's Opera building. This is the 
reorganized, or as it is contended, the veritable church, ignoring the 
doctrine of polygamy, which they claim to be an innovation and cor- 
ruption of the true and ancient faith. The organization in St. Joseph 
has been in existence since 1870. Joseph Smith, the son of the original 
Mormon prophet, visited this congregation and preached several times 
during his visit to St. Joseph, in November, 1873. 

THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN DENOMINATION 

Organized themselves into a church in St. Joseph on the 21st of August 
1 88 1. The name given the church was that of Zion. The pastor called 
by them. Rev. M. Grosse, was ordained and inducted into the pastoral 
charge of this new church. The services were conducted by Rev. Mr. 
Zschochr, of Atchison. Kansas. The following Trustees were elected : 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 501 

F. W. Schmidt, E. H. W. Baden and John Schmidt. Services will be 
held regularly every Sabbath, for the present in Temperance Hall, corner 
of Sixth and Edmond Streets. A church edifice of their own will be 
erected soon, active steps looking to this end having already been taken. 
Now that every church in the city has its own Sunday School, it 
will be a matter of interest to know that one of the earliest enterprises of 
general benevolence in St. Joseph, was the establishment of a 

SUNDAY SCHOOL, 

the first organized in Buchanan County. The following record, which 
we take from the original document, speaks for itself: 

Pursuant to a notice given by Rev. T. S. Reeve, the citizens of St. 
Joseph and vicinity met at the Presbyterian Church on Sabbath, the 22d 
of December, 1844, at two o'clock, P. M., to take into consideration the 
organization of a Sunday School in the town of St. Joseph. At this 
meeting, Rev. T. S. Reeve presided. Remarks illustrating the utility of 
such school being made by the person presiding, and others, it was 
resolved that such a school was necessary and practicable, and that such 
school be organized. 

It was also resolved that L Landis be Superintendent, and George 
Brubaker be Secretary and Librarian. 

The society then choose Rev. T. S. Reeve, Dr. Harding and George 
Brubaker a committee to draft a constitution and by-laws for the regu- 
lation of the school. 

This meeting was opened by an appropriate prayer, and closed by 
benediction by Rev. T. S. Reeve. The society then adjourned to Sab- 
bath, 29th, inst., two o'clock p. m. 

December 29, the St. Joseph Sunday School Society met and heard 
the report of the committee on the constitution and by-laws, which, 
being read, were regularly adopted. 

Rev. T. S. Reeve presented to the Sunday School, 106 volumes of 
A. S. U., which were deposited in the Sunday School Library. It was. 
resolved by the Sunday School Society, that the thanks of the society 
be tendered the donor of the above mentioned books. 

The business of the society being finished, and prayer being offered 
for the blessing of God on its efforts by Rev. N. Willis, it adjourned 
sine die. 

GEO. BRUBAKER, 

Secretary. 

Pursuant to notice, the Sunday School met at the house of Mr. 
Landis. The Sunday School being opened with singing and prayer by 
Rev. T. S. Reeve, it was 

Resolved, That the scholars in the Sunday School be numbered, the 
girls having the first and odd numbers, thus alternating with the boys> 
commencing with the highest classes and continuing to the infant class. 

Resolved, That this Sunday School raise fifteen dollars for the use 
of the Sunday School in the purchase of books, etc. 

Resolved, That Mrs. Landis and Mrs. Jefferies be a committee to 
raise the above fifteen dollars. 



502 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

There were twelve copies of the New Testament presented the 
Sunday School by Mr. Reeve, which were given him for the Sunday 
School. 

Resolved, That the Sunday School extend its thanks to the donors, 
Mr. C. Lord and Robert Courtney, of Independence. 

Resolved, That the teachers are held accountable for a correct ac- 
count of books had by the scholars, and settle with the Librarian. 

Resolved, That this society request Rev. T. S. Reeve to preach a 
sermon on the subject of Sunday Schools to the inhabitants of St. 
Joseph and vicinity, on Sabbath day of 1845. 

Resolved, That the present flourishing state of the Sunday School 
calls for gratitude to the Great Head of the Church. 

GEO. BRUBAKER, Secretary. 

February 2d, Mrs. Jeffries and Mrs. Landis, a committee appointed 
to raise fifteen dollars for the Sunday school, report that they have col- 
lected thirty-five dollars, which was deposited in the hands of G. Smith 
to convey to Dr. Bullard, of St. Louis, for books. 

January 6, 1847, Israel Landis was re-elected superintendent for the 
year 1847. T. S. Reeve, secretary and librarian. 

January 9, 1847, T. S. Reeve offered his resignation, or rather 
declined acting as secretary and librarian, and the former required to 
act till another be elected. 

GEORGE BRUBAKER, 

Secretary. 

A copy was ordered to be transmitted to the Secretary of the Amer- 
ican Sunday School Union, Philadelphia. 

The Presbyterian Church, above referred to, in which the first meet- 
ings were held for Sunday School purposes, was the old log church, the 
first erected within the limits of the cit)'. 

Mrs. Landis, in referring to her success on the committee appointed 
to raise the fifteen dollars, mentioned in one of the foregoing resolutions, 
and which resulted so unexpectedly, spoke of calling on Joseph Robi- 
doux, the founder of the city, at his store, the original trading post of 
Robidoux Landing. The room, at the time, was thronged with Indians 
.assembled there for the purpose of trade. 

Robidoux, though a Roman Catholic, subscribed liberally towards 
this, a Protestant Sunday school, heading the list with a contribution of 
ten dollars. 

He was ever, though an unlettered man, a person of liberal and 
enlarged views, recognizing the fact that to properly build up his city it 
would be necessary to encourage every scheme of benevolence and of 
mental advancement, whether coinciding with his own peculiar views 
or not. 

There is still (1881) extant, in a state of good preservation, an 
elegant banner, of white silk, about thirty by thirty-six inches in size. 
This banner was made by Mrs. Landis and family in 1844. On one side, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



503 



painted in gilt letters, by George Knapp, appears the legend : " St. 
Joseph Sunday School, organized December, 1844." On the other side, 
in the center of which appears a star, is the inscription : " Our Coun- 
try's *^'^'' Hope." 

Among the other prominent citizens of St. Joseph who shortly after 
its organization became teachers in the Sunday School, were Benjamin 
Loan and wife, William Ridenbaugh, founder of the Gazette, and Miss 
Hannah Creal, whom he afterwards married, George Brubaker, and Dr. 
Harding. Mrs. Lou. Livermore, afterwards Mrs. Martin, was also one of 
the earliest and most active teachers in the school. 




CHAPTER VIIL 

SECRET AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES IN BUCHANAN 

COUNTY. 

THE DIFFERENT ORDERS IN ST. JOSEPH 

Sparta Lodge No. 46, was the first organized in Buchanan County. 
In the dispensation under which it was originally instituted, it was called 
Katzeel Lodge. This dispensation was issued May ii, 1841, by the 
Right Worshipful Joseph Foster, Deputy Grand Master of the State. 
The officers named in this instrument were Eli Hubbel, W. M., J. Brown- 
ing, S. W., and J. A. Anthony, J. W.; R. Duncan was appointed Treas- 
urer, F. Waymire, Secretary, and G. Selsil, Tyler. 

In its charter, which was issued October 8th, of the same year, the 
name was changed and the lodge designated as Sparta No. 46. 

St. Joseph Lodge No. 78, was an offshoot of this, the mother lodge 
of the county. Simeon Kemper, the first Senior Warden, and James 
Highly, the first Junior Warden of No. yS, being originally members of 
old Sparta Lodge No. 46. 

St. Joseph Lodge, at the period of its organization, was the most 
northern on the Missouri River, and the most western lodge in the 
United States, its jurisdiction extending thousands of miles west and 
northwest. 

From 1845 to December, 1859, its meetings were held in the third 
story of a building in which was the store of Joseph C. Hull, on Main 
Street. 

From January, 1859, until June, 1873, this lodge met in the Odd 
Fellows' and Masonic Hall, a large three story brick building which 
stood on the corner of Fifth and Felix, fronting on the latter, till January 
29, 1879, when it was destroyed by fire. This building cost $35,000. 
At the time of the fire, it was occupied by the dry goods house of J. W. 
Bailey & Co. In the spring of i88o, Mr. Bailey completed, at a cost of 
$50,000, the present (1881) elegant structure which occupies the former 
site of this building. 

On the first Saturday in December, 1858, before the hall was entirely 
completed, a meeting was held in the same and Joseph S. Browne, after- 
wards Grand Master of Missouri, was then and there raised. 

In June, 1873, the lodge moved to the elegant and spacious hall in 
the third story of a building on the northwest corner of Fourth and 
Charles streets, now (1881), occupied by all the Masonic bodies in the 
city. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 505 

At the twenty-fifth annual communication of the Grand Lodge of 
Missouri, in October, 1845, a dispensation dated October 16, 1845, 
and signed by J. W. S. Mitchell, Grand Master, was granted to 
DeWitt Lodge, U. D., A. F. and A. M., at St. Joseph. The officers were 
Sinclair K. Miller, W. M., Simeon Kemper, S. W., and James Highly, 
J. W. The other dispensation members, were H. S. Creal, J. T. Swartz, 
John Curd, S. Wildbahn, Posey N. Smith and C. W. Thoroughman. The 
petition for dispensation was recommended by Savannah Lodge No. 71. 
During the Masonic year the following additions were made : A. 
McClintock, Joel Ryan, William M. Carter, Philander Thomas, S. E. 
Love, Henry Smith, William .H High, Samuel C. Hall, Felix Robidoux 
and Richard Fulton. 

At the annual grand communication of 1846, the dispensation was 
surrendered and a charter granted, all of the original becoming charter 
members. 

By request of the members of DeWitt, the name of the lodge was 
changed to St. Joseph, and the number, 78, was affixed by the Grand 
Secretary. 

The charter is dated October 14, 1846, and signed by John Ralls, 
Grand Master, John D. Taylor, D. G. M., E. S. Ruggles. S. G. W., John 
L. F. Jacoby, J. G. W. and Fred. L. Billon, Grand Secretary. 

The three principal officers under the dispensation were also those 
named in the charter. Of the charter members but one yet remains 
connected with the lodge, the venerable and highly respected Simeon 
Kemper. F. W. Smith, also a charter member, still lives in St. Joseph. 
He has not been an active member of the order for many years. The 
following brethren have filled the office of Worshipful Master of the 
lodge during the years annexed to their names, viz. : Sinclair K. Mil- 
ler, 1845, 1846, 1848, 1849, 1850; Edward Searcy, 1847; Edwin J. Har- 
per, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854; John Scott, 1855; Henry V. Somerville, 
1856, 1857; William R. Penick, 1858, 1859; Paris S. Pfouts, i860, 1861 ; 
George W. Buell, 1862; Joseph S. Browne, 1863, 1866, 1867, 1868; Dan- 
iel Ransom, 1864; Elias Eppstein, 1865 ; James A. Adams, 1869, Philip 
Arnholt, 1870; John B. Howard, 1871 ; John Bonham, 1872 ; H. N. Mon- 
tague, 1873; William S. Elliott, 1874; Henry C. Fox, 1875; George P. 
Dixon, 1876; N. H. Wilmot, 1877; B. F. Buzard, 1878; George Porter, 
1879; Jacob Arnholt, 1880; Christopher A. Hubacher, 1881. 

The regular communications are held on the first and third Tuesday 
evenings of each month. 

On the 8th February, 1874, the lodge was called upon to mourn the 
death of James Highly, the first Junior Warden of the lodge. He was 
buried with Masonic honors. He was an honest, intelligent and enter- 
prising citizen, and a faithful Mason. 




WHOLESALE DRY GOODS HOUSE OE TOOTLE, HOSEA .^- CO. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 507 

Zeredatha Lodge No. 189, was set to work under dispensation by S. 
M. Hays, D. D. G. M., February 21, 1859, with the following officers: 
Samuel Russell, W. M. ; Solomon N. Sheridan, S. W. ; Silas Woodson, 
J. W. ; James M. Wilson, Treasurer ; P. D. Brooks, Secretary ; Chas. F. 
Knight, S. D. ; Henry C. Catlett, J. D. ; J. B. Alder, Tyler. The remain- 
ing dispensation members were Wm. J. Taylor, Henry C. Farris, John 

A. Dolman, B. Redicum, Z. Rosenfield, Henry C. Bransom and Henry 

B. Morris. 

The charter of this lodge is dated May 28, 1859, ^"^ is signed by 
Marcus Boyd, Grand Master ; Marcus H. McFarland, D. G. M. ; Wm. 
R. Penick, S. G. W. ; John Decker, J. G. W., and A. O'Sullivan, Grand 
Secretary. The lodge was set to work under charter June 9, 1859, by 
W. R. Penick, D. D. G. M. The officers named in the charter are Sam- 
uel Russell, W. M. ; Solomon N. Sheridan, S. W., and Silas Woodson, 
J. W. The charter members were all the dispensation members, with 
the following additions : William Ridenbaugh, Robert Hensley, O. Cun- 
ningham, W. Cameron, E. Y. Shields, Geo. Baxter, A. G. Clark, Thomas 
Edwards, D. B. Curtis, and J. W. Davis. 

The following brethren have filled the office of Worshipful Master 
during the years annexed to their names, viz. : Samuel Russell, 1850, 
1868 ; Charles F. Knight, i860, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1866, 1869; C. A. 
Rowley, 1865, 1867; Edward Dutton, 1870, 1874; Thos. J. Burgess, 1871, 
1872 ; Daniel O'Toole, Jr., 1873, 1876 ; P. Roy Bean, 1875 ; Geo. Rees, 
1877,1878 ; John Dolman, 1879 ; C. G. Hubbell, 1880; Jas. W. Boyd, 1881. 

Regular communications, second and fourth Tuesdays. 

Charity Lodge No. 331, was set to work, under dispensation granted 
by Wm. D. Muir, Grand Master, and dated March 4, 1870, on Monday 
evening, March 14, 1870, by Samuel Russell, D. D., G. M., with the 
following officers : Charles F. Knight, W. M. ; D. P. Wallingford, S. W.; 
John A. Nicely, J. W.; A. M. Saxton, Treasurer; Charles West, Secre- 
tary; James W. Goslee, S. D. ; Lewis Haines, J. D. ; John M. Austin, 
S. S.; John D. Flint, J. S.; together with the following members: 
Dudley M. Steele, Charles M. Scott, George M. Teale, James Craig, 
L. M. Lawson, E. W. Edgar, Daniel Conway, Henry C. Branson, Victor 
B. Buck, John M. Frazer, Richard E. Turner, John T. Ransom, 
Samuel Dysart, J. R. Weakley, James A. Matney, John G. Willis, James 
Bradford, Robert J. Biggerstaff, Robert Gunn and L. M. Dunn. The 
lodge was duly organized under charter dated October 13, 1870, and 
signed by Thomas E. Garrett, Grand Master; R. E. Anderson, D. G. M.; 
Samuel H. Owens, S. G. W. ; John E. Ryland, J. G. W., and George 
Frank Gouley, Grand Secretary, and set to work November 2d, 1870, by 
Samuel Russell, D. D. G. M. In addition to the before-mentioned, the 
following were also charter members, viz : Jacob A. Raynor, James H. 
Dayton, Thomas Edwards, Fred Scheibe. Jeff Williams, Wm. L. Craig, 



•508 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

J. E. Martin, Chris. Hotz, Joseph E. Sicely, Wm. Phillips, and Edward 
Searcy. A published report of that year says : "The lodge honored 
itself in electing, on the 7th of September, 1870, that faithful worker and 
veteran in Masonry, Edward Searcy, Esq., as an honorary member." The 
first officers under the charter were the same as those appointed under 
the dispensation, with the exception of the Junior Deacon, W. L. Craig 
having been appointed to that position. 

The following brethren have filled the office of Worshipful Master 
■during the years annexed to their names, viz : Charles F. Knight, 1870 
and 1873; John A. Nicely, 1871 ; Jacob A. Raynor, 1872; James R. 
Hardy, 1874, 1875; Robert Gunn, 1876; George Crowther, 1877; W. M. 
Dixon, 1878 ; H. M. Garlichs, 1879; H. L. George, 1880; R. T. Penick, 
T881. 

Regular communications second and fourth Mondays. 

St. Joseph Royal Arch Chapter, No. 14, was set to work by M. E. 
'Companion James Millar, of Weston, Monday evening, March 12, 1849, 
under dispensation granted by John D. Daggett, D. G. H. P., with the 
following members: Wm. M. Rush, High Priest; Edward Searcy, King; 
Lev/is Tracy, Scribe, and Companions David Frank, Geo. W. Brown, J. 
Raney and Felix Robidoux. The Chapter was organized under charter 
dated May 23, 1849, by James Millar, May 24, 1849, with the same officers 
• and members as under the dispensation. The charter is signed by John 
D. Daggett, Grand High Priest, James Millar, Deputy G. H. P., and 
Geo. Myers, Grand Secretary. 

The following companions were elected to the office of High Priest 
for the years annexed to their names, viz.: Wm. M. Rush, 1849, 1850; 
Sinclair K. Miller, 185 1, 1852; Wellington A. Cunningham, 1853, 1854, 
1855, 1856 and 1858; A. V. C. Schenck, 1857; Samuel Russell, 1859; 
Wm. R. Penick, i860; Claudius A. Rowley, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 
1865, 18^:6. 1868, 1869 and 1870; Washington Jones, 1867; Charles F. 
Knight, 1871 ; Joseph S. Browne, 1872, 1873; John M. Austin, 1874; 
Jas. R. Hardy, 1876; J. C. Wyatt. 1877; R. A. Hope, 1878; H. L. 
George, 1879; W. C. Frederick, 1880; John D. Richardson, Jr., 1881. 

St. Joseph Council, No. 9, Royal and Select Masters, was instituted 
by Wm. A. Prall, under dispensation dated March 24, 1871, with the fol- 
lowing members: W. R. Penick, Thr. 111. G. M.; Wm. L. Craig, Dep. 
Thr. 111. G. M.; Jos. S. Browne, P. C. of Work, and companions R. J. S. 
Wise, Wm. L. Branyan. P. E. Chesnut, Abe. Furst, Chas. F. Knight, 
John A. Nicely, John M. Austin, James W. Goslee and Philip H. Cohen. 

The Council was duly set to work under charter dated October 6, 
1871, on the 19th of October, 1871, by Will A. Prall, Grand Master. The 
charter is signed by Will A. Prall, M. P. Grand Master ; Allen McDow- 
ell, Dep. P. G. M.; B. G. Wilkerson, Dep. Thr. 111.; M. L. Cohn, G. P. C. 
of Work, and Geo. Frank Gouley, Grand Recorder. The officers under 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 509 

the charter were those appointed under dispensation. The charter 
members included all the members under dispensation, with the follow- 
ing additions : J. B. Atchison, W. W. Brown, Geo. A. Bedee, Benj. Bear, 
John A. Dolman, Chas. M. Douglas, John D. Flint, Chris. Hotz, T. D. 
Hastings, John L. Jourdan, Simeon Kemper, Ed. Morely, Joseph Milner, 
Robert H. Maupin, Thos. N. Moorby, D. M. McDonald, Thos. C. Roberts, 
Wm, B. Smith, Ed. C. Towslee and H. N. Turner. The following com- 
panions were elected to the office of Thrice Ills. Master for the years 
annexed to their names: Wm. R. Penick, 1871, 1872; Jos. S. Browne, 
1873; Jos. Milner, 1874, 1875 ; Wm. B. McNutt, 1876; John M. Austin, 
1877; James R. Hardy, 1878; John A. Dolman, 1879, 1880; W. G. Hall, 
1881. 

Of Hugh de Payens Commandery, No. 4, Knights Templar, the dis- 
pensation members were Washington Jones, E. C. ; Edward Dutton, 
Gen.; Daniel Vanderslice, C. G. ; L. M. Lawson, Prelate; M. H. Floyd, 
S. W. ; E. M. Yates, J. W. ; Silas Woodson, Treasurer; Lewis F. Wei- 
mer, Recorder; H. F. Herbert, Standard Bearer; Allen McNew, Sword 
Bearer ; John Williams, Warder and Sir Samuel Russell. The exact 
date of the dispensation is not readily attainable, but it was but a short 
time previous to the granting of the charter, which was dated October 8, 
1867, and signed by George Frank Gouley, R. E. Grand Commander; 
Lewis F. Weimer, V. E. D. G. C. ; James F. Aglar, E. G. C. ; Jas. Carr, 
E. G. C. G.,and A. B. M. Thompson, Recorder. The officers named in 
the charter were the same as appointed under dispensation. 

In addition to the dispensation members the following were also 
charter members : Geo. William Cuh^er, P. G. Conlisk, William L. Craig, 
W. N. Ewing, Jas. W. Goslee, Samuel Goslee, Isaac Lower, Richard 
Mclntyre, John C. Ryan, Claudius A. Rowley, Wm. B. Smith. W. P. 
Sanders and Henry A. Smith. 

The following knights were elected to the office of Eminent Com- 
mander for the years annexed to their names, viz : Washington Jones, 
1867 ; Samuel Russell, 1868, '69, '70, '71 ; C. A. Rowley, 1872 ; R. J. Wells, 

1873, '74; . 1875; George C. Catlett, 1876. In September, 1876, 

Hugh de Paynes Commandery surrendered its charter. 

Howard Chapter No. 10, Adoptive Rite of Masonr)-, was- organized 
March 23d, 1874, by D. W. Thompson, Special Deputy, under charter of 
the same date, signed by Robert Macoy, M. E. Grand Patron, and Rob- 
ert Morris, Grand Secretary, with John M. Austin, Worthy Patron, 
Sarah C. Howard, Worthy Matron, and Letitia C. Fox. Associate 
Matron. Starting off with a long list of charter members, it has had a 
continued and prosperous growth. At the regular meeting held Decem- 
ber 18, 1874, the following officers were chosen: L. N. Smith, W. P.; 
Mrs. Dr. J. B. Howard, W. M.; Mrs. General W. R. Penick, A. M.; .Mrs. 
J. R. Hardy, Treasurer ; Mrs. George Rces. Secretary. 



5IO HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

This society prospered during the first two years of its existence. 
It has not now (1881) held a meeting for several years. 

St. Joseph Commandery, formerly No. 29, subsequently No. 4, was 
organized July 24, 1875, with 26 members, including James N. Burncs, 
E. C; W. M. Merritt, Generalisimo ; Joseph Hansen, Captain-General; 
E. O. Sayle, Treasurer, and D. P. Wallingford, Recorder. The other 
members were Joseph S. Browne, George A. Bedee, G. W. Belt, P. G. C., 
L. A. Bariteau, Ira Brown, Thomas J. Burgess, Joseph Milner, John L. 
Jordan, D. W. Roderick, John M. Austin, Joseph Truex, A. E. Putnam^ 
Eb. Holbert, R. H. Woodring, R. N. Howell, F. M. Tufts, P. G. C, John 
A. Dolman, J. H. Goodspeed, James W. Atwill, Edward P. Rohrer, and 
H. C. Hemenw^ay. 

It was chartered by the Grand Commandery of the state October 

5, 1875. 

The following Knights have been elected to the office of Eminent 
Commander for the years annexed to their names : Sir James N. Burnes, 
1876; Joseph S. Browne, 1877; Sir James R. Hardy, 1878 ; Sir Williami 
G. Hall, 1879, 1880; Sir George C. Hull, 1881. 

It must be borne in mind that the above mentioned is a separate and 
distinct institution from old St. Joseph Commandery, No. 4, K. T. and 
K. M., the first of that body of the order organized in St. Joseph, and 
the fourth chartered in the state. This latter was instituted under a: 
dispensation issued Nov. 9, 1859, by Sir Benjamin Brown French,. 
Grand Master of the Grand Encampment of the United States. 

The officers nominated in that instrument were : Sir William R. 
Penick, P^minent Commander ; Sir George C. Catlett, Generalissimo ; 
and Sir Wellington A. Cunningham, Captain-General. 

A charter for St. Joseph Commandery, No. 4, was ordered by the 
Grand Commandery of Missouri, May 23, i860, to be granted by the 
Grand Commander upon their compliance with the rules and regulations 
of the Grand P.ncampment of the United States. 

The Grand Commander, Sir George W. Belt, appointed Sir Welling- 
ton A. Cunningham, as his proxy to institute the Commandery and in- 
stall its officers. 

January i, 1861, accordingly, the same was carried into effect, and 
the following officers were duly installed : 

Sir William R. Penick, Eminent Commander ; Sir George C. Catlett, 
Generalissimo ; Sir W. A. Cunningham, Captain-General ; Sir Washing- 
ton Jones, Prelate ; Sir Paris S. Pfouts, Senior Warden ; Sir Joseph P. 
Grubb, Junior Warden; Sir John Williams, Treasurer; and Sir Louis F. 
Weimer, Recorder. 

The Commandery continued, under various conditions of fortune, 
till May 3, 1867, when, by a vote of eight to one, its charter was sur- 
rendered to the Grand Commandery of the State. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 5X1 

The other Masonic body, of St. Joseph, which, here, has lost its ex- 
istence, was Orion Lodge, No. 2ii,A. F. and A. M. A dispensation 
authorizing the institution of this lodge, was issued by order of the R. 
W. Deputy Grand Master, W. R. Penick, June 25, i860. C. A. Rowley 
was then appointed W. Master. The charter subsequently granted this 
lodge, was dated May 28, 1861. In May, 1863, this charter was sur- 
rendered and the property of the defunct lodge delivered to the Grand 
Secretary. 

Mitchell Royal Arch Chapter No. 89 was organized April 15, 1876' 
with seventeen members. The officers under the dispensation were John 
A. Dolman, H. P. ; H. N. Turner, King; L. N. Malin, Scribe; G.W. Pooler, 
C. H. ; N. H. Wilmot, P. S. ; E. O. Sayle, Treasurer, and George Ady, 
Secretary. It received its charter October 5, 1876. The following com- 
panions were elected to the office of High Priest for the years annexed 
to their names: John A. Dolman, 1877; H. N. Turner, 1878; William 
M. Dixon, 1879; N. H. Wilmot, 1880; W. A. Lord, 1881. 

Saint Joseph Masonic Board of Relief was organized December 2nd' 
1867, with the following officers: W. R. Penick, President; Robert 
Gunn, Vice President ; John Pinger, Treasurer, and Lewis F. Weimer 
Secretary. 

The present (1881) officers of the board are W. R. Penick, President; 
Robert Gunn, Vice President ; Wm. M. Dixon, Treasurer ; Leander N. 
Mullen, Secretary, and William S. Elliott, Assistant Secretary. 

The meetings of the board are held in the office of W. R, Penick. 
There is no regular period established for their assemblies. 

The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Masonry, including 
organizations entirely separate and distinct from those above referred 
to, had, at one time, a brief existence in St. Joseph. Two bodies of the 
order were instituted about the same time : The Lodge of Perfection, 
and the Council of P. of J. 

St. Joseph Lodge of Perfection No. i, A. A. S. R., was chartered 
July 23d, 1867. On the 25th of that month, the same was organized by 
the Illustrious Brother A. T. Pierson, Active Thirty-third, and Grand 
Prior of Southern Jurisdiction, with the following officers : Illustrious 
Bro. W. R. Penick, T. P. G. M. ; 111. Bro. Joseph S. Browne, S. G. W. ; 
Harvey Bradley, G. O. ; Horatio N. Turner, G. A. ; Isaac B. Halsey, 
G. T. ; Wm. D. Rowley, G. S. 

St. Joseph Council of Princes of Jerusalem No. i, was organized on 
the same day, with the following officers ; R. J. S. Wise, M. M. T. ; J. 
S. Browne, M. V. H. P. ; D. Vanderslice, 111. Scribe ; G. A. Hawley, Ilk 
Orator ; H. N. Turner, Almoner ; W. D. Rowley, Sec'y ; Isaac B. Halsey, 
Treasurer; Harry Bradley, V. G. C. of the Th. T. ; Wm. R. Penick, V. G. C. 
of the H. ; Philip Arnholt, V. G. M. of C. 



512 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Both bodies were in a highly prosperous condition up to the period of 
the surrender of their charters, on the 13th May, 1868. These surren- 
ders were not in consequence of any lack of harmony within the organi- 
zations, but the result of a disagreement between the Active Thirty- 
third from another state, who had organized the bodies, and the officer 
holding the same rank in Missouri. 

The present (1881) Masonic Hall, on the northwest corner of Fourth 
and Charles Streets, occupies the third story of an elegant brick building 
completed in 1873. 

This hall is abouf 40x60 feet, exclusive of ante-rooms. It was elab- 
orately frescoed and appropriately fitted up by Zeredatha Lodge, at a 
cost of over three thousand dollars. All the different bodies of the 
Masonic order in the city hold their sessions there. 

Its dedication on Saint John the Baptist's day, June 24, 1873, the 
Most Worshipful Samuel H. Owens, Grand Master of the State, presid- 
ing, was an event in the history of St. Joseph. A large concourse of 
Masons from the surrounding country were present with their families. 
The close of the imposing ceremonies was followed by a largely attended 
picnic at what was then Fowler's Grove, now (1881) the St. Joseph Expo- 
sition ground. 

King Hill Lodge, No. 376, located about one and one-half miles south 
of the southern limits of the City of St. Joseph, was granted a dispensation 
August 4th, 1870, by W. D. Muir, Grand Master of the State. August 
6th, two days after, the lodge was set to work by Rt. W. D. P. Walling- 
ford, with the following officers : Laban Pritchard, W. M. ; W. Wash- 
Brown, S. W. ; C. Day, J. W. ; Thos. A. Brown, Treasurer; John G. 
Evans, Secretary; James R. Moore, S. D. ; James Duncan, J. D. ; W. A. 
T. Brown and Dudley Roach, Stewards ; Josiah Costan was appointed 
Tyler. 

November 5, 1870, this Lodge was set to work under charter of the 
Grand Lodge : Samuel Russell, Past Deputy District Grand Master ; D. 
P. Wallingford, D. D. G. Marshal ; C. F. Knight, S. G. W. ; Ed. Dutton, 
J. G. W. The following officers were installed under the charter : 
Laban Pritchard, W. M.; W. Wash. Brown, S. W. ; C. Day, J. W. ; Thos. A. 
Brown, Treasurer; J. G. Evans, Secretary ; Jas. R. Moore, S. D. ; James 
Duncan, J. D. 

The following were elected to the office of Worshipful Master and 
to the office of Secretary, in the years attached to their several names : 

1870 Laban Pritchard, W. M., and John G. P^vans, Secretary. 

1871 W. Wash. Brown, " C. Day, 

1872 " " " " Levi C. Clark. 

1873 A. C. Hyde, 

1874 " " " " C. Day, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 513 

1875 John C.Ryan, W. M. and C. Day, Secretary. 

1876 " " " " " 

1877 C. W. Harris, " J. W. Bates, 

1878 A. C. Hyde, " J. W. Beach, 

1879 James Shepherd, " Wm. Prindle, 

1880 " " " Samuel J. Carson, 

From its first organization this lodge has enjoyed a season of steady 
progress and uninterrupted prosperity. Its hall, the second story of a 
country school building, is amply commodious for the requirements of 
necessary comfort and convenience, while its secluded, though readily 
accessible situation, peculiarly fits it for the purpose for which it was 
designed. 

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS. 

One of the oldest, as well as most numerously represented institu- 
tions of benevolence in the county is the Odd Fellows' Society, of which 
order there are several prosperous branches in the city. 

The oldest of these is King Hill Lodge No. 19. It was instituted 
at the residence of Joseph Hull, on the west side of Main Street, 
between Francis and Jule Streets, on Thursday, October 15, 1846. 

The charter members of this lodge were D. B. Welding, Eli Hewitt, 
S. L. Leonard, Eli Bowman, C. F. Emery, and Dr. J. H. Crane. It con- 
tinued to meet where it was originally organized, till the building, in 
1858, of its splendid hall on Felix Street, which was afterwards 
destroyed by fire. 

The present (1881) membership is (i()\ Past Grands, 18. The pres- 
ent officers are : William Roedde, N. G.; Joseph Tullar, V. G. ; Joseph 
Croteau, R. S. ; J. F. West, P. S; George E. Acklam, Treasurer. 

This is not only the oldest lodge in the city but one of the oldest in 
the state, and has had a long and varied experience. At times, highly 
prosperous, with large membership and full treasury, and again heavily 
in debt, with reduced membership. Amid all its variety of fortune, it 
has, however, never lost hope, and is now steadily gaining ground. King 
Hill has suffered from an unusual amount of sickness, and loss of mem- 
bers by death, both of which have drawn heavily on her treasury. She 
has one member who has received weekly benefits continuously for the 
past six years. Members of the order who were made in King Hill are 
found taking an active part in lodges all over the northwest. Past Grand 
Representative L. F. Minturn, long a prominent citizen of St. Joseph, 
and now (1881) residing in Amazonia, one of the oldest and best posted 
Odd Fellows in the state, is a member of this lodge. 

Cash and investments of the lodge, $610. 

Humboldt Lodge No. 130, I. O. O. F., was instituted April 19, 1859, 
with the following charter members : M. Brown, Henry Bruning, Louis 




WHOLESALE DRV GOODS HOUSE OE R. L. M'DONALD A CO. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 515 

Hax, John Hubageck, William Kneer, Emanuel Madinger, Leopold 
Meyer, John Roth and Frank Schmidt. 

The first officers of the lodge were: John Roth, N. G. ; E. Madinger 
V. G.; H. Bruning, Secretary; M. Brown, Treasurer. 

This lodge works in the German language, and has enjoyed a pros- 
perous career till within the past two or three years, during which period 
its funds have been reduced by an unusual amount of sickness and death 
in its ranks. 

The present (1881) officers are: Caspar Nold, N. G.; William 
Krumme, V. G.; Anton J. Foitick, R. S.; G. H. Bandel, P. S.; Fred Wenz, 
Treaswer. 

Membership 121; Past Grands, 27; cash and investments, $1,620; 
regular meetings^ Thursday of each week. 

Eclipse Lodge, No. 143, I. O. O. F., was instituted April 18, i860. 
The charter members were : R. J. S. Wise, William Drumhiller, W. S. 
Wright, W. S. Johnson, Henry Mittnacht, J. H. Jourdan, Wm. Wood- 
liurst, E. C. Thomas, E. P. Maxey and C. W. Sanford. 

This lodge has been moderately and uniformly prosperous almost 
from its institution. 

Night of meeting, Friday of each week. Present membership, 71 ; 
Past Grands, 15 ; cash and investments, $1,880. 

The present officers are: D. E. Heaton, N. G.; Harry Carter, V. G.; 
Joseph Langdon, R. S.; F. C. Wheeler, P. S.; W. A. Jordan, Treasurer. 

Enterprise Lodge, No. 232, L O. O. F., was instituted April 19, 1870, 
by R. J. S. Wise, then Grand Master. The charter members are B. 
Wies, W. E. Scott, F. J. Acker, Leopold Ahlmfeldt, J. B. Good, Earnst 
Hotlzchue, E. C. Graff, L. Weis, John Hesse, Al. Gerstel and H. Ehrlich. 

The first officers were: L. Ahlmfeldt, N. G.; E. Holtzchue, V. G.. C. 
E. Graff, R. S.; H. Ehrlich, P. S.; B. Wies, Treasurer. 

During the first three years of its existence, it had a great amount of 
sickness. The first Noble Grand died, leaving a wife and five small 
children, to be cared for and educated. This entailed a heavy burden 
lupon the lodge, and it required a hard struggle to escape bankruptcy. 
Since that time, however, it has steadily advanced, and it now ranks 
with the best in the state, both as regards amount and quality of work 
done. The meetings are uniformly well attended. Present member- 
ship, 131 ; cash and investments, $2,100, besides a valuable set of 
regalia and other appliances for conducting the business and work of 
the lodge. 

The present (1,8.81) officers are: M. F. Myers, N. G.; R. S. Carpen- 
ter, V. G.; H. K Robinson, R. S.; R. M. M. Abercrombie, P. S.; Geo. T. 
I^ewcomb, Treasurer; Lodge Deputy, W. F. Dyer. Number of Past 
iG rands in good standing, 15. 



5l6 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

This lodge has paid out over $3,500 for relief of brothers and wid- 
owed families. 

St. Joseph Degree Lodge No. 3 I. O. O. F., was instituted March 26*- 
1881, by Past Grand Master L. T. Minturn, and is composed of King 
Hill Lodge No. 19, Eclipse Lodge No. 143, and Enterprise Lodge No. 
232. The first and present officers are : W. F. Dyer, Degree Master ; 
Geo. E. Acklam, Deputy Degree Master ; W. A. Jordan, First Assistant 
Degree Master ; Geo. T. Newcomb, Second Assistant Degree Master ; 
J. C. Young, Third Assistant Degree Master ; F. W. Hammann, Fourth 
Assistant Degree Master ; H. N. Robinson, Secretary ; M. F. Myers, 
Treasurer ; F. C. Wheeler, Past Grand ; W. S. Missemer, Warden ; Jos- 
Croteau, Conductor ; Wm. Roedde, I. G. ; J. F. West, O. G. Member- 
ship comprises all scarlet degree members of the three lodges above 
named. Regular meetings occur on the second and fourth Saturdays of 
each month. 

District No. 11, composed of King Hill Lodge No. 19, Humboldt 
Lodge No. 130, Eclipse Lodge No. 143, Enterprise Lodge No. 232, 
Ao-ency No. 241, Amazonia No. 286, Ora Degree Lodge No. 35 Daugh- 
ters of Rebekah, Beulah Degree Lodge No. 46 Daughters of Rebekah> 
St. Joseph Degree Lodge No. 3. 

Representatives to Grand Lodge : J. F. West, of 19, and W. S. Mis- 
semer, of 232 ; W. F. Dyer, of 232, Deputy Grand Master. 

Beulah Lodge No. 40 D. of R., instituted October 10, 1879, by Past 
Grand Master L. T. Minturn. Charter members : John E. Pentz, J. T. 
Warburton, Maggie E. Warburton, Geo. Holden, Maggie Holden, A. J. 
Millier, Annie Millier, Ferd Relgen, W. F. Dyer, John Deloge, Addie 
Deloge, F. W. Hammann, Thos. Ashford, W. S. Missemer, E. T. Ellis, 
Isaac Hopper, Mrs. Isaac Hopper, John Jacbs, Donald Ross, Mrs. Donald 
Ross, F. A. Franks. The first officers were : Ferd Relgen, N. G. ; Annie 
Millier, V. G. ; Maggie E. Warburton, R. S. ; Maggie Holden, Treasurer. 
This is a ladies' lodge, and its doors are open to all scarlet members 
and their wives or widows, also their daughters and sisters over eighteen 
years of age and unmarried. Regular meetings, third Saturday in each 
month, at Odd Fellows' Hall. 

The present officers are: Maggie E. Warburton, N. G.; Addie 
Deloge, Secretary, and Annie D. Ross, Treasurer. 

Hesperian Encampment, No. 8., I. O. O. F. This encampment rs 
one of the oldest in the state, and has sometimes had very hard work to 
hold its charter, but is now (188 1) in a highly prosperous condition, 
being composed largely of young and energetic men. At the last 
report, it ranked second in the state for quantity and quality of work 
performed. Its present officers are : 

W. F. Dyer, C. P.; R. S. Carpenter, H. P.; D. E. Heaton, S. W.; 
Wm. Roedde, J. W.; J. T. Warburton, Scribe; Geo. E. Acklam,, Treas- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 517- 

urer, Representative to the Grand Encampment, and Deputy Grand 
Patriarch. 

St. Joseph Encampment, No. 51, 1. O. O. F., was instituted February 
9, 1870, with the following charter members : Sam Hesse, John Pinger, 
Phil. Arnholdt, Ernst Wenz, Fred. Stephan, Henry Blum, Jos. Diedrich, 
G. M. Hauck, J. B. Harder, John Frank, Henry Schmidt, A. S. Long, 
Robert Wild, L. Ashlinfield. The first officers of this organization were : 
Ernst Wenz, C. P.; Sam Hesse, H. P.; Jos. Diedrich, S. W.; A. S. Long,, 
J. W.; Henry Schmidt, Scribe; Geo. M. Hauck, Treasurer. 

This encampment is composed almost entirely of members of Hum- 
boldt Lodge, No. 130, and like it, works in the German language. It 
has generally been very prosperous. The present membership is forty- 
seven. 

Present officers : Wm. Krumme, C. P.; John Seyfreid, H. P.; Sam. 
Hesse, S. W.; U. Schneider, J. W.; G. H. Bandel, Scribe; Fred Wenz, 
Treasurer; Geo. Bode, Representative to Grand Encampment; Fred. 
Wenz, Deputy Grand Patriarch. 

Hesperian Division of Uniformed Patriarchs, organized March, 1880,. 
has thirty men in uniform. Its business meetings occur on the first 
Friday of each month, weekly drill on such nights as may be selected 
from time to time. The officers of this order are : W. F. Dyer, Chief 
Captain ; W. S. Missemer, Sub Captain; D.. E. Heaton, Junion Captain;, 
Geo. E. Acklam, Secretary and Treasurer. 

General Relief Committee of St. Joseph : W. S. Missemer, of 
Enterprise Lodge, President ; Fred Wenz, of Humboldt Lodge, Vice 
President ; J. F. West, of King Hill Lodge, Secretary ; F. W. Hammond,, 
of Eclipse Lodge, Treasurer. 

Odd Fellows' Hall Association is a joint stock company, composed 
of King Hill Lodge No. 19, Humboldt Lodge No. 130, Eclipse Lodge 
No. 143, Enterprise Lodge No. 232, Hesperian Encampment No. 8, and 
St. Joseph Encampment No. 51. It was organized in the early part of 
1 88 1, for the purpose of managing the general property of the order,, 
hall furniture, fixtures, etc. It is divided into ten shares, each lodge 
owning two shares and each encampment one. 

F. C. Wheeler, of Eclipse, is President ; F. Wenz, of St. Joseph 
Encampment, Vice President ; W. S. Missemer, of Enterprise, Secretary,, 
and R. S. Carpenter, of Hesperian Encampment, Treasurer. 

The directors are George Acklam, of King Hill ; Henry Bandel, of 
Humboldt ; F. C. Wheeler, of Eclipse ; W. S. Missemer, of Enterprise ;. 
R. S. Carpenter, of Hesperian Encampment, and Fred Wenz, of St. 
Joseph Encampment. 

All the different bodies of the order occupied a room in the spacious, 
structure, on the corner of Fifth and Felix Streets, completed in the 
winter of 1858. It was generally known as Odd Fellows' Hall, though. 



5l8 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

•one-half of the third floor was occupied by the different Masonic bodies, 
who had assisted in completing the structure. This building, at the 
period of its completion, was the most spacious and elegant in the city, 
extending 40 feet front by 120 feet deep. The halls of the two orders 
were lofty, spacious, and, when used for the purposes originally designed, 
elegantly appointed and equipped. Its original cost was about forty 
thousand dollars. 

During the war, as stated in our notice of the Masonic order, it was 
taken for debt, and became the property of W. R. Penick and J. W. 
Bailey. It was destroyed by fire about 1879. The site is now occupied 
by the most elegant business block in the city. This was erected in 
1880 by J. W. Bailey and L. Hax. 

All the different bodies of the order hold their sessions in what is 
now termed Odd Fellows' Hall, a spacious and elegant apartment, occu- 
pying the third floor of a building on the corner of Fifth and Edmond 
Streets. 



BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. 

THE GERMAN BENEVOLENT SOCIETY, 

ranks with the oldest established institutions in St. Joseph, its origin 
dating as far back as 1847. Frederick Smith, one of the founders of the 
organization, was its first President. Its object, when first instituted, 
was the extension of aid to German immigrants arriving in St. Joseph, 
many of whom, in that early day, were unable to express themselves in 
any but their native language. Organized on the broad basis of human 
charity, and absolutely non-sectarian in its character, this noble institu- 
tion has ever since continued to prosper in its unostentatious efforts in 
behalf of suffering humanity, Avithout interruption. Its present (1881) 
membership is 155. Henry Duve is President and Henry Voth, Secretary. 

THE TURN VEREIN, 

a gymnastic association among the German citizens of St. Joseph, was 
organized June 3rd, 1858, with eighteen members, including the Presi- 
dent, Dr. Stein and Charles Ziph, the Secretary. The membership of 
the Turn Verein, in 1881, is one hundred. 

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER SOCIETY, 

a benevolent institution, was organized in 1865, with 15 members. 
March 16, 1866, the same was incorportated. The membership of this 
society in 1881, 1395, including Edward Wagner, President and Henry 
Voth, Secretary. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 519 

THE ST. JOSEPH MAENNERCHOR, 

a German singing society, was instituted May 22, 1868, with 12 mem- 
bers, including the President, Carl Weigel. The present (1881) officers 
are E. Padberg, President ; Robert Bressem, Vice President ; Franz 
Hellman, Secretary ; F. Ferry, Librarian ; Felix B. Canfield, Musical 
Director. The aggregate membership is 100. 

THE HIBERNIAN BENEVOLENT SOCIETY, 

was organized February, 1867, with 30 members. By the close of the 
following year, this number rose to 700. John Corby was first President, 
and Daniel Lysaght, Secretary. The society lost its existence in 1878. 

SAINT PATRICK'S BENEVOLENT SOCIETY, 

■was organized in 1871, with about 40 members. Jeremiah Whalen was 
its first President. In 1875 the society was reorganized, with 60 members, 
•of which Joseph Mclnerny was President. He was continously re-elected 
to this office till the year 1880, when he was succeeded by M. J. McCabe. 
The present (1881) membership of the society is 125. The elections for 
officers occur on the second Sunday in January each year. Saint Pat- 
rick's Benevolent Society is a branch of the Irish Catholic Benevolent 
Union of the United States, departments of which exist in every state 
in the Union. 

There were formerly in St. Joseph two organizations of the order of 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS. 

Lomia Lodge No. 15, K. P., was instituted December 3, 1871, by Past 
Grand Chancellor George B. Birch, of Hannibal, with twelve members. 
The membership of this lodge at one time was largely over 100. In 
December, 1880, it surrendered its charter. St. Joseph Lodge No. 22, 
K. P., was instituted May 14, 1872, with eleven members. This organ- 
ization is now (1881) in a prosperous condition. Its membership is 
about one hundred. In connection with this order there is a very suc- 
cessful insurance organization known as the " Endowment Rank," which 
pays from $1,000 to $3,000 to the heirs of knights at their death. One 
•or two losses in this vicinity have been paid promptly. 

THE UNITED ANCIENT ORDER OF DRUIDS, 

in St. Joseph, includes two separate organizations. The older of these, 
Walhalla Hain No. 28, was organized August 28, 1872, with fifteen mem- 
.bers, including G. Saltzman, Noble Arch, and A. S. Jetter, V. A. There 



520 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

are now (1881) one hundred and three members of this Grove. The 
principal officers are Charles Schneider, N. A.; John Seyfridt, V. A., and 
Charles Everhardt, Secretary, This is a German organization. 

CENTENNIAL GROVE, NO. 35, U. A. O. D., 

an English speaking institution, was organized in May, 1876, with seven- 
teen or eighteen members. It afterwards surrendered its charter. 

SOUTH ST. JOSEPH GROVE, NO. 37, U. A. O. D., 

was organized August 18, 1879, with the following charter members: A. 
S. Yetter, R. E. Morris, Wm. E. Jamieson, Jule Robidoux, A. D. Stauffer, 
H. W. Stine, Ira C. Putnam, E. Hansen, J. J. Rainalter, C. Hubacher. 
The first officers elected were A. S. Yetter, N. A. ; C. A. Hubacher, V. 
A. ; Jule Robidoux, Treasurer ; E. Hansen, Secretary ; Wm. E. Jamieson, 
Cond. ; R. E. Morris, I. G. The Grove meets (1881) corner Ninth and 
Olive, every second Monday. 

THE LIBERAL LEAGUE, 

a society organized in St. Joseph, with forty-seven members, in the year 
1874, has for its object the universal diffusion of mental and political lib- 
erty. P. V. Wise, its first presiding officer, has been continuously 
re-elected to that position up to the present time. Thos. Kennedy was 
the first appointed Secretary. The present (1881) membership is 140. 

GREUTLI VEREIN 

is a Swiss society, organized in St. Joseph in January, 1874, with thirty 
members. Conrad Tanner, its first President, was re-elected in 1881 ; 
Fred. Roth, Secretary. 

THE BISMARK BUND, 

a German organization, was established in St. Joseph in January, 1873, 
with eighty-three members. Its first President was Christ. Mast. An 
English section was afterwards added, but this has ceased to exist. The 
Bund is now known as the Mutual Benefit and Aid Society. H. W. 
Kastor is now (1881) President ; H. Brunsing, Treasurer ; and Joe Oppen- 
heimer, Secretary. 

THE INDEPENDENT ORDER OF FORESTERS 

includes two organizations in the city. Court America, No. i, was 
organized by E. F. Hartzell, C. R., with twenty-seven members. This 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 521 

was the first Court organized west of the Mississippi River. Member- 
ship in i88i, sixty-two. E. F. Hartzell, the founder of Court America, 
is now (1881) Secretary of the Supreme Court of the World, which 
holds its sessions in the City of New York. 

COURT GERMANIA, NO. lO, 

was organized in May, 1878, with sixty charter members. F. Schoen- 
laub was its first Chief Ranger. Membership in i88i,over one hundred. 
The members of this Court carry from $1,000 to $3,000 insurance. The 
sick benefit is $3 per week. 

ANCIENT ORDER OF UNITED WORKMEN. 

This order was instituted in Missouri in the year 1876. It is a 
mutual benefit life insurance society. 

PRIDE OF THE WEST LODGE, NO. 42, 

was organized in St. Joseph December 29, 1877, with thirty-nine charter 
members, including the following officers: W. A. Jordan, P. M. W.; M. 
F. Anderson, M. W.; C. Hubacher, Gen'l F.; R. C. Crawley, O.; I. H. 
Gaston, G.; F. D. Hermance, R.; S. M. Beattie, F.; Jas. Hall, R.; Wm. 
Strop, J. W.; J. E. Pence, O. W.; A. V. Banes, M. D., Med. Ex. Mem- 
bership (1881) one hundred. 

SELECT KNIGHTS OF THE A. O. U. W., LEGION NO. 1 3, 

was instituted May, 1880, with ten members, including the following 
officers: T. D. Hermance, S. C; D. C. Anderson, V. C; D. E. Heaton, 
Lieut. C; A. M. Saxelby, S. Recorder; L. G. Munger, Treasurer. 

SOCIALISTIC LABOR PARTY. 

Section St. Joseph, established May, 1878, with fourteen members, 
including the following officers : Henry Christ, Agitator, and H. Paar, 
Secretary. The object of the society is the accomplishment of a more 
precise, orderly and harmonious arrangement of the social relations of 
mankind than that w^hich has hitherto prevailed. Its membership 
includes representatives of every nationality in the city. 

THE KNIGHTS OF HONOR 

Include two separate organizations in the city : 

Phoenix Lodge No. 2220 was instituted May, 1880, with twenty-two 
members. George W. Belt, Dictator, and James Ritchie, Financial 



522 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Reporter. The insurance of this lodge is from $1,000 to $2,000 ; sick ben- 
efit, five dollars per week. 

Industrial Lodge No. 2228, K. H., a German organization, was also 
instituted in May, 1880, a short time after the establishment of Phoenix 
Lodge. It started with fifteen members. Dr. J. T. Berghoff, Dictator, 
and D. F. Bombeck, Reporter. Membership in 1881, twenty-nine. 

KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF HONOR, FERN LEAF LODGE, NO. 370, 

was organized Nov. 12, 1880, with seventeen charter members — eight 
ladies and nine knights. This, like the above, is also a life insurance 
society, paying $1000 death benefit. The officers with which this lodge 
was organized were George S. Holden, Protector ; Mrs. Fanny Stewart, 
Secretary, and Dr. J. T. Berghoff, Med. Ex. 

THE ARION, 

a musical society, was organized May 20, 1880, with twelve members, 
including John Moeck, Jr., President and J. G. Schneider, Secretary. In 
1 88 1, the membership amounted to sixty. 

THE NATIONAL IRISH LAND LEAGUE, NO. I, 

was organized at the Christian Brothers' school, in South St, Joseph, 
January i, 1881, Joseph Mclnery, President and W. W. Davis, editor 
Catholic Tribune, Secretary. By the following July, the membership was 
increased to 300. 

THE TRADES AND LABOR ASSEMBLY OF ST. JOSEPH, 

a society composed of all the Trades Unions in the city, was organized 
June 7, 1881, with eleven unions, viz : the Typographical, Cigar Makers', 
Bricklayers', Teamsters', Knights of St. Crispin, Hod Carriers', Brick 
Yard Men's Union, Coopers', Carpenters', Plasterers' and Barbers'. 

The officers first elected were, J. L. Aubrey, President ; R. H. Sem- 
ple, Recording Secretary; Professor Johnson (colored) Corresponding 
Secretary. 



hebrp:w societies. 

SAINT JOSEPH LODGE NO. 1 3, L O. B'NAI BRITH 

was organized April 16, 1866. The charter members were B. A. Feine- 
man, its first president, Sam. Hess, Elias Hess, Sam. Levy, Sam Rauh, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 523 

Isaac Oppenheimer, A. Hamburger, H. Binswanger, L. Dawziger, L 
Haas, Joseph Straus, Max Juda, Jacob Kurtz, Sol. Juda, Meyer Juda,. 
Isaac Rosenthal. The officers in 1881 were: Ferd Westheimer, Presi- 
dent ; H. Marks, Vice President ; Joe Straus, Treasurer ; Robert Lowen- 
stein, Financial Secretary; Sam. Hess, Recording Secretary; Julius 
Meyer, I. G. ; Sol, Juda, O. G. The trustees are Abe Furst, Samuel 
Westheimer, and Moses Frank. 

THE SONS OF ISRAEL 

is another worthy society among the Hebrews. It was instituted in 
September, 1879, with twenty-four members. B. Newberger, President; 
H. Ehrlich, Treasurer; S. Binswanger, Secretary. The objects of the 
society are charity and mutual benefit. 

THE LADIES' HEBREW BENEVOLENT SOCIETY 

is also a prominent, efficient and highly respected organization. 



CLUBS. 

THE PHCENIX CLUB, 

an organization for social enjoyment among the Hebrews of St. Joseph, 
was instituted in 1867, ^"d included in its membership some of the most 
respected of that people. It has twice since then been organized. At 
its second organization, in 1880, Isadore Weil was elected President ; H. 
Ehrlich, Secretary, and Abe Furst, Treasurer. 

THE UNCONDITIONAL UNION CLUB 

was organized in St. Joseph, August ist, 1863 ; W. R. Penick, President, 
and James T. Beach, Secretary. Over one hundred different clubs were 
at one time connected with this institution, which afterwards merged 
into a similar organization in St. Louis. 

The following were the officers and members of the executive com- 
mittee of the Unconditional Union Club of Missouri : W. R. Penick 
President; James T. Beach, Secretary; George Lyon, Treasurer ; William 
Loving, Louis Hax, W. M. Albin, William Fowler, James Hunter, David* 
Pinger. 

The above were all citizens of St. Joseph, and, with the exception 
of William Fowler, deceased, are still (1881) residents of the city. 




COLLECiK UF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS 




TOOTLES OPERA. HOUSE. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 525 

The medical societies of St. Joseph are three in number : 
ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL SOCIETY, 

the oldest organization of that character in the, city, was instituted 
about the year 1849. O. B. Knode, M. D., was its first President. Doc- 
tors Crane, Howard, Catlett, and, indeed, all the best of the early estab- 
lished physicians of the city were members of this association. The 
society at one time published a highly popular medical journal, which 
lost its existence during the stormy days of the civil war, and has never 
since been revived. The organization, however, still (1881) continues 
to exist in a prosperous condition. Dr. Jacob Geiger is President. 

THE SURGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 

was organized in 1874. J. D. Smith, M. D., became its first President, 
and J. M. D. France, Secretary. The officers in 1881, were J. M. D. 
France, M. D., President, and W. B. Craig, M. D., Secretary. 

THE DISTRICT MEDICAL SOCIETY, OF NORTHWEST MISSOURI, 

was organized June 17, 1875. W. I. Heddens, M. D., of St. Joseph, was 
its first President, and W. H. Bryant, M. D., of Savannah, its first Vice 
President ; Jacob Geiger, M. D., Secretary. It then included twenty- 
six members from eleven different towns and cities. Its present mem- 
bership (1881) is seventy-one. C. W. Spicer, M. D., of Fillmore, Andrew 
County, is President, and D. I. Christopher, M. D., of St. Joseph, Secre- 
tary. The society meets quarterly in St. Joseph. 

SCOTTISH SOCIETIES. 

There were, at one time, in the city of St. Joseph, two societies 
among her Scottish citizens, known respectively as the St. Andrews and 
the Caledonian Societies. The former has lost its existence. 

THE CALEDONIAN 

was instituted for benevolent and charitable purposes, in the fall of 1859, 
by a few leading Scotchmen resident in the city, prominent among whom 
were Alexander McGregor and John Burnside. Of the original founders 
many have died and others moved away from the city. Their first grand 
entertainment was held January 25, i860. All good Scotchmen and 
descendants of Scotchmen, of reputable character, ^vere eligible to 
membership. 

There have been, from time to time, numerous 

TEMPERANCE ORGANIZATIONS 
in the city. 

Mount Hope Temple of Honor was instituted August 22nd, 1874. 



526 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Crystal Wave Social Temple, an appendage of the Temple of Honor, 
was organized Nov. 26, 1878. 

Webster Lodge, No. 206, was instituted July 3rd, 1867. 

Others, of more«or less importance, have existed at different times. 
Several of them were merged into the 

RED RIBBON REFORM CLUB, 

an institution which was organized December 16, 1877, by J. C. Bonte- 
cou, a temperance revivalist, who achieved considerable distinction in 
the discharge of his self-imposed duties. After the organization of the 
club, rooms were secured under Tootle's Opera House, and, with a mem- 
bership that speedily rose to 1,200, the work was fairly inaugurated. 
The club occupied these rooms till May 24th of the following year, when 
the upper portion of a building on the corner of Second and Francis 
Streets was rented and fitted for the use of the organization 

These quarters, centrally located and easy of access, were admirably 
adapted to the purpose designed. On the first floor occupied by the 
club, were two spacious rooms, used, respectively, as a reading room and 
amusement room. In the former were found all the leading newspapers 
of the country, and, also, a well-selected library. In the amusement 
room were all the popular games, with the exception of cards. Every 
advantage of rational recreation was thus offered the members, while the 
strictest decorum was at all times enforced. 

The entire upper portion of the building was used as a hall for the 
meetings of the club and the various entertainments which were given 
from time to time. This was provided with a spacious stage and all the 
accessories of a miniature theatre, including dtop-curtain, foot-lights» 
scenery, etc. The seating capacity of this hall was over 500. 

A very liberal policy was pursued by the management of the club, 
and refined amusements were from time to time presented for the enter- 
tainment of the members. Largely attended religious meetings were 
held every Sunday evening, at which, at different times during the year, 
the pastors of the several churches in the city officiated. Lecturers of 
distinction from other cities also occasionally addressed the club. In 
the winter season regular dancing parties were given, as well as dra- 
matic and musical entertainments for the benefit of the club treasury. 

The first officers of the club were : Mordecai Oliver, President ; C, 
B. Wilkinson, First Vice President ; Thomas F. Ryan, Second Vice 
President ; William H. Wood, Third Vice President ; James C. Cozine, 
Secretary; E. A. Smith, Financial Secetary ; T. Van Natta, Treasurer; 
J. A. Winsch, First Marshal; R. A. Craig, Second Marshal; T, Huyler, 
Serg-eant-at-arms. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 52/ 

COLORED SOCIETIES. 

MASONIC. 

Wilkerson Lodge No. 26, A. F. and A. Y. M., was chartered in 1868. 

Pride of the West Lodge, A. F. and A. Y. M. was chartered in 1878, 
with thirty-eight members. 

Mount Mora Royal Arch Chapter was chartered in 1876, with 
eighteen members. 

These bodies all hold their sessions in a spacious and elegant hall on 
the northwest corner of Second and Felix Streets. 

KNIGHTS OF TABOR. 

Mount Tabor Temple No. 29, is a large and prosperous organization 
among the colored people. 

Golden Fleece Tabernacle No. 127, was organized in 1877. 

Queen Mary's Tabernacle was organized August 18, 1867. 

The Good Samaritans, and Sons of Protection, are also flourishing 
benevolent societies among the colored people. 



HOME OF THE FRIENDLESS. 

The motives which could lead to the establishment of a place of rest 
and protection for the destitute and helpless among women, as well as 
of the legion of unfortunate little waifs of fortune drifted out on life's 
stormy sea, without friend or guardian, are among the most ennobling 
that belong to human nature. Hence, no institution of unselfish 
benevolence ever awakened a livelier interest in the minds of the people 
of St. Joseph, and of the county generally, than has the Home of the 
Friendless. 

On the 8th of October, 1874, four ladies of the city, Mrs. Austill, 
Mrs. Rock, Mrs. Jeff. Williams and Mrs. Charles Thompson, made their 
first attempt in an enterprise which has since been clothed with such 
signal and generally unlooked for success. 

They first rented, for the purpose of accommodating the home, a 
building, the property of Milton Tootle, on Antoinc, between Main and 
Levee Streets, and now (1881) used as a hospital. This they opened on 
the date above mentioned, with three inmates, one woman and two small 
children. 

This was the small beginnings of a grand and noble expression of 
human charity, which the devoted energy and unselfish labors of a hand- 



528 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

fill of earnestly humane women, inaugurated under circumstances the 
reverse of encouraging, and which, in a very few subsequent years, was 
to develop results in which every friend to the cause of broad and 
unselfish charity in the city and county was to feel a just pride and a 
lively and permanent interest. 

The institution, from its earliest incipiency, was established on the 
broad basis of human charity. Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, 
were, and are alike subjects of the ministering care of those devoted 
messengers of mercy, who recognize in the unfortunate and the afflicted, 
the cry of human suffering. 

Since the establishment of the society, in 1874, the necessities of 
over eight hundred women and children have been relieved by this 
society. The watchful care of its members is not expected to cease 
with the provision of homes for the children, many of whom, after such 
provision, have been moved to other and more eligible guardianship 
through the aid and influence of ladies of the Home. From its organ- 
ization in 1874, good homes have been provided, generally in the country, 
for over one hundred destitute children from the city. 

While the temporary and immediate necessities of every applicant 
are promptly relieved, only those from the state are permanently cared 
for. The inmates of the home are usually aged women and children. 

After the first establishment of the institution, it was subject to 
several removals at different times, the society being, for many years, 
unable to own a building. 

In the summer of 1880, George T. Hoagland offered to donate to 
the society, for a Home for the Friendless, an elegant two-stor}' brick 
residence with ten acres of ground, at Saxton, on the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph Railroad, six miles east of St. Joseph. This munificent gift the 
ladies were compelled to decline, in view of the distance of its location 
from the city. 

This liberality on the j)art of Mr. Hoagland, however, seemed to 
prompt a kindred spirit in the minds of others. R. H. Jordan, Major 
Condon and Colonel John Tyler labored indefatigably as a committee 
for the purpose of soliciting funds for the purchasing of a Home for the 
unfortunate. Their efforts were ultimately crowned with complete suc- 
cess, and with the amount realized, $3,500, was purchased the splendid 
place on the corner of Main and Pouline Streets, formerly the property 
and residence of Armstrong Beattie, in his life-time the leading banker 
of St. Joseph. The building is an old-fashioned but comfortable brick 
residence. It stands in a half block of well-improved ground, laid out in 
terraces, communicating with each other b}- means of stone steps. It is 
well shaded with ornamental trees, and is in exery respect attracti\'e in 
appearance. The $3,500 paid for this property was the original cost of 
the stone wall by which it is surrounded. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 529 

The following is the article of incorporation : 

In the matter of the incorporation of the Home of the Friendless 
Aid Society : 

Now, at this day, comes the above-mentioned matter coming on for 
hearing, and it appearing that the petition herein, together with the 
articles of association thereto attached, have been on file in the clerk's 
office of this court for more than three days since said petition and arti- 
cles were presented to the court, the same having been presented on the 
iith day of May, 1881, as appears by the official endorsement thereof on 
the back of said petition, and it further appearing that said articles of 
agreement and the purposes of the association come properly within the 
province of Article 10, Chapter 21, of the Revised Statutes of Missouri 
for 1879, and are not inconsistent with the constitution or laws of the 
United States or State of Missouri, it is ordered and decreed by the 
court that said Rufus H. Jordan, Frank C. Condon and Adam N. Schuster, 
President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively of said association, and 
their associates and successors, be and are hereby incorporated, under 
the name of the "Home of the Friendless Aid Society," and that they 
have and possess the rights, privileges and powers set out in said arti- 
cles of association. 

STATE OF MISSOURI, 
County of Buchanan. 

I, Samuel D. Cowan, Clerk of the Circuit Court in and for the county 
and state aforesaid, do certify that the above and foregoing is a full, true 
and complete decree of court, made as aforesaid, in the above entitled 
cause, as the same appears of record, and on file in my office. 

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the 
seal of said court at office in the City of St. Joseph, this 23d day of 
May, 1 88 1. 

S. D. COWAN, Clerk, 
by G. D. Frame, D. C. 

In the articles of association it is provided that the name and style 
of the corporation shall be the Home of the Friendless Aid Society, and 
shall be located in the city of St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri. 

The object and purpose of the corporation shall be to act as trustee, 
under section 911, of the Revised Statutes, in carrying out the benev- 
olent purposes of the Ladies' Union Benevolent Association, heretofore 
incorporated, under 'the laws of Missouri, relating to charitable and 
benevolent associations, the property to be owned by those contributing 
to its present purchase or future improvement, and is to be conveyed by 
deed to this corporation for the use and purposes aforesaid. Should the 
said Ladies' Union Benevolent Association, at any time hereafter, aban- 
don its purposes and franchises, the object and purposes of this shall be 
deemed to have fully accomplished, and the same shall be dissolved, and 
the proceeds of said property shall be divided among the persons who 
have contributed thereto, their heirs or assigns, as their interest shall 
then appear. 



530 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

It is provided in section 4, that the officers of the corporation shall 
consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Board 
of Trustees. 

In section 14, it is provided that the following named persons shall 
constitute the Board of Trustees until the next annual election : R. H. 
Jordan, J. C. Evans, M. A. Reed, H. K. Judd, F. C. Condon, A. N. 
Schuster and J. H. Robison. 

The subscribers who contributed aid towards the purchase of the 
Home include a large number of the citizens of St. Joseph. 

The officers of the Home have always been elected yearly. Those 
first chosen were Mrs. John Donovan, President ; Mrs. George Connell, 
Vice President ; Mrs. A. N. Schuster, Treasurer ; Mrs. Jeff Williams, 
Recording Secretary and Mrs. John Townsend, Corresponding Secre- 
tary. Mrs. Donavan remained in the same office for three consecutive 
years after the first election. 

Of the original twelve directors but three now (18S1) remain on the 
board. These are Mrs. John Dolman, Mrs. Michau, and Mrs. George C. 
Hull. The present officers of the Home are : Mrs. John A. Dolman, now 
serving her fourth year as President ; Mrs. Dr. EUingwood, P'irst Vice 
President ; Mrs. Geo. B. Hoagland, Second Vice President ; Mrs. R. H. 
Jordan, Third Vice President; Mrs. M. C. Condon, Treasurer; Mrs. W. 
A. Lord, Recording Secretary ; Mrs. Wm. Moore, Corresponding Secre- 
tary. These, with eleven others, compose the board of directors. 

Heretofore, the expenses of the Home have been kept up b}' private 
subscriptions and the proceeds of a bazaar held once a year. From the 
liberality heretofore manifested, the managers and others interested in 
the success of the Home have been led to hope that the laborious neces- 
sity of keeping up these annual bazaars will be obviated by some sub- 
stantial aid, either from the state or from some other source. 

THE NATIONAL TEMPERANCE RELIEF UNION, 

of St. Joseph, is the outgrowth of several benevolent and mutual benefit 
associations. Its original charter is dated 1878. Pr-esent (1881) officers: 
J. A. Millan, President ; J. M. Street, Vice President and Business Man- 
ager ; John Donavan, Treasurer ; F. H. Lewis, Secretary. Membership, 
7,500. Indemnity certificates in force, 1,100. 



CHAPTER IX. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The citizens of St. Joseph are justly proud of their excellent system 
of public schools, which not only afford a practical and liberal education 
for their children at home, but have given the city character and repu- 
tation abroad. They have been one of the most important factors in 
attracting immigration, and have done more than any other institution 
to add to the population, wealth and general prosperity of the city. 
They are the schools in which the great masses of the children are edu- 
cated — the children of the wealthy, of the men of moderate means and 
of the poor alike — all classes, and frequently many nationalities, being 
represented in the same school. Colonel Wilder, in an able editorial of 
recent date, says : 

One of the best influences arising from our free schools is the fact 
that they completely break down the barriers that come from the differ- 
ence in nationalities and religions. Having four children at school, we 
are glad to be able to say that the education they have received in this 
respect, has been broad and generous, and is worth more, in many vital 
respects, than anything to be learned from books. 

The scholar is the inhabitant of all countries ; he does not call 
Homer and Shakespeare and Goethe and Hugo foreigners ; they are his 
kindred and countrymen. And when your little child is made to imbibe 
this spirit ; when he is made to start out in life with it, you have broad- 
ened his vision and enlarged his heart in such a way that he will always 
be a man — the true American that the new generation is to see and to 
make. 

Until the year i860, no attempt at any system of public schools 
had been made in St. Joseph. Occasionally a free school would be 
taught for a month or two, or for a sufficient length of time to absorb 
what was not wasted or lost of the city's share of the public school fund. 
But there was no public school system, and St. Joseph had merely the 
organization of a country school district. In that year, a few of the most 
enterprising of her citizens determined to make an effort to establish a 
system of public schools. They sought and obtained from the legisla- 
ture of the state a good and liberal charter, which reads as follows : 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE ST. JOSEPH BOARD OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, asfollozvs: 

Section i. That all free white persons residing within the limits 

of School District No. i, in School Township No. 8, in Buchanan 



532 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH.. 

County, in this state, as the limits of said district now are or may here- 
after be established, are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate, 
by the name and style of the "St. Joseph Board of Public Schools," and 
by that name they and their successors shall be known in law, have per- 
petual succession, sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, defend 
and be defended, in all courts of law and equity, in all actions whatever ; 
may purchase, receive, and hold property, real and personal ; and may 
lease, sell or dispose of the same, and do all other acts as natural persons. 
They shall have a common seal, and may break and alter the same at 
pleasure. 

Sec. 2. The powers of the corporation hereby established shall be 
vested in a President and Directors, who shall be free, white males, at 
least twenty-one years of age, who shall have resided in said district at 
least one year previous to their election, and who shall be citizens of the 
United States, shall have paid a city or county tax, and who shall be 
chosen or appointed as hereafter directed. 

Sec. 3. The Board of President and Directors shall consist of a 
President, to be elected by the district at large, and two members, to be 
elected by each of the wards in the City of St. Joseph, as the same now 
are or may hereafter be established. The first election shall be held on 
the First Monday of February, A. D., i860, at the usual place of holding 
elections in the several wards of said city, and the Trustees of said dis- 
trict shall, immediately after the passage of this act, annex those por- 
tions of said district situated without the corporate limits of said city to 
the wards in said city to which they are contiguous, for the purposes 
mentioned in this act, and appoint Inspectors and Clerks of election 
provided for>in this section. 

Sec. 4. No person shall be allowed' to vote at any election for 
President or Directors, unless he shall at the time of offering his vote 
be a free, white male inhabitant, over the age of twenty-one years, who 
has resided within the limits of the district at least one year previous to 
said election, and who shall be a citizen of the United States, and shall 
have paid a city or county tax ; and no person holding any office under 
the provisions of the charter of the City of St. Joseph, or under any act 
amendatory or supplementary thereto, shall, during his term of office, be 
elegible to any office under the provisions of this act. 

Sec. 5- The Board of President and Directors shall have power to 
judge of the qualifications, elections and returns of their own members ; 
to prescribe the times, places and manner of conducting the elections of 
members of said Board, in the several wards of said city; to compel the 
attendance of members at the meetings of said Board, and by the con- 
currence of two-thirds of all the members elected, to (gxpel a member, 
but not a second time for the same offense ; to make rules for the gov- 
ernment of their own proceedings ; to take and have charge and control 
of the public schools and all the property appropriated to the use of pub- 
lic schools in said district ; to sell or lease any real estate belonging to 
'said district; to loan upon real estate security for a period of time not 
exceeding one year any money belonging to said district which is not 
required for immediate use : Provided, That in case any money is loaned 
by said Board, the rate of interest thereon shall not exceed ten per 
centum per annum, and the real estate security given for the same shall 
be free from all incumbrances, and valued at the last assessment roll of 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 533 

the county at least double the amount loaned thereon ; and no member 
of the Board shall borrow any of such money, or become interested, 
either directly or indirectly, in any such loan. And provided further. 
That no member of the Board shall be interested, either directly or indi- 
rectly, in the purchase, lease, sale, or title of any real estate or other 
property belonging to or claimed by the corporation established by this 
act ; and whenever it shall appear that any member is interested in the 
manner aforesaid, the Board shall declare his seat vacant, and shall fill 
the vacancy in the manner hereinafter provided. The Board shall also 
have power to make all rules, regulations and ordinances necessary for 
the management and control of the property belonging to the corpora- 
tion, and for the government, discipline and other management of the 
schools under their charge, so that the same shall not be inconsistent 
with the laws of the land ; and generally to do all lawful acts which may 
be proper and convenient to carry into effect the objects of said corpo- 
ration. 

. Sec. 6. The President of the Board shall be elected for a term of 
three years, and shall hold his office until his successor is elected and 
qualified. He shall preside at all meetings of the Board, of which body 
he shall be considered a member ; appoint all committees, unless the 
Board shall otherwise direct ; he shall vote on all questions when the 
ayes and noes are called, or when the vote is taken by ballot, and give 
the casting vote in all other cases wherein there is a tie, and perform 
such other duties as naturally pertain to his office, and such as may be 
assigned him by the Board. 

Sec. 7. The Directors shall be elected for the term of three years, 
and until their successors are elected and qualified, and one-third of 
•their number shall go out of office at the expiration of every school year ; 
and for that purpose the Board shall cause its members to be divided by 
lot into three classes, as nearly equal as may be ; the first class to go 
out of office at the end of one year, the second at the end of two years, and 
the third at the end of three years ; so that one-third of the Board shall 
be elected every year. And whenever the establishment of new wards 
in the City of St. Joseph shall require the election of new members of 
the Board, such elected members shall be classed accordingly. 

Sec. 8. There shall be at least four stated meetings of the Board in 
every year, and the times and places of holding such meetings shall be 
prescribed by resolution or ordinance of the Board ; and the President 
or any three members of the Board may call special meetings by giving 
three days' notice in writing to the other members of the Board ; and in 
all meetings of the Board a majority of all the members elected shall 
constitute a quorum to do business, but any smaller number may 
adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members. 

Sec. 9. Whenever any vacancy shall occur among the members of 
the Board from any cause whatever, the same shall be filled by an elec- 
tion in the proper ward ; or in case the office of President shall become 
vacant, such vacancy shall be filled by an election in the district at large, 
and such election or elections shall be held at such time and place or 
places, and shall be conducted in such manner as the Board may direct : 
Provided, That all elections for President or Directors shall be by ballot, 
and no person shall be eligible to the office of Director unless he shall be 
at the time of his election a bona fide resident of the ward which he may 



534 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

be elected to represent ; and in case any Director shall remove from the 
ward in which he was elected, during his term of office, his office shall 
be declared vacant b}' the Board, and an election ordered as soon there- 
after as may be to fill such vacancy. 

Sec. io. The Board of President and Directors shall appoint 
Inspectors and Clerks of all elections held under the provisions of this 
.act, subsequent to the election provided for in section three of this act ; 
and the votes cast at such election shall be properly canvassed and 
returned to the Board in such form and manner as the Board shall direct. 
The Trustees of said district in office at the time when this act takes 
■effect shall prescribe the manner of canvassing the votes and making 
returns thereof, at the election held under the provisions of section three 
of this act, and shall give notice in writing to the persons chosen at said 
^election. 

Sec. 1 1. The Board shall have power to appoint one of its members 
to act as President pro tempore in case of the absence of the President 
elect, or in case the office of President shall become vacant. 

Sec. 12. The Board of President and Directors shall appoint a Sec- 
retary, Treasurer and Superintendent, and such other agents as to them 
shall seem necessary to accomplish the objects of the corporation and 
prescribe their powers, duties, obligations and compensation. They 
shall cause a faithful record to be kept of all the acts and proceedings of 
the Board, and shall lay the same before the General Assembly, or 
either house thereof, whenever required, and shall lay the same before a 
general meeting of the inhabitants of the district, whenever one hundred 
qualified electors of said district shall, by written application to the 
Board, require the same to be done, and for that purpose the Board shall 
have power to call a general meeting of the inhabitants of the district. 
And the said Board of President and Directors shall, at least once in 
every year, cause to be printed and published a true statement of the 
condition of the public schools under their charge, and a true and fair 
account of all the money concerns of the corporation. 

Sec. 13. It shall be the duty of the Board, as soon as conveniently 
may be, to take possession, charge and control of all lands, lots and other 
property which has been or may be received by or granted to the inhab- 
itants of said city or district, for the purposes of public education, and to 
that end the title to all such lands, lots and other property, so far as this 
General Assembly can control the same, is hereby vested in the corpor- 
ation created by this act, and the District Trustees in office at the time 
this act takes effect shall, upon being informed by notice in writing, 
signed by the President and Secretary of the Board, forthwith deliver to 
said Board all books, papers and records in their hands belonging to said 
district, and pay over to the order of said Board all the money in their 
hands belonging to the district, and deliver the possession of all other 
property in their charge and belonging to said district to said Board. 

Sec. 14. The Board shall cause an estimate of the amount of money 
necessary to be raised for the purpose of building and repairing school 
houses and furnishing the same, together with the amount necessary to 
meet the other expenses of the corporation, to be made out and certified 
under the seal of the Board annually; and a copy of such estimate, duly 
authenticated, shall be filed with the Clerk of the County Court of 
Buchanan County, on or before the first Monday in August of each year; 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 535 

and the County Court shall cause the amount so certified to be levied 
upon all the taxable property, real and personal, in said district ; and 
the amount so levied shall be collected in the manner prescribed by law 
for the collection of state and county taxes : Provided, That the tax 
mentioned in this section shall not exceed one-fifth of one per centum 
in any one year. 

Sec. 15. The Collector of Buchanan County shall have authority, 
and it is hereby made his duty, to collect the tax mentioned in the next 
preceding section of this act, in the same manner, and under the same 
rules, regulations and restrictions, penalties, liabilities and responsibili- 
ties, and with the same powers, as shall be provided by law for the col- 
lection of the state and county revenue in said county. 

Sec. 16. The Collector of said county shall at least once in every 
month, and oftener if required in writing by the Treasurer of the Board, 
pay over to said Board all moneys collected and received by him to 
which said Board may be lawfully entitled. And the said Collector, for 
his services under this act, shall be entitled to the same compensation as 
shall be allowed by law for similar services in relation to the collection 
of the state and county taxes in said county. 

Sec. 17. The Collector of Buchanan County shall, within ninety 
days after his election or appointment, and before entering upon his 
duties under this act, enter into a bond, payable to said corporation, in 
such sum as the Board may require, with good and sufficient sureties, to 
be approved by said Board, conditioned that he will faithfully and punc- 
tually collect, account for, and pay over to said corporation all money 
received and collected by him under the provisions of this act ; and in 
case the said Collector shall not within ninety days after his election or 
appointment as aforesaid enter into a bond as provided in this section, 
his office of Collector of said County of Buchanan shall be deemed 
vacant, and such vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as if he had 
resigned, and he shall not be eligible or re-appointed to said office for 
one year thereafter. 

Sec. 18. The Collector of Buchanan County shall perform such 
other duties under this act, not herein specified, as he shall be required 
by law to perform in relation to the collection of the state and county 
taxes in said county. 

Sec. 19. The same assessment within the district w^hich shall be 
made upon property from time to time for state and county purposes 
shall be deemed and used as the lawful and proper assessment in lev^ying 
and collecting the taxes authorized by this act ; and the payment of the 
taxes authorized by this act shall be enforced in the same manner and 
under the same rules and regulations as shall be provided by law for 
the enforcement of the payment of the state and county taxes in said 
county. 

Sec. 20. The Clerk of the County Court of Buchanan County shall 
perform the same duties under this act he shall be required by law to 
perform in relation to the state, county and other taxes in said county ; 
and for his services under this act he shall be allowed and paid by the 
Board such compensation as the Board of President and Directors shall 
deem reasonable, just and proper. 

Sec. 21. The President and other members of the Board, and the 
Secretary, Treasurer and Superintendent shall, before entering upon the 



536 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

duties of their respective ofifices, take and subscribe an oath before some 
Judge or Justice of the Peace, well and faithfully to perform the same. 

Sec. 22. The corporation hereby established shall be vested with 
the powers, charged with the duties, and entitled to the privileges and 
immunities of a corporation organized under the provisions of "an act 
relating to school corporations in towns and villages," approved Decem- 
ber 12, 1855, so far as the same are consistent with the provisions of this 
act. 

Sec. 23. All regulations, ordinances, resolutions and other corpor- 
ate acts of the corporation hereby established may be proven in all courts 
and places, either by a sworn copy thereof or by a copy certified by the 
President and Secretary and authenticated by the seal of the corpora- 
tion. And the General Assembly reserves to itself the power to change, 
alter or repeal this act whenever it shall appear to have failed in accom- 
plishing the objects for which it is passed ; but no law hereafter passed 
shall be construed as changing, altering or repealing the whole or part of 
this act, unless this act be expressly mentioned in such law. 

Sec. 24. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its 
passage, and the Secretary of State shall cause one hundred copies of the 
same to be printed as soon as may *be and forwarded to the trustees of 
the school district incorporated by this act, for the use of said corpora- 
tion. And all acts or parts of acts contravening the provisions of this 
act are hereby made inoperative so far as regards said corporation. 

Approved January 4, i860. 

This charter has been twice amended by the Legislature, at the 
request of the Board of Public Schools ; once in 1866, and once in 1872. 
It is interesting to note how some of these amendments indicate the 
progress of Missouri in free thought and free government, from i860 to 
1866. The war proved a greater educator than the schools had been. 

The first section was amended by striking out the words, " all free 
white persons residing within the limits of School District No. i," and 
inserting in lieu thereof, "the residents of School District No. i." The 
second section was in like manner amended by striking out the words, 
" free white males," and inserting the words, "resident tax payers." 

Section 4 was amended so as to read as follows : 

All persons who are residents of the district, and who are qualified 
electors for state or county officers for the time being, shall be entitled 
to vote in their respective wards at any election for President and 
Directors. 

Section 7 was amended to read as follows : 

The directors shall be elected for the term of two years, and until 
their successors are elected and qualified, and one-half of the number 
shall go out of office at the expiration of every school year, which shall 
be on the 31st day of July. 

The present Directors shall be considered the lawful Directors until 
the termination of their office, as herein provided, and until their suc- 
cessors are elected and qualified, and one of said Directors from each 
ward, to be decided by lot, shall go out of office on the 31st day of July, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 537 

1866, and the other at the expiration of the next school year, so that 
hereafter one director shall be elected from each ward every year, and 
whenever the establishment of new wards shall require the election of 
new directors, they shall be classed accordingly. 

Section nine was amended to read as follows : 

Whenever, by removal from the district or otherwise, a vacancy 
shall occur in the office of either President or Directors, it shall be filled 
by appointment of the Board. 

Section fourteen was amended to read as follows : 

The Board shall cause an estimate of the amount of money neces- 
sary to be raised for the purpose of building and repairing school 
houses, and furnishing the same, paying the salaries of teachers and 
officers, together with the amount necessary to meet the other expenses 
of the corporation, to be made out and certified under the seal of the 
Board, annually, and a copy df such estimate, duly authenticated, shall 
be filed with the clerk of the County Court of Buchanan County, on or 
before the first Monday in August of each year ; and the County Court 
shall cause the amount so certified to be levied upon all the taxable 
property, real and personal, in said district, including merchants' state- 
ments, doing business within said district ; and the amount so levied 
shall be collected in the manner prescribed by law for the collection of 
state and county taxes : Provided, That the tax mentioned in this sec- 
tion shall not exceed seven mills on the dollar in any one year. 

Section twenty-two was amended by adding to it the following 
clause : 

The County Superintendent of Buchanan County shall not, by vir- 
tue of his office as such, have any power or control over that part of the 
county now under the jurisdiction of the St. Joseph Board of Public 
Schools. 

The words " by virtue of his office as such " were inserted because 
the County Superintendent of Buchanan County, in office at the time- 
was Superintendent also of the St. Joseph Public Schools. 

The above are the only features in which the charter has been 
amended. In all other respects it remains the same as when first 
granted, except that the Constitution of Missouri, adopted since the 
charter was amended, restricts the annual rate of taxation for general 
purposes to four mills instead of seven. 

By referring to section three of the charter, it will be seen that the 
President of the Board was to be elected by the district at large, which 
comprises the city of St. Joseph and certain contiguous territory outside 
of the city limits on the north, east and south, while the members were 
to be elected by the voters of each ward. It was an excellent provision 
of the charter that the President should be thus elected by the district 
rather than by the Directors, as it makes him independent of the Board, 
and gives him a freedom of action that he might not otherwise have. 



538 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

In accordance with the provisions of this same section of the char- 
ter, ^an election was held on the first Monday in February, i860, for a 
President of the Board of Public Schools, and two Directors from each 
of the wards of the city of St. Joseph. At that time the city was divided 
into three wards, instead of five as at present. 

Dr. J. H. Crane, then an eminent physician of St. Joseph, now a res- 
ident of California, was elected President. He has, therefore, the honor 
of being the first President of the St. Joseph Board of Public Schools. The 
following gentlemen were elected Directors : From the First Ward — com- 
prising, at that time, the southern portion of the city — Louis Hax, John 
Shehan ; from the Second Ward, James A. Millan, John J. Abell; from 
the Third Ward — comprising then the northern portion of the city — 
Wm. M. Albin, Erasmus F. Dixon. Of the above gentlemen compris- 
ing the first " Board of President and Directors of St. Joseph Public 
Schools" the following still reside in St. Joseph : Louis Hax, John J. 
Abell, James A. Millan, and William M. Albin. 

The first meeting of the Board was held in the office of Dr. Crane, 
the President, on the 7th day of February, i860, when the oath of office 
was administered to the newly elected members by Willis M. Sherwood, 
Esq., a Justice of the Peace. It does not appear from the records that 
Mr. Abell ever attended any of the meetings of the Board. At that 
meeting, the Board completed its organization by electing James A. 
Millan, Secretary, and Joseph C. Hull, Treasurer. It is presumable that 
one of the first acts of the Board was to submit to the County Court an 
estimate for the levy of a tax for the erection of school houses, as three 
small school houses were built in i860, one in each ward of the city. 
But there is nothing to show that such an estimate was made or any tax 
i&vied, nothing to show that the houses were ordered to be built, or that 
any bids or proposals for their erection were ever invited or received. 
The school house, in what was then the First ward, was built on the 
southeast corner of Third and Charles Streets. Mr. Joseph Robidoux, 
the founder of St. Joseph, in laying off and platting the city, set apart 
and dedicated three lots on that corner for a city school, and the First 
ward school house was built on that ground. In 1865, these lots had 
become valuable for business purposes, and were very unsuitable for 
a school. In that year Mr. John P. Fink offered the Board twelve 
thousand dollars for the three lots, but as Mr. Robidoux had dedicated 
the ground to the city for a school, it was not clear that the Board had 
a right to sell, and after some negotiations, Mr. Robidoux, in considera- 
tion of the sum of three hundred dollars paid him, made a warrantee 
deed to the Board. The Board then sold the property to Mr. Fink, who 
built an extension to the house and used it for his shoe factory. 

The school house, in what was then the Second ward, was built on 
the east side of Twelfth Street, between Francis and Jule. There is 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH, 539 

nothing on the records or among the archives of the Board to show 
how this ground became the property of the public schools. The house 
built in i860 is still standing, and in use, and is known as the Franklin 
School. 

The school house in what was then the Third, but now the First ward, 
was built on Second Street, near Cherry, on a part of the ground which 
had been dedicated by Joseph Davis, in 1846, to the town of St. Joseph, 
for a public cemetery. In 1867, the City* of St. Joseph, through its 
Mayor, deeded the ground to the Board of Public Schools. The build- 
ing, named for many years the Madison School, is still occupied, and is 
known as the First Colored School. 

The three houses were built on the same plan. They were built of 
brick, were 34 by 25 feet in size, and two stories high. They were smallj 
iniinviting in appearance, and unprovided with cloak rooms and other 
conveniences. They had two school rooms, one on each floor, with a 
narrow stairway in front. Each house could seat from 100 to 120 pupils, 
They were furnished with common pine double desks, made by a 
mechanic of the city. 

The schools were duly opened for the reception of pupils on the 23d 
of April, i860, with the following corps of teachers : 

In the First Ward School — William H. Marmion, principal; Miss 

Webster, assistant. 

In the Second Ward School— Sidney P. Cunningham, principal; Miss 
Annie Banes, now Mrs. John Townsend, assistant. 

In the Third Ward School — J. W. H. Griffin, principal ; Miss Lizzie 
Brand, now Mrs. Carder, assistant. It is interesting to note, as showing 
the liberal ideas prevailing in St. Joseph at that time in regard to popu- 
lar education, the salaries paid the first teachers in the public school!=, 
which were for the male principals, fifty dollars per month, and for the 
female assistants, twenty-five dollars per month. It was a fortunate 
thing for the ladies that they lived at home, and had no board bills to 

pay- 
As already mentioned, the schools were opened on the 23d day of 
April, i860, and in the winter of 1861 it was found that there were in 
each of the ward schools quite a number of pupils who had mastered 
more or less thoroughly the branches of study prescribed for these 
schools, and who were prepared to take up more advanced studies. It 
was accordingly proposed to open a school of a higher order for their 
accommodation. Mr. Edward B. Neely had been conducting a classical 
school in St. Joseph for six years, and had recently erected a school 
building on Tenth Street, between Felix and Francis, for his own school, 
The Board made a proposition to Mr. Neely to take charge of the new 
school proposed to be established for the pupils too advanced for the 
ward schools, and to receive them in his building. Mr. Neely decided 



540 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

to accept the proposition, and opened the school on the first Monday of 
March, 1861, with about forty young ladies and gentlemen, who brought 
certificates from the principals of the ward schools that they had suc- 
cessfully completed the course of study prescribed for those schools. 

This was the initial step towards the establishment of a public high 
school in the City of St. Joseph. 

About the same time, Hon. George H. Hall was elected by the 
Board Superintendent of Public Schools, a position which he held 
for only the brief period of four months. 

In consequence of the disturbed state of society, resulting from the 
impending civil war, the Board, at a meeting held May 21, 1861, by 
resolution summarily closed all the grammar and primary schools, but 
continued the advanced school, taught by Mr. Neely, till the close of the 
term, in June, when it, too, ceased to be a public school. 

From this time till 1864, there were no public schools in the City of 
St. Joseph, although the Board held occasional meetings and maintained 
a partial organization, by ordering elections now and then to fill vacan- 
cies as they occurred in the directorship. The school houses were some- 
times rented for private schools, and sometimes occupied by the mili- 
tary. Here on the border, amidst the clangor of arms and the fury of 
civil combat, there was but little time or opportunity for the fostering 
or development of a system of public instruction. 

There are no records showing the enrollment and attendance of 
pupils in the schools from the time of their opening in April, i860, till 
their suspension in May, 1861. But the writer, from observation, would 
infer that there was an attendance of about three hundred in the ward 
schools, and fifty in the advanced school. 

In 1864, the Board of Public Schools was constituted as follows: 
President Louis Ha.\ ; members, David Pinger, William M. Wyeth, R. F. 
Maxwell, John Colhoun, J. P. Adolph, Bernard Patton. At a meeting 
held August 12th, 1864, the President and all the members being pres- 
ent, it was resolved to re-open the public schools of the city. 

Mr. E. B. Neely, who had resumed his private school, was elected at 
that meeting by a unanimous vote, Superintendent of Public Schools, 
a position to which he has since been elected every successive year, 
entering in August, 1881, upon his eighteenth year of service. Mr. 
Neel}-, has also, during that whole period, discharged the duties of Sec- 
retar\- of the Board. 

At that meeting a committee was appointed to confer with the 
Superintendent and arrange a plan for the reorganization of the schools. 
At a meeting of the Board, held August 13th, 1864, the Committee sub- 
mitted a plan in substance as follows : 

The schools to be opened at as early a day as possible, and for the 
present to comprise three general grades — primar\-, intermediate and high. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 54I 

One male principal and one female assistant to be employed in each 
'of the three ward schools ; the principals to receive a salary of $80 per 
month, and the assistants $50. 

The Superintendent to be authorized to employ, as speedily as pos- 
-sible, as competent teachers as could be procured for the salaries offered. 
The Board to establish at once a High School for the city, with the 
Superintendent of Schools as principal, and one male assistant, at a sal- 
ary of $80 per month. 

The school year to consist of ten months, of four weeks each, to be 
divided into three terms, the first term to comprise sixteen weeks, and 
the second and third twelve weeks each ; the salaries of the teachers to 
be paid at the expiration of each term. 

The matriculation fee of each pupil in the primary and intermediate 
grades to be fifty cents per month, and in the High School one doUfir 
per month, payable each term in advance. 

Any one of good character and suitable age, residing outside the 
limits of the district, to be admitted as a pupil in any of the schools by 
paying in advance such tuition fee as is usually charged in private 
schools, provided this can be done without excluding residents of the 
'district. 

The plan thus outlined met the approval of the Board, and was 
adopted by a unanimous vote. 

It will be noticed that the schools were not to be entirely free, a 
small tuition fee being charged each pupil. This fee had also been 
charged when the schools were first organized in i860. The rate of tax- 
ation allowed b\- the charter was so small that the schools could not have 
been run on full time without the aiid of that small tuition fee. It was 
abolished by the Board on the 3d day of February, 1872, since which 
time the schools have been entirely free. 

The schools were opened to the public, under their new organization, 
■on the 3d day of October, 1864, with the following corps of teachers : 

High School — Superintendent, principal, with Nelson Wilbur, a 
graduate of Dartmouth College, assistant. 

First Ward School — Nathan Soraerville, principal ; Miss Jennie 
Parsons, assistant. 

Third W^ard School — B. R. Vineyard, principal ; Miss Alice Bruner, 
assistant. Miss Bruner was married at the close of the first term, and Mrs. 
Annie R. Townsend was appointed in her place. 

Fourth Ward School — H. C. McLaughlin, principal ; Miss India 
Cowden, now Mrs. Evan W. Ray, assistant. 

The schools were immediately crowded to their utmost capacity, 
and man)- who applied were unable to gain admission for want of room. 
The reports of the principals at the close of the first term of sixteen 
weeks, showed that 478 pupils had been enrolled during the term. 



542 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

It was evident that more and better school accommodations must 
be provided. No intelligent and efficient system of grading could be 
established by the Superintendent with the kind of buildings and lim- 
ited number of rooms at his disposal. The buildings were altogether 
inadequate to the accommodation of the children already here, and the 
population of the city was rapidly increasing. It was plain that the 
Board must build school houses, and to enable it to do so and also to 
give it the means to operate the schools efficiently, it must have author- 
ity to increase the rate of taxation. At a meeting of the Board, held 
November 15, 1865, Judge P. Bliss, afterwards one of the Supreme 
Judges of the State, then a member of the Board, proposed several im- 
portant amendments to the charter, among others one increasing the 
rate of taxation from one-fifth to one-half of one per cent. The amend- 
ments were adopted, and Judge Bliss was appointed a committee to for- 
ward them to our Representative in the Legislature with a petition for 
their adoption. 

On the third day of March, 1866, the President convened the Board 
at the request of Judge Bliss, to hear and take action on his report. He 
stated that the act amending the charter had passed the lower house, 
but had twice been defeated in the Senate, and as the proposed amend- 
ments were, some of them, of vital importance to the efficiency of the 
school system of the city, he suggested that the Superintendent, Mr. 
Neely, be sent to Jefferson City as the representative of the Board, with 
instructions to use every exertion to secure the passage of the act. At 
a meeting of the Board, held March 31st, 1866, Superintendent Neely 
reported that in accordance with his instructions, he had visited Jeffer- 
son City, and had succeeded, with the aid of the Representative from 
the county and the Senator from the district, in securing the passage of 
the desired amendments to the charter. The Board had already sold 
the property on Third and Charles Streets to Mr. John P. Fink, for the sum 
of twelve thousand dollars, and now, with the prospective increase in its 
revenue through the amendment of the charter, it was in a condition to 
begin the work of school extension. Accordingly, in 1866, the Board 
erected two commodious and handsome school houses, one on the cor- 
ner of Tenth and Edmond Streets, and one on the corner of Twelfth 
and Olive Streets. The price of labor and building materials was very 
high at that time, and the cost of building and furnishing these two 
houses, exclusive of the cost of the ground, was $36,071.50. The price 
paid for the ground on the corner of Tenth and Edmond Streets, 120 by 
140 feet, was $1,500, and the grading cost $500.84. The sum paid for 
the lots on Twelfth and Olive streets, 135 by 140 feet, was $800, and it 
cost to grade them $441.70. Both houses were built on the same plan 
and were alike in every respect. Their architecture, while neat, is plain 
and simple, and they are well and substantially built. In all the houses 



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HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 545 

built by the Board since the reorganization of the schools in 1864, this 
same wise policy has been pursued, to build plain but neat and conven- 
ient houses, without extravagant ornamentation, of moderate dimensions, 
none of them over two stories in height, and located to accommodato 
as well as may be, the scattered population of the city. 

The building on the corner of Tenth and Edmond Streets was 
designed for a central high school, and is known as the St. Joseph High 
School. It was opened for tlie reception of pupils in 1866. Its first 
principal was John S. Crosby. Esq., under whose able management the 
school soon acquired great reputation, ranking second to no similar 
institution in the West. Mr. Crosby remained at its head till the fall of 
1877, a period of eleven years, when he resigned to enter into a law part- 
nership with ex-Governor Woodson. The present principal, Mr. William 
D. Rusk was appointed his successor. He was an old pupil of Mr. Crosby, 
and a graduate of the High School, of the class of 1868. He had also 
been a teacher in the High School for several years. Under his judi- 
cious and energetic administration the school has retained the prestige it 
acquired, and enjoys a fine reputation both at home and abroad. 

The house built in the same year on the corner of Twelfth and Olive 
Streets was designed for a grammar and primary school, and was named 
the Everett School. 

In 1867, the Board built a school house for the colored children, a 
frame building, one story, 28 by 40 feet, on the corner of Fourth and 
Michel Streets. This school had formerly been taught in the colored 
Baptist church, on Francis Street. 

No more school houses were built till 1869, but as the schools con- 
tinued to be crowded, and many children could not gain admittance, the 
Board rented rooms wherever they could be found at all suitable for 
school purposes. 

At a meeting of the Board, held March 3rd, 1868, the following reso- 
lution was adopted : 

• 

Resolved, That the St. Joseph Board of Public Schools, feeling the 
need of additional school buildings, and for the purpose of securing the 
necessary means therefor, and also for paying an indebtedness previously 
incurred in the erection of school houses, do hereby authorize and direct 
the President and Financial Committee of the Board to at once procure 
the issuing of bonds to the amount of forty thousand dollars, of the 
denominations of one thousand and five hundred dollars, with interest 
coupons attached ; interest payable semi-annually, at the Bank of Com- 
merce, in the city of New York, at the rate of ten per cent, per annum. 
It is further ordered that the said committee shall take the necessary 
steps towards negotiating said bonds at not less than ninety cents for 
every dollar. 

In accordance with the above, the President of the Board, Hon. 
Samuel Hays, had the bonds prepared, and chiefly through the exer- 



546 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

tions of Wm. M. Wyeth, Esq., the chairman of the finance committee, 
they were all sold to parties in the east, netting the Board thirty-six 
thousand dollars in cash. 

With this money, the Board liquidated an indebtedness that had 
been incurred in building the High and Everett school houses, and pur- 
chased the grounds and built two school houses. 

A piece of ground 2CXD by 140 feet was bought on Fifth and Pouline 
Streets, for the sum of twenty-two hundred dollars. The sum of eleven 
hundred and forty-five dollars and forty-three cents was paid for grading 
these lots. A brick building containing six school rooms and a recita- 
tion room, was erected on this ground. The building is two stories in 
height and is in the shape of the letter T, with a projection in front, form- 
ing a tower surmounted by a French roof Its cost, including furniture, 
and excluding the sum paid for the lots and their grading, was $1 1,658* 
It was named the Washington School. 

The other house was built on a piece of ground comprising thirty-six 
lots, or an entire block, fronting on Highly Street and extending from 
Eighteenth to Nineteenth Streets. The block is bounded on the north 
by Beattie Street, on the east by Nineteenth Street, on the south by 
Highly Street and on the west by Eighteenth Street, and is a magnificent 
piece of ground. The price paid for it was eighteen hundred dollars, and 
it required no grading. On this site a house was built, similar in plan 
and design to the Washington School, the main difference being that the 
rear wing-was omitted, so that it contains only four school rooms and a 
recitation room. The rear wing can be added at any time. The cost 
of this property, including the furniture, and exclusive of the price of the 
lots, was $9,928. 

It received the name of Webster School. 

The Board had now, up to 1869, built and furnished five school 
buildings, four of them being substantial and handsome brick edifices, 
and one a neat frame building. Rented buildings were also occupied 
wh*erever they could be obtained, yet the increase in the population of 
the city, and the popularity of the schools were such, that the cry of 
insufficient school accommodations was heard as frequently, and the 
complaints at the Superintendent's office, of parents who had applied in 
vain for the admission of their children, were as numerous as at any 
former period. 

In his annual report for the year ending July 31, 1870, Superintend- 
ent Neely called the attention of the Board to localities where schools 
were most needed, and continued as follows: 

r'rom this brief statement you pcrceixe that two new school houses, 
besides additions to buildings now in use. will soon became a necessity 
that cannot longer be postponed. 

It is evident to an\- one who will take the trouble to examine, that 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 549 

you cannot depend upon the school tax, as limited by your charter, to pro- 
vide the means for the current expenses of the schools and to erect a 
sufficient number of school buildings to meet the wants of our growing 
population. I see but one way to meet the difficulty, and that is to issue 
bonds running a specified number of years to an amount sufficient to 
build the needed houses. This seems to be not only practical but right, 
for it is but simple justice that those who come after us and share with 
us in their use, should also share with us the expense of erecting them. 
These houses, if built, will be used by the people of the next generation 
as well as by us. The people of to-day have paid for most of the houses 
already built ; they will also pay the interest on the bonds that may be 
issued for the erection of the proposed houses. The bonds themselves, 
when they mature, will be paid by the people of the next generation. 
The natural deterioration of the buildings will be more than counter- 
balanced by the increased value of the lots. 

Early in the year 1871, the Board decided to issue bonds to the 
amount of forty thousand dollars, to enable them, first, to pay off a float- 
ing indebtedness incurred in erecting school houses ; next, to build a 
new school house in the southern part of the city and an addition to the 
Everett School ; next, to build walks, stone walls and make other needed 
improvements on the grounds and premises of houses already built, and 
finally, to remodel to some extent, and adapt to public school use, a 
school building on the corner of Tenth and Felix Streets, which the 
Board had this year bought, on time, for the sum of $8,500 irom the 
"St. Joseph Deutsche Vereins Schule." This valuable property is situa- 
ted on ground on the corner of Tenth and Felix Streets, fronting 120 
feet on Felix Street and running back 140 feet to an alley. The build- 
ing is of brick, and at the time of its purchase had two school rooms on 
the first floor, divided by a hall, and one large room occupying the whole 
of the second floor. 

The association that built and owned it had maintained a school in 
it for some time, but finding its support somewhat onerous, and wishing 
to incorporate it into the public school system, they deeded it to the 
Board for the sum mentioned above, with certain provisos and conditions, 
attached, the most important of which are as follows : 

The "party of the second part," by which is meant the Board of Public 
Schools, is to keep on the property conveyed, or its results, a German-Eng- 
lish school, in which instruction in the German and English languages 
shall be given in equal proportions in all departments of instruction, to 
meet the demands of the pupils from the whole city for such instruction, 
according to the capacity thereof. 

No teacher to be employed to give instruction in the German lan- 
guage in the German-English School, until he or she shall have adduced 
satisfactory proof in writing, by persons other than the applicant, that 
he or she has received a thorough German education, and that German 
is the language principally spoken in his or her family, and that of his 
or her parents, said proof to be and remain open to inspection. 



550 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

All pupils applying to be received into the German-English School 
in the same manner and upon the same conditions as into the other 
public schools of the City of St. Joseph, and so instructed as to qualify 
them to enter from this school "what is commonly called the High 
School." 

No sectarian or religious instruction to be given in the school. 

The Board to erect, within two years from the first of September, 
1871, an addition of two rooms to the building then on the premises, 
and to complete the entire building according to the original plan, if the 
wants of the school require and the resources of the Board admit of it. 

Before this property could be at all fit for use as a public school, it 
was necessary for the Board to expend on it the sum of $1,765.69. 
Among other things, the lot had to be graded, a stone wall to be built, 
the large room on the second floor to be converted into two rooms, with 
a hall between, and stairs to be built leading to the second story, the 
only means of communication up stairs heretofore having been by 
means of rough, temporary steps on the outside. The desks in the 
building were common and uncomfortable, and were replaced with new 
ones at a cost of $496. 

The bonds issued in February, 1 871, were sold at ninety cents on 
the dollar, and were taken, nearly all of them, by the citizens of St. 
Joseph. The}' netted the Board $36,000. Two thousand two hundred 
and sixty-one dollars and sixty-nine cents of tliis sum, as has been seen- 
were applied to making the German-English School ready for use, and for 
furnishing it. 

A piece of ground, 130 by 160 feet, was purchased in the southern 
part of the city, on the corner of Scott and Twelfth Streets, for the sum 
of $1,100. On this site, the Board built a brick school house 33 by 70 
feet, two stories high and basement, with projection in front, 4 by 16 
feet. The basement contained playrooms for use of the pupils in bad 
weather. School rooms, four in number, two on each floor, each 27 by 30 
feet, with six windows to each room. The cost of this building, includ- 
ing furniture, and excluding price of ground, was $9,719.45. This school 
was named the Neely School. 

In the same year, 1871, the Board built an addition of two rooms to 
the Everett School, making it a six-room building. A stone wall was 
also built around the premises, at a cost of $544.50. The total cost of 
the addition and other improvements at Everett School was $6,182.52. 

In July, 1871, a terrific tornado passed over a portion of the city of 
St. Joseph, which unroofed the Webster School, blew down a portion of 
the unfinished walls of the Everett addition, in process of construction, 
and completely demolished the Colored School house, which had to be 
entirely re-built, at a cost of $1,100. 

The repairing of these damages occasioned by the storm, and the 
repairs and improvements at the other school houses absorbed some 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 553 

$3,500 of the amount realized from the sale of the bonds, and, in addi- 
tion, the Board paid an indebtedness of $11,054.16, contracted in build- 
ing in former years. 

In 1 87 1, the number of pupils in the schools had increased to 2,415, 
and there were in the employ of the Board thirty-nine teachers. Besides 
the buildings owned by the Board, six rented buildings were occupied. 
The expenses of operating the schools had of necessity become heavy, 
and in addition to the current expenses, provision had to be made annu- 
ally for the payment of interest on the bonds issued, and for the interest 
on the notes given for the purchase of the German-English School prop- 
erty, amounting in all to $8,850 yearly. The amended charter gave the 
Board the power to levy a tax of only one-half of one per cent, for all 
purposes. It soon became apparent that this tax was insufficient to 
operate the schools, and pay the interest on the indebtedness of the 
Board. At a meeting of the Board, held November 23, 1871, on motion 
of Mr. Charles F. Ernst, himself and Superintendent Neely were appointed 
a committee to prepare a bill amending the charter of the Board so as to 
give that body the power to levy a tax not to exceed one per cent, in 
any one year, and to present the bill to the member of the Legislature 
from St. Joseph, with the request that he would endeavor to secure its 
'passage. At a meeting, held January 9, 1872, the committee reported 
that they had discharged their duty, and that the bill had been intro- 
duced into the House and referred to a committee. As some opposition 
to its passage was being developed, the Board thought it best to send a 
committee to Jefferson City to aid the Representative in getting it 
through. President Floyd appointed on that committee Messrs. George 
Lyon and J. J. Wyatt. Mr. Lyon went to Jefferson, and reported to the 
Board, April 4, 1872, that he had been unable to secure the passage of 
the amendment giving the Board power to levy one per cent., but that 
he had succeeded, with the aid of the Re '-esentative, in getting a bill 
through which would authorize the Boaro .0 levy a tax of seven-tenths 
•of one per cenL each year. This was satisfactory to the Board, as it was 
sufficient to meet the regular expenses of the schools and pay the inter- 
est on' the debt. 

In 1873, as required by the contract of the Board with the German 
School Association, an addition of two rooms two stories in height, was 
built to the German-English School, making that a six-room building, 
with a recitation room at one end of the hall on the second floor. This 
was built at the contract price of $3,500, furniture not included. 

The Board continued to levy a tax of seven mills from 1872 till 1876 
In October, 1875, the State of Missouri adopted a new constitution, which 
restricted the rate of taxation for school purposes in cities to four mills, 
unless a majority of the taxpayers voting at an election called for the 
purpose, should vote for a higher rate of taxation. The constitution 



554 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

gave to School Boards the right to levy a tax sufficient to pay the inter- 
est on any valid indebtedness existing at the time of the adoption of the- 
constitution, and also the right to levy a tax to create a sinking fund to- 
pay the principal when due. 

There was no provision in the constitution by which the Board could 
submit to the people the question of an increase of tax, and when the 
Legislature met and passed an act enabling the Board to hold such an. 
election, it was too late to make it available for the exigencies of 1877. 
Only a four mills tax could be levied, and, as a consequence, the schools 
were continued in session that year only nine months, instead of ten as 
heretofore. 

At an election, held April 24th, 1877, the people voted, by a large 
majority, to increase the rate of taxation for general school purposes, tO' 
five mills, and the County Court ordered a five mill levy. But in 1878, 
when the Board again asked for a levy of five mills, the court refused to 
make the levy, on the ground that the increase voted by the people in 
1877 was for that year only. The proposition submitted to the people 
very distinctly stated that the vote was for or against ''annual increase in 
the rate of taxation" and the ballots were so printed, but the County 
Court judges were wiser than Webster or Worcester, and insisted that 
the tax voted was for 1877 only. The Board at once applied for a writ of 
mandamus to compel the court to levy the tax voted by the people, and 
judgment was rendered in the Circuit Court in favor of the Board. 
Through some neglect the judgment was not entered on record, and it 
became necessary to go into trial again, but a decision has not yet been 
reached. Consequently, since 1878, only a four mills tax has been levied. 
This diminution of the revenues of the Board compelled a reduction in 
the salaries of the teachers and all other employes, \vhich were already 
sufficiently low, and prevented the introduction and adoption of many and- 
important contemplated improvements. 

A history of the St. Joseph public schools would be incomplete which' 
failed to relate the efforts of the Board to maintain, unimpaired its credit 
by meeting promptly the interest on its bonded indebtedness. The 
writer cannot do this better than by quoting briefly from the annual 
reports of Superintendent Neely for the year ending July 31st, 1878, and 
for the year ending July 31st, 1880. 

In his report for the first named year, the Superintendent says : "The 
bonds of the Board were issued in good faith, in strict conformity with 
law, as was supposed, and after advising with some of the ablest lawyers 
in the city. Successive County Courts, from year to year, have levied a 
tax to pay the interest on these bonds, and lately a tax to create a 
sinking fund to pay the principal. No question as to their validity had 
ever been raised, the amount realized from their sale had been invested in 
commodious and comfortable school buildings, the use of which our citi- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 555 

zens have been enjoying for years, and our School Board was just in the 
midst of successful negotiations with the holders of the bonds — many of 
them our own citizens — for refunding them at six per cent., when the 
County Court, the same court that had levied a tax the year before to 
pay the interest and create a sinking fund, made the discovery that the 
bonds were illegal, and refused to levy any further tax for the payment 
of either principal or interest. 

" The Board has done all it thought advisable to establish the valid- 
ity of the bonds and secure the means for their payment. It employed 
ex-Governors Hall and Woodson to examine the whole matter carefully, 
and give their opinion in writing as to the legality of the bonds. These 
eminent jurists, after a careful and exhaustive examination of the law 
under which the bonds were issued, expressed their opinion in writing" 
in terms most positive and decided, that the Board was fully authorized 
to issue the bonds, that all the forms of law had been observed, and that 
they are valid and must be paid. A committee of the Board presented 
this opinion of Messrs.. Woodson and Hall to the County Court, and 
requested the members of that body to give it their careful attention. 
The court still persists in its refusal to levy the tax, and it now devolves 
upon the holders of the bonds to take the legal measures necessary to- 
protect their interests and their just claims." 

In his report for the year ending July 31, 188 u Superintendent 
Neely uses the following language : 

"For the purpose of building school houses, of paying an indebted- 
ness incurred in the erection of the High and Everett School buildings, 
and for making needed improvements on the grounds and premises of 
school property, the Board in 1868 and 187 1, issued bonds to the amount 
of $80,000, bearing ten per cent, interest. These bonds were sold at 90 
cents, the Board realizing from their sale $72,000. In i87i,the Board 
purchased from the German School Association, the property on the cor- 
ner of Tenth and Felix Streets, for the sum of $8,500. As this purchase 
was made on time, the debt of the Board was increased to $88,500, and 
it became necessary to provide each year for the payment of $8,850 for 
interest, in addition to meeting the current expenses of the schools^ 
This interest was paid promptly out of the general fund every six 
months, until 1876. when the new constitution of the state reduced the 
rate of tax that could be levied for the general fund from seven mills to 
four. 

Boards of Education, were, however, authorized to- make an estimate 
for a special or separate tax sufficient to pay the annual interest on their 
indebtedness, and also for a tax, not to exceed two-fifths of one per cent.,, 
to constitute a sinking fund, to be used only for the payment of the prin- 
cipal of the debt. The County Court made the levy for the payment of 
the interest in 1876 and 1877, and also in 1877 levied one mill to create a 



556 ' HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

sinking fund ; after which it made the discovery that the bonds were 
illegal, and refused to levy another tax for the payment of either princi- 
pal or interest. 

From the avails of the tax levied in 1877, to constitute a sinking 
fund, the Board has paid $7,460, thus reducing its indebtednesss to 
$81,040. To this, of course,. must be added the interest, which has been 
constantly accruing since the refusal of the court, in 1878, to levy a tax 
for jts payment, only a few coupons having been paid since that time 
from the small receipts from the delinquent taxes of 1876 and 1877. 

On the failure of the Board to pay the interest, certain holders of 
the bonds brought suit against the Board in the United States Court to 
test the question which the County Court had raised as to the validity 
of the bonds. The Board gave public notice of the suit, and author- 
ized any person desiring to contest the validity of the bonds to appear 
and defend the suit in the name of the Board. The County Court 
employed counsel, who appeared and set up as a defense the want of 
power in the Board to issue the bonds. The question was argued, and 
judgment given sustaining the validity of the bonds. The County 
Court, however, still refused to make a levy to pay the interest. The 
Board then petitioned the Circuit Court of Buchanan County for a writ 
of mandainus to compel the County Court to make a levy to pay the 
interest due, and also a levy of one mill additional for general purposes, 
the latter having been authorized by a vote of the tax payers of the dis- 
trict, in 1877, a"d levied for one year. The object of this suit was to 
remove any scruples the County Court might have on account of the 
" Gottey bill," which prohibited the levy of any tax to pay interest on 
bonds without an order of the Circuit Court of the County, and also to 
test the question whether the extra mill tax, voted by the district, was 
to be levied from year to year, if the Board found it necessary, or 
whether it applied to but a single year, as the County Court claimed, 
refusing to levy it after that year. It transpired, however, during the 
progress of the suit, that the County Court intended to appeal from any 
adverse decisions in the Circuit Court to the Supreme Court of the State, 
where a final decision would not be reached for years, and the attorneys 
of the Board, Messrs. Woodson & Crosby, not desiring to increase the 
obstacles in the way of the bondholders collecting their judgments, dis- 
missed that part of the suit relating to the bonds, but obtained judgment 
for a peremptory writ commanding the levy of the extra mill, from which 
decision the County Court has signified its intention to appeal. The 
holders of judgments in the United States Court have sued out writs 
of mandamus commanding the County Court to make a levy for their 
payment. The court has the cases under advisement, the only 
point raised being whether mandamus will lie against the County Court, 
the judgment being against the School Board. 



o 




HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 559 

It may be a matter of interest that of the three judges composing 
the County Court, the one residing in the district votes to carry out the 
will of the Board, while the two that thwart it, are not residents of the 
district. Also, that at about the time the County Court refused to levy 
a tax for interest the Board had begun to refund its bonds, reducing the 
interest from ten to six per cent., and had refunded five thousand dol- 
lars when the action of the County Court put a stop to refunding, and 
will compel the district to pay over three thousand dollars interest annu- 
ally, that might have been saved, to say nothing of costs and expenses." 

There is nothing to add to the above, except that up to the present 
time (1881) the court persists in its refusal to levy the tax, and it 
remains to be seen what measures will be' taken by the United States 
District Court to enforce the judgment rendered by it in favor of holders 
of the bonds. 

In 1875, the Board built a frame schoolroom in the yard of the 
Everett School, 27 by 30 feet in the clear, at a cost of $845, making that 
a seven-room school, and in 1877, a schoolroom on the same plan and of 
the same dimensions, was built in the yard of the Washington School, 
at a cost of $663.20, making that in like manner a seVen-room school. 

In 1879, the Board purchased six lots on Sixth and Jackson Streets^ 
giving for them a lot owned by the Board valued at $300, and $700 
in cash. On this ground a neat and convenient school house was 
built, containing two beautiful rooms, a hall in the center, and the 
necessary closets and cloak rooms. It is built of brick, and so con- 
structed that a second story can be added to it. A rear wing can 
also be built without obstructing light or ventilation, thus making it a 
six-room building. It was built for the contract price of $2,168, this 
sum not including fences, outhouses, walks, nor furniture. These items 
and the grading and excavation bring the cost of the building up to 
$3,049.40. The building was named the Floyd School. 

Notwithstanding these improvements and additions, the demand for 
more school rooms continued as urgent as ever, a demand very difficult 
for the Board to meet with the limited means at its disposal, and the 
obstructions thrown in its way by the County Court. 

By the practice of the most rigid economy, by reducing salaries to a 
point bordering on injustice, and by dispensing with many things, such 
as apparatus, etc., that would have been of great assistance to pupils and 
teachers, and by an unexpected increase in their revenue for the year 
ending July 30, 1880, on account of the collection of an unusually large 
amount of delinquent taxes, the Board found itself at the close of that 
year with a balance of a few thousand dollars to its credit. 

It was resolved to buy ground and build more school houses, and 
during the year ending July 31, 1881, six school rooms were added to 
those already owned by the Board. A piece of ground 125 by 135 feet 



56o HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

was purchased on the corner of Savannah Avenue and Richardson 
Street, for the sum of $900. On this a very handsome and convenient 
brick school house was built, two stories in height, and containing four 
beautiful school rooms. The house is built on nearly the same plan as 
the Neely School. It is the most elegantly finished school building in 
the city ; has in it water from the St. Joseph Water Company, and is 
furnished with marble wash basins, electrical bells, etc. It cost, not 
including furniture, etc., $7,400. It was named the Crosby School. 

In the same year a brick school building, one story, 28 by 38 feet, 
(13 feet story), 13-inch walls and metal roof, containing one school room, 
closet and cloak room, was built in the yard of the Everett School, at a 
cost of $1,235.40. The addition of that room made the Everett an eight- 
room school. 

As the Neely School was crowded to overflowing, the Board decided 
to convert one of the play rooms in the basement into a school room. 
This was done in the same year, at a cost of $318.82, not including furni- 
ture, and it makes a very handsome, well-lighted and comfortable school 
room, about 28 by 35 feet in size. This makes the Neely a five-room 
school, and as the population is rapidly increasing in that part of the 
city, it will be necessary at an early day to convert the other play room 
in the basement into a school room, and also to build a two-story addi- 
tion in the rear, with a school room on each floor. 

All of these improvements made in the fiscal year ending July 31, 
1881, were urgently needed, but their construction absorbed all the 
savings of the Board and some $6,000 or $7,000 besides, and has rendered 
exceedingly doubtful the continuance of the schools on full time the 
ensuing year.' 

The urgency for more school accommodations still continuing, the 
Board resolved at a meeting held February ist, 1881, to hold an election 
for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters, a proposition for 
the levy of a special tax to build a six-room school house, in the western 
part of the city, a six-room school house in the eastern part of the city, 
and a two-room school house for colored children in the southeastern 
part of the city. The election was held on the first day of March, 1881. 
There was a very light vote, only 363 votes being polled, 322 of which 
were for levying the tax, and 41 against the levy. 

It was the intention of the Board to proceed to build the houses at 
once, without waiting for the collection of the tax, so as to have them 
ready for occupancy by the opening of the fall session in September. 
But from the delay of the County Court to levy the tax, capitalists 
were unwilling to advance the money required, and builders were unwil- 
ling to take the risk of building, as it was by no means certain that the 
court would levy the tax unless compelled to do so after a tedious law 
suit. When, at length, the court did levy the tax, it was too late to 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 56 1 

build in time for the fall session, and at the date of this present writing 
(July, 1881,) it is not known when the Board will decide to commence 
building. 

The following statistics for the fiscal year of the School Board, end- 
ing July 31, 1881, are interesting and valuable. 

NUMBER OF SCHOOL HOUSES OCCUPIED BY THE ST. JOSEPH BOARD OF 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

Number of school houses 20 

Number owned by the Board (brick) 10 

Number owned by the Board (frame) i 

Total number of school houses owned by the Board 11 

Number rented by the Board 9 

VALUE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY OWNED BY THE BOARD. 

Estimated value of grounds $ 30,000 

Estimated value of buildings and furniture 101,000 

Estimated value of apparatus and reference books 2,000 

Total value of school property $133,000 

TEACHERS. 

Number of teachers in the employ of the Board, at the close of 

the school year ending June 30, 1881 67 

Number of male teachers ii 

Number of female teachers ". , . 56 

Number of teachers in High School 5 

Number of teachers in grammar and primary schools 5^ 

Number of teachers in colored schools 6 

Amount of salaries paid teachers for the fiscal year ending July 

31, 1881 $37,846 25 



56: 



HISTORY OF ST. |OSEPII. 



ENROLLMENT AND ATTENDANCE OF PUPILS FOR THE LAST SEVEN- 
TEEN YEARS. 

The following table shows the enrollment and attendance of pupils 
in the schools since their reorganization in 1864, embracing a period of 
seventeen years : 



1 S64- 
1865- 
1S66- 
1S67- 
1S6S- 
1S69- 
1S70- 
1S71- 
1S72- 

1S73- 
1S74- 
1S75- 
1S76- 
1S77- 
1S7S- 
1S79- 
iSSo- 



1 ^ 


u 




1 V 


x> 




1 -^ 


£ K-. 




= -«• 

. 0) 


. 


a "i 


;< = 


M 


<u -0 




D 




V ^ 


;£— 


n! D 


_oa 




?< 


^ 


> 
< 


< 


630 


410 


369 


719 


470 


430 


1511 


772 


71b 


1766 


IO9S 


loiS 


2160 


1293 


1 186 


2082 


'333 


1224 


2415 


1623 


1477 


2574 


1767 


'597 


2S58 


2032 


1827 


33b2 


2391 


2159 


3485 


2516 


2239 


35>o 


2620 


2385 


35'4 


2667 


2417 , 


3536 


2691 


2475 ' 


369' 


2755 


2521 1 


3820 


2S48 


2579 


4072 


3116 


2S53 i 



o l» 



90 
92 

93 
93 
92 
92 

9' 
90 
90 
90 
89 
91 
91 
92 
92 
91 
92 



Before bringing the history of the public schools of St. Joseph to a 
close, it is proper to add a few words showing the scope and character 
of the course of study and the methods of teaching used in these 
schools. 

It is apparent to any one who will stud\- the history of the schools 
from their feeble beginning in i860, and trace their progress from their 
reorganization in 1864 to the present time, that their growth has been 
uniformly steady and healthy. Their organization may really be said 
to date from 1864, near the close of a long and bloody civil war, at a 
time when almost every branch of industry was paralyzed, and preju- 
dices existed in the minds of a large number against the public school 
system. Beginning under such discouraging circumstances, with three 
small school houses and an empty treasury, the results attained in so 
brief a time cannot fail to be gratifying to every public-spirited citizen 
of St. Joseph. The facts related and statistics given in the preceding 
sketch speak for themselves. 

To give a clear and succint \'iew o{ the interior working of the sys- 
tem, we quote from an article written by Superintendent Neely, at the 
request of the " St. Joseph and Northwest Missouri Immigration 
Society." We quote only a brief portion of the article : 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 565 

« 

" The High School is at the head of the system, and the schools 
below the High School are known as the district schools, which include 
primary, intermediate and grammar. These are subdivided into seven 
grades, the seventh, sixth and fifth grades constituting the primary, the 
fourth and third the intermediate, and the second and first the gram- 
mar grades. The course of study is so arranged that each grade will 
require one year for its completion, so that a child entering school at six 
years of age will have completed the course by the time he is thirteen- 
This is the time required for the child of average ability. Children who 
are exceptionally talented or studious complete it sooner. Let us look 
now briefly at the course of study. 

The young child enters the seventh grade, bringing with him only- 
his slate and pencil. No books are needed at the beginning. The 
teacher proceeds at once to teach him to read. She does not teach him first 
his letters and then to spell, but from charts suspended on the wall she 
points out to him easy and familiar words, such as dog, cat, top, etc., at 
the same time showing him the pictures of those objects. He soon learns 
to recognize many of such words at sight, much sooner than he could 
learn the letters, for the word conveys to him a familiar idea, while the 
letter does not. Soon the teacher, by skillfully pointing in the proper 
order, to the words the pupil has learned on the chart, constructs little 
sentences, and the child almost unconsciously finds himself reading, 
before, by the old spelling book method, he would have known his let- 
ters. These he learns almost without knowing how he does it. In this 
way a whole class is taught as easily as a single child. By the close of 
the first year, the children of the seventh grade have learned to read 
all the lessons in the First Reader, (which is soon substituted for the 
charts) to write legibly short sentences on their slates, to count with and 
without objects to fifty, and to add, subtract, multiply and divide, no 
number being introduced greater than twenty. This is the work of the 
first year, and if the annual examination shows that it has been per- 
formed thoroughly, the child receives a certificate, signed by the Super- 
intendent, and is regularly promoted to the sixth, or next higher grade. 
In this grade the Second Reader is begun and completed, the children 
commence the study of Ray's Primary Arithmetic, and the studies of 
the seventh grade are continued. Primary Geography being commenced 
at the middle of the year. 

In the fifth grade, or third year, the same studies are continued, the 
third reader being substituted for the second. The child finishes the 
primary arithmetic. 

In the fourth grade, the scholar begins the fourth reader, and contin- 
ues the studies of the preceding year. Primary geography is completed. 
Ray's intellectual and Ray's practical arithmetics are begun. The spel- 
ling book is now put into the hands of the pupils, all the spelling hereto- 



566 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

fore having been done from the readers. In this grade a text book on 
language lessons is placed in the hands of the scholars for study and rec- 
itation. All instruction on this subject has heretofore been oral, the 
pupil having no book. 

In the third grade, or fifth year of the course, the same studies are 
continued, the advanced text book on geography being substituted for 
the primary. The text book on language lessons is completed. 

In the second grade, the fifth reader is begun and completed, and 
geography is finished. English grammar is begun and the studies of the 
preceding grade are continued. 

In the first grade, or seventh year of the course, selections from the 
sixth reader are read. Practical arithmetic is completed from interest to 
the end of the book. English grammar is finished, attention being given 
chiefly to the correction of false syntax and the analysis of sentences. 
United States history and an elementary work on physics are begun and 
completed. Intellectual arithmetic is completed at the middle of the 
year, and the class takes up in its stead and finishes an elementary work 
on physiology. Penmanship, spelling and composition are kept up 
throughout the entire course. Pupils are promoted from one grade to 
another by a thorough system of written examinations. 

Such, briefly outlined, is the course of study in the St. Joseph public 
schools. Edward Everett said : " To read the English language well, to 
write a neat, legible hand, and to be master of the four rules of arith- 
metic, I call this a good education." Any pupil completing the above 
course in the St. Joseph schools, should have an education far above that 
standard, and should be well prepared to enter upon any of the ordinary 
business avocations of life. But that the system of public instruction 
may be as complete and thorough in St. Joseph as in any Eastern city, a 
High School, with a liberal course of study, was organized in 1866, 
which has graduated 208 young ladies and gentlemen, who are filling 
useful and honorable positions in society. Of the above number, forty-four 
are either teaching now, or have been teachers in the public schools of 
St. Joseph. I can best exhibit the scope and character of the course of 
instruction in the High School by giving the course of study in full; 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 567 

COURSE OF STUDY IN THE ST. JOSEPH HIGH* SCHOOL. 
PREPARATORY YEAR. 



First Quarter. 

Eng. Gram, and Comp. 

Latin. 

Higher Arithmetic. 

*German 



Second Quarter. 



Eng Gram, and Comp 

Latin. 

Higher Arithmetic. 

*German. 



Third Quarter. 

Eng. Gram, and Comp. 

Latin. 

Algebra. 

*German. 



Fourth Quarter. 

Eng. Gram and Comp. 

Latin. 

Algebra. 

*German. 



JUNIOR YEAR. 



First Quarter. 

Rhetoric and History- 
Latin 
Algebra. 
*German. 



Second Quarter. 



Rhetoric and History. 

Latin 

Algebra. 

^German 



Third Quarter. 

Rhetoric and History. 

Latin. 

Geometry. 

*German. 



Fourth Quarter. 

Rhetoric and History. 

Latin. 

Geometry. 

*German. 



MIDDLE YEAR. 



First Quarter. 


Second Quarter. 


Third Quarter. 


Fourth Quarter. 


Mental Science. 
Latin. 
Geometry. 
^French or Greek. 


Mental Science. 
Latin. 
Geometry. 
*French or Greek. 


Natural Philosophy. 
Latin. 

Trigonometry. 
*Book Keeping and 
Commercial Arith'tic. 
*French or Greek. 


Chemistry. 
Latin. 

Trigonometry. 
*Book Keeping and 
Commercial Arith'tic. 
*French or Greek. 



SENIOR YEAR 



First Quarter. 


Second Quarter. 


Third Quarter. 


Fourth Quarter. 


English Literature. 
Latin. 
Physiology. 
*French or Greek. 


English Literature. 

Latin. 

Physical Geography. 

*French or Greek. 


English Literature. 
Latin 

Astronomy. 
*French or Greek. 


English Literature. 
Latin. 

Constitution. 
*French or Greek. 



*Elective. 

English composition and drawing throughout the course. 




35 






THE THREE STAGES OF TRANSPORTATION- 



CHAPTER X. 

RAILROADS. 

HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD— ST. JOSEPH & WESTERN RAILROAD— THE KANSAS 
CITY, ST. JOSEPH & COUNCIL BLUFFS RAILRO\D-ST LOUIS & ST. JOSEPH RAIL- 
ROAD-MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILWAY-ST. JOSEPH & DES MOINES RAILROAD. 

The people of St. Joseph early awoke to a sense of the importance 
and necessity of railroad communication with the east. About the first 
reference to this matter we find in the Gazette of Friday, November 
6th, 1846. 

" Our country is destined to suffer much and is now suffering from 
the difficulty of navigation and the extremely high rates the boats 
now charge. Our farmers may calculate that they will get much less for 
produce and will be compelled to pay much more for their goods than 
heretofore, and this will certainly always be the case w-hen the Missouri 
River shall be as low as it now is. The chances are fearfully against 
having any considerable work bestowed in improving the river, and until 
it is improved by artificial means, the navigation of it to this point must 
always be dangerous and very uncertain. 

The prospects for this fall and winter are well calculated to make 
the people look about to see if there is no way to remedy this inconven- 
ience, if there can be any plan suggested whereby our people can be 
placed more nearly upon terms of equality with the good citizens of 
other parts of our land. 

We suggest the propriety of a railroad from St. Joseph to some 
point on the Mississippi, either St. Louis, Hannibal or Quincy. For our- 
selves, we like the idea of a railroad to one of the latter places suggested, 
for this course would place us nearer to the Eastern cities, and make our 
road thither a direct one ; we like this road, too, because it would so 
much relieve the intermediate country which is now suffering and must 
always suffer so much for transporting facilities in the absence of such 
an enterprise. 

If this be the favorite route we must expect opposition from the 
southern portion of the state, as well as all the river counties below this. 
For the present we mean merely to throw out the suggestion with the 
view of awaking public opinion, and eliciting a discussion of the subject. 
In some future number we propose presenting more advantages of such 
a road, and will likewise propose and enforce by argument the ways and 
means of accomplishing the object." 



570 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The suggestions thus offered of the necessity of a railroad seemed to 
have been universally popular, and through the vigorous action of the 
friends of the enterprise, we find, thus early, a charter granted by the 
Legislature, as follows : * 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE HANNIBAL AND ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD 

COMPANY. 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follozvs : 

Section i. That Joseph Robidoux, John Corby and Robert J. 
Boyd, of St. Joseph, in Buchanan County ; Samuel J. Harrison, 
Zachariah G. Draper and Erasmus M. Moffett, of the City of Hannibal ; 
Alexander McMurtry, of Shelby County ; George A. Shortridge and 
Thomas Sharp, of Macon County; Wesley Halliburton, of Linn County; 
John Graves, of Livingston County; Robert Wilson, of Daviess County ; 
and George W. Smith, of Caldwell County ; and all such persons as may 
hereafter become stockholders in the said company, shall be and they are 
hereby created a body corporate and politic in fact, and in name, by the 
name and style of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company, and 
the same title, the stockholders shall be in perpetual succession, and be 
able to sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded in all courts of record 
and elsewhere, and to purchase, receive, have, hold, and enjoy to them 
and their successors lands, tenements and hereditaments, goods, chattels, 
and all estates, real, personal and mixed of what kind or quality soever, 
and the same from time to time, to sell, mortgage, grant, alien and con- 
vey, and to make dividends of such portion of the profits as they may 
deem proper, and also to make and have a common seal, and the same 
to alter or renew at pleasure, and also to ordain, establish and put in ex- 
ecution such by-laws, ordinances and regulations as shall appear neces- 
sary and convenient for the government of such corporation, and not 
being contrary or repugnant to the Constitution and laws of the 
L^ited States, or of the State of Missouri, and generally to do all and 
singular the matters and things, which to them it shall lawfully apper- 
tain to do for the well being of the said corporation and the due man- 
agement and ordering of the affairs of the same: Provided, always, 
that it shall not be lawful for the said corporation to deal, or use, or 
employ any part of the stock, funds or money, in buying or selling any 
wares or merchandise in the way of traffic, or in banking or broking 
operations. 

Sec. 2. That the capital stock of said corporation shall be two mil- 
lions of dollars, divided into twenty thousand shares of one hundred dol- 
lars each, and it shall be lawful for said corporation, when and so soon 
as in the opinion of the individuals named in the foregoing section a 
sufficient amount of stock shall have been taken for that purpose, to 
commence and carry on their said proper business and railroad opera- 
tions under the privileges and conditions herein granted. 

Sec. 3. That the said company are hereby authorized and empow- 
ered to cause books for the subscription stock to be opened at such times 
and places as they may deem most conducive to the attainment of the 
stock required. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 573 

Sec. 4. The said company [shall] have power to view, lay out and 
construct a railroad from St. Joseph's, in Buchanan County, to Palmyra, 
in Marion County, and thence to Hannibal, in said county of Marion, 
and shall, in all things, be subject to the same restrictions and entitled 
to all the privileges, rights, and immunities which were granted to the 
Louisiana and Columbia Railroad Company, by an act entitled "An act 
to incorporate the Louisiana and Columbia Railroad Company," passed at 
the session of the General Assembly in 1836 and '37, and approved Jan- 
uary 27th, 1837, so far as the same are applicable to the company hereby 
created, as fully and completely as if the same were herein enacted. 

Sec. 5. Nothing in this act, nor in that to which it refers, shall be 
construed so as to allow said company to hold or purchase any more real 
estate than may be necessary and proper for the use of the road and the 
business transacted thereon. 

This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. 

Approved February 16, 1847. 

The following were the 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE RAILROAD CONVENTION, 

held at Chillicothe, Missouri, June 2d, 1847. 

Delegates from various counties of North Missouri assembled at 
Chillicothe, Missouri, on the 2d day of June, 1847, according to previous 
notice. The Convention was organized in the Court House at 1 1 o'clock, 
by calling Judge A. A. King, of Ray County, to the chair, and electing 
Dr. John Craven, of Davies County, and Alexander McMurtry, of Shelby 
County, Vice Presidents, and H. D. LaCossit, of Marion County, and 
Charles J. Hughes, of Caldwell County, Secretaries. 

It was moved that the delegates in attendance report themselves to 
the Secretaries, whereupon the following gentlemen gave in their names 
and took their seats : 

B. F. Loan and Lawrence Archer, from Buchanan County ; Absolom 
Kernes, from DeKalb ; Robert Wilson, John B. Conner, Volney E. Bragg, 
William Penniston, James Turley, Thomas T. Frame, Jacob S. Rogers, 
M. F. Greene, John Mann, Woody Manson and John Craven, from 
Davies County ; George Smith, Patrick Smith, Jesse Baxter, A. B. Davis 
and C. J. Hughes, from Caldwell County ; A. A. King,* from Ray 
County ; John Graven, Thomas B. Bryan, Elisha Manford,, John Harper, 
F. Preston, F. L. Willard, John L. Johnson, S. Munser, John Bryan, B. 
F. Tarr, Thomas Jennings, William Hudgens, William Hicklin, William 
L. Black, James H. Darlington, Robert Mitchell, John Austin, James 
Austin and F. Preston, from Livingston County ; Dr. Livingston, from 
Grundy County ; W. B. Woodruff, James C. Moore, James Lintell, John 
J. Flora, Jeremiah Philips and W. Halliburton, Linn County ; George 

* Austin A. King, who presided over this Convention, was Judge of the Fifth Judicial Cir- 
cuit, of which Ray County was a part, from 1837 to 1848, when he was elected Governor of 
Missouri. 



574 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Shortridge, A. L. Gilstrap and Benjamin Sharp, from Macon County ; 
Alexander McMurtry, from Shelby County ; Z. G. Draper, James Waugh, 
Henry Collins, H. D. Cossitt and William P. Samuel, from Marion 
County. 

On motion of Col. Peniston, it was resolved that a committee, con- 
sisting of one member from each county represented in this convention, 
be appointed for the purpose of reporting upon what subjects this con- 
vention shall act. The President appointed Robert Wilson, L. Archer, 
A. Karns, G. Smith, F. L. Willard, Dr. Livingston, W. B. Woodruff, Geo. 
Shortridge, and Z. G. Draper. 

On motion, it was. resolved that a committee, consisting of one 
member from each county here represented, be appointed to report a 
basis upon which to vote in this convention. The President appointed 
A. L. Gilstrap, B. F. Loan, Wm. P. Peniston, Thos. Butts, Thos. R- 
Bryan, Dr. Livingston, W. Halliburton and James Waugh. 

George Smith, of Caldwell, presented the following propositions for 
the consideration of the convention, and moved to lay the same upon 
the table, which was done : • 

Whereas, The people of Northern Missouri are in favor of the 
project of a railroad from Hannibal to St. Joseph, therefore 

Resolved, By the delegates (their representives) that we recommend 
the following as the best method to procure the means for the contruc- 
tion of the same : 

First. A liberal subscription by the citizens of the state to the cap- 
ital stock of said company. 

Second. That Congress be petitioned for a grant of alternate sec- 
tions and parts of sections of all vacant lands ten miles on each side of 
said road, when located. 

Third. That the company procure a subscription to the stock by 
Eastern capitalists, and, should the foregoing means prove inadequate, 
we then recommend that the Legislature pass an act authorizing the 
company to issue bonds, to be indorsed by the Governor or Secretary of 
State, for the residue ; the company to give a mortgage on the whole 
work to the state, for the liquidation of said bonds. 

The convention then adjourned till afternoon. 

At the opening of the afternoon session, it was resolved that the 
rules for the government of the House of Representatives, of Missouri, 
be adopted for the government of this convention. 

A report was adopted, by which the basis of voting in the conven- 
tion was fixed as follows : that each county represented in the conven- 
tion be entitled to one vote for every one hundred votes therein, by 
which rule the County of Marion was allowed 15 votes; Shelby, 7; 
Macon, 9; Linn, 7; Livingston, 8; Grundy, 6; Davis, 9; Caldwell, 4; 
Ray, 15 ; DeKalb, 3 ; and Buchanan, 22. 

The committee, to whom was referred the duty of submitting sub- 
jects for action of this conxcntion, reported : 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 575 

1. To appoint a committee of three members to draft an address 
in the name of this convention, to the people of Western Missouri, set- 
ting forth the advantages to be derived from the contemplated railroad 
from St. Joseph to Hannibal. 

2. To appoint a committee of three, whose duty it shall be to peti- 
tion the Legislature of Missouri for such aid in the undertaking as can 
be afforded consistently with the rights of other sections of the state. 

3. To appoint a committee of three to petition Congress for a dona- 
tion of alternate sections of lands, within six miles on each side of said 
road, when located. 

4. To appoint a committee whose duty it shall be to superintend 
the publication and distribution of the proceedings of this convention, 
together with the charter of the road, and the address to the people of 
Northern Missouri. 

5. Said committees to be appointed by the President and the mem- 
bers of each committee as nearly contiguous as practicable. 

The Convention then adjourned till the following morning, when on 
reassembling, the five above-mentioned resolutions ware unanimously 
adopted, with the exception of the fifth, which was adopted, with an 
amendment, striking out all after the word President. 

Among other resolutions offered at this session of the Convention, 
the following by Judge King, of Ray, was unanimously adopted by way 
of amendment to a similar one offered by Dr. Grundy, of Livingston : 

Resolved, That whereas this Convention has adopted a resolution 
authorizing a memorial to Congress for donation of alternate sections of 
land to aid in the construction of the contemplated railroad, also author- 
izing a memorial to the Legislature for such aid in the undertaking as 
can be afforded consistently with the rights of other portions of the state, 
therefore, we, the delegates, pledge ourselves to support no man for 
Congress who will not pledge himself to the support of the proposition 
aforesaid, nor will we support any man for Governor, Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor or member of the Legislature who will not pledge himself to give 
such aid in the construction of the said railroad consistent with the 
rights of other portions of the state, as contemplated by the resolution 
aforesaid. 

Mr. George Smith, of Caldwell, offered the following resolution, 
which was read and adopted : 

Resolved, That the committee appointed to petition the Legislature 
be instructed to ask for an amendment to the fourth section of the act 
incorporating the Louisiana and Columbia Railroad Company, (being 
the Law by which the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company are to 
be governed), so as to give the power to the President and directors of 
the last mentioned company, to call in an amount not exceeding ten per 
cent, every sixty days, and change the notice from sixty to thirty days. 

The following resolution by Mr. Sharp, of Macon, was adopted : 

Whereas, It is not only extremely important to the agricultural 
and commercial interests of the intermediate country, that a good wagon 
road ,be >opened from .St. J^oseph to Hannibal, but the United States mail 



576 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Stages cannot be put in motion on said route until said road shall be 
opened. And 

Whereas, It is of the utmost importance, as well to the whole inter- 
mediate country as to the two extremes that mail facilities be speedily 
obtained in stages through said country. Therefore, 

Resolved, by this Convention, That it be recommended to each 
county through which said road may pass, immediately to open, bridge, 
and put in good repair the said road, in order that mail stages may be 
immediately started, according to the act of Congress establishing said 
route. 

Mr. Tarr, of Livingston, moved to reconsider the vote adopting the 
third proposition reported by the committee on business, which was 
agreed to. 

He then offered the following amendment to said third proposition r 

Adding to third proposition by the committee on business, as fol- 
lows, "Also to petition Congress that should any of the alternate sections 
on the road, or within six miles on either side thereof to be sold at any 
time subsequent to the i6th day of February, 1847, and before the action 
of Congress in relation to these lands, that other lands be granted as 
nearly contiguous as possible in lieu thereof" 

Which was agreed to, and the third proposition as amended was then 
adopted. 

Dr. Livingston, of Grundy, offered the following resolution which 
was adopted : 

Resolved, That the proceedings of this Convention be signed by the 
President, Vice Presidents and Secretaries, and that the President be 
requested to transmit a copy thereof to each of our representatives in 
Congress, requesting them to use their utmost endeavors to obtain from 
Congress the grant of land contemplated by the proceedings of this 
Convention." 

The President then announced the following committees : 

1. To address the people of Northern Missouri — Archer, Bragg and 
Cossitt. 

2. To petition Congress, in accordance with the resolution of the 
Convention — Cravens, Halliburton and Shortridge. 

3. To petition the Legislature — Tarr, Geo. Smith, of Caldwell and 
Dr. Livingston. 

On motion, it was resolved, that the thanks of the delegates and 
their constituents are due the officers of this convention for the able 
manner in which they have discharged their duties in this Convention^ 

The Convention then adjourned stJie die. 

The charter for the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was secured 
mainly by the exertions of Robert M. Stewart, afterwards Governor of 
the State, and, at the time of its issuance, a member of the State Senate,, 
and of General James Craig, and Judge J. B. Gardenhire, who repre- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 577 

sented Buchanan County in the Legislature. (General Craig was after- 
wards President of this road, with two brief intervals, for the period of 
eleven years, from i86r). 

With all the enthusiasm on the part of the people, material aid was 
lacking, as it was not until 1852 that the building of the road became a 
definite fact. At that period, Hon. Willard P. Hall represented a district 
of Missouri in Congress, and was Chairman of the Committee of Public 
Lands. By his efforts the passage of a bill was secured granting six 
hundred thousand acres of land to the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad 
Company, and the success of that long cherished enterprise was finally 
assured. The preliminary survey had been made by Simeon Kemper 
and Colonel M. F. Tiernan, accompanied by Robert M. Stewart, whose 
indefatigable efforts in behalf of the interests of the road, contributed 
as mnjch if not more than those of any other man to their ultimate 
accomplishment. Stewart became afterwards the first President of the 
company. The building of the road commenced at the east end. About 
the spring of 1857, work was begun on the west end, and, by March of 
that year, the track extended out from St. Joseph a distance of seven 
miles. The first fire under the first engine that started out of St. Joseph 
on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, was kindled by M. Jeff. Thomp- 
son. This was several years before the arrival of the first through train 
in February, 1859. (Sometime in the early part of 1857). 

The Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was completed February 13,^ 
1859. On Monday, February 14, 1859, the first through passenger train 
ran out of St. Joseph. Of this train E. Sleppy, now (1881) Master 
Mechanic of the St. Joseph and Western machine shops, in Elwood, was 
engineer, and Benjamin H. Colt, conductor. 

The first to run a train into St. Joseph was George Thompson, who- 
ran first a construction and then a freight train. 

The first Master Mechanic of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad 
shops in St. Joseph, was C. F. Shivel. These shops were established in 
1857. I" the following year Mr. Shivel put up the first car ever built in 
the city. 

On the 22d February, 1859, occurred in St. Joseph the celebration of 
the completion of the Hannibal and St. Joseph road. Tlfiis^i^ag, beyond 
doubt, the grandest display ever witnessed.in-tiTeTtty>-wp-to thar-peri^d. 

M. Jeff. Thompson, at that time Mayor -of the city, presided ov^r 
the ceremonies and festivities of this brilliant occasion. The city was 
wild with enthusiasm, and the most profuse and unbounded hospitality 
prevailed. 

A grand banquet was held in the spacious apartments of the Odd 
Fellows' Hall, which then stood on the corner of Fifth and Felix Streets- 
N ot less than six hundred invited guests were feasted here ; and it was 



5/8 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

estimated that several thousand ate during the day at this hospitable 
board. 

Broaddus Thompson, Esq., a brother of General M. Jeff. Thompson, 
made the grand speech of the occasion, and performed the ceremony of 
mingling the waters of the two mighty streams thus linked by a double 
.band of iron. 

The completion of the road constitutes an era in the history of St. 
Joseph, and from that period dawned the light of a new prosperity. In 
the five succeeding years the population of the city was quadrupled, and 
her name heralded to the remotest East as the rising emporium of the 
West. 

In the summer of 1872, this road commenced the building of a 
Ibranch southward from St. Joseph, twenty-one miles, to the City of Atch- 
ison. This was completed in October of the same year. 

THE ST. JOSEPH AND WESTERN RAILROAD. 

This great thoroughfare, the first line built from St. Joseph westward, 
through Kansas and Nebraska, was chartered by the Territorial Legis- 
lature of Kansas, February 17, 1857, during the session of 1856-57, 
under the name and style of "Marysville or Palmetto and Roseport 
Railroad Company." The first meeting of the incorporators of this road 
was held in the City of St. Joseph, February 26, 1857. On motion of 
Captain Fred W. Smith, Colonel A. M. Mitchell was called to the chair 
and B. H. Matthews appointed secretary pro tcvi. On motion, five 
directors were appointed. These included Bela M. Hughes, A. M. 
Mitchell, R. Rose, W. F. Smith and Silas Woodson. The only further 
business transacted at this meeting was to open books for subscription 
to stock. 

The next meeting occurred March 9, 1857, when A. M. Mitchell was 
unanimously elected President of the company. In the meantime, stock 
in the road to the amount of $100,000 had been subscribed. 

At a meeting of the directors, held February 8, 1858, F. J. Marshall 
was elected President in place of A. M. Mitchell, resigned. 

Jtily 12, 1859, a J^s^^' Board of Directors was organized. These 
included Robert M. Stewart, Silas Woodson, S. Miller, F. J. Marshall, 
John H. Likens, Albert Lee, M. Jeff. Thompson, Fred. W. Smith and 
William Blair. Of this Board, M. Jeff Thompson was elected President. 

July 8, 1859, Engineer Matthews was ordered to locate the road as 
far as Troy, and to report progress from time to time. 

August 25, 1859, John Severance was elected engineer of construc- 
tion, in place of Matthews. 

At a meeting, held November, 1859, S. K. Miller was elected Super- 
intendent of Construction of the road. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 579 

In 1859-60, three miles of track was graded and the rails laid. 

In i860, John Corby was elected President of the road. 

At a meeting, held October, 1864, Wm. R. Penick was elected Pres- 
ident of the road. 

In session of the Legislature, of 1866, the State of Kansas granted 
as aid to this road one hundred and twenty-five thousand acres of land. 

At a meeting of the stockholders, held April 17, 1862, the name, 
^' Marysville or Palmetto and Roseport Railroad," was changed to " St. 
Joseph and Denver City Railroad," under an act of the Kansas Legisla- 
ture of March, 1862. 

Roseport was the name of a small town in Kansas, opposite St. 
Joseph. It was afterwards called Elwood. At present (1881) it exists 
only in name, the town site having crumbled into the Missouri River, by 
the encroachments of that uncertain stream. 

June 7, 1866, T. J. Chew was elected President of the St. Joseph and 
Denver City Railroad, and active labor on the same was resumed under 
the direction of John Severance, Chief Engineer. 

October 15, 1867, General James Craig was unanimously elected 
President, which office he held till his "resignation. May, 1868, when Silas 
Woodson was elected to fill his unexpired term. 

At a regular meeting, held October 13, 1868, the City of St. Joseph, 
by reason of owning stock to the amount of four hundred thousand dol- 
lars in the road, requested that General George Hall be elected Presi- 
dent, which was according done. 

By May, 1869, the road was built as far as Troy, and was located to 
Hiawatha. 

At the annual meeting of the Directors, held October 21, 1870, 
George Hall was again elected President. 

October 11, 1870, thirteen directors were elected, with Dudley M. 
Steele, President ; Milton Tootle, Vice-President, and R. C. Bradshaw, 
Secretary. 

In the following October, 1871, D. M. Steele was again elected, and 
E. H. Saville, Secretary. 

November, 1872, D. M. Steele resigned as President, and H. C. Tan- 
ner, of New York, elected in his place. 

By August, 1872, the road was completed to Alexandria, Nebraska, 
a distance of 167 miles from St. Joseph. 

In December, 1872, the road reached Hastings, Nebraska, the west- 
ern terminus of the line, 227 miles from the Missouri River. 

October, 1873, William Bond was elected President, and has since 
continued to hold that position. 

At a meeting of the Board, held October i, 1879, the name of the 
road was a second time changed, and styled the St. Joseph and Western 
Railroad. 



58o HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

In the summer of 1879, an extension was built, under management 
of L. D. Tuthill and John Doniphan, a distance of twenty-five miles from 
Hastings, connecting it at Grand Island with the Union Pacific Railroad. 

The present (1881) management include William Bond, President,: 
L. D. Tuthill, Superintendent, and Alfred Mitchell, Secretary. 

June, 1872, Colonel John Doniphan was elected attorney for this 
road, and so continues to the present (1881). 

THE KANSAS CITY, ST. JOSEPH AND COUNCIL BLUFFS RAILROAD, 

now one of the most important lines in the state, is the outgrowth of 
several consolidations. 

February 24, 1853, the Legislature of Missouri granted a charter for 
a road to extend from St. Joseph to Kansas City. This, under the name 
and style of the Platte County Railroad, was organized in 1857, by 
William Osborne. Davis Carpenter, M. Jeff Thompson and others. 

Under the auspices of this company, a line was surveyed from St. 
Joseph southward through DeKalb, in Buchanan County, Platte City and 
Parkville, in Platte County, to Kansas City. 

The Legislature of 1856-57, granted aid to this road in the sum of 
$700,000. A subsequent act provided that none of the bonds of this road 
should be available till the year 1859. The charter also authorized the 
extention of the road to the northern boundary of the state, under which 
provision it was completed to Savannah in i860, and graded to Forest 
City. 

December 11, 1855, the Atchison and St. Joseph Railroad was incor- 
porated. The articles of association provided that Benj*. Stringfellow, 
John H. Stringfellow, Peter T. Abell, John Doniphan, Stephen Johnson, 
Elijah H. Norton, Harvey Collier, Robert W. Donnell, Reuben Middleton, 
Bela M. Hughes, James H. Lucas, John Simon, or any five of them, con- 
stitute the first Board of Directors. 

In the summer of 1858, General Benjamin Stringfellow, Dr. J. H.. 
Stringfellow, Peter T. Abell, Harvey Collier, Reuben Middleton, John 
E^niphan and Robert W. Donnell, met in St. Joseph, in the Metly)dist 
Church, which then stood on the northeast corner of Third and Felix 
Streets, the present (1881) site of the Bank of St. Joseph, and there orga- 
nized the company. At this meeting, Samuel C. Pomeroy, of Atchison, 
was elected a Director and President of the company. Charles West,, 
of St. Joseph, was also at this meeting elected a director. 

Stock was taken by the parties present, and in a short time after, 
the city of Atchison subscribed $100,000; Abell and Stringfellow, 
$10,000; John Doniphan, $1,600, and Samuel C. Pomeroy, $10,000. 
Other parties contributed liberally, swelling the aggregate of subscrip- 
tions over and above the city stock, to about $60,000. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. $8 1 

Contracts for grading were immediately let along the entire line of 
the road, and work commenced at Winthrop, opposite Atchison. By- 
July 1st, 1859, this grading was completed between St. Joseph and Win- 
throp, a distance of twenty miles. 

In March, 1839, the Weston and Atchison Railroad Company was 
incorporated under the general laws of the state. The officers of this 
incorporation were John Doniphan, President ; James N. Burnes, Vice 
President ; Fielding H. Lewis, Secretary, and Daniel D. Burnes, Treas- 
urer. 

Private subscriptions were forthwith made to the road to the amount 
of $44,000, and the city of Weston issued her bonds to the amount of 
$50,000 in aid of the building of the same. 

Ground was broke at Weston in the presence of a vast concourse of 
people, April 27, 1859. The occasion was one of singular rejoicing, 
and grand civic and military display, in which the cities of Atchison 
and Leavenworth, as well as other neighboring towns, also largely par- 
ticipated. 

July 15, 1859, the Weston and Atchison and Atchison and St. 
Joseph Companies, finding that their means would be inadequate to 
accomplish more than the work of grading the road, for the purpose of 
an early completion of the same, made a contract with the Platte County 
Road by which they transferred to that corporation the road-bed, fran- 
chises and right of way from St. Joseph to Weston, which company was 
enabled on the work so done, during the year 1859, to draw most of the 
state aid, and in January i860, the road was completed and in opera- 
tion from St. Joseph to Atchison. 

In December, of the same year, the road was finished to latan, and 
by April 4, 1861, trains were running through to Weston. 

In 1863, the name of this road was changed, the style "Platte Coun- 
try " being subsituted for the original, " Platte County." 

In 1864, the road was seized by Governor Hall, for non-payment of 
interest on state bonds. 

Immediately the Weston and Atchison and the Atchison and St- 
Joseph Railroad Companies commenced suits for their road-bed on the 
ground that the original contract was illegal. 

The Legislature of 1867 released this road to Weston and Atchison 
and Atchison and St. Joseph Railroads, on condition of a re-organiza- 
tion of the same under the name and style of the Missouri Valley Rail- 
road Company, and a completion of the road from Savannah, through 
Maryville, to the northern boundary of the state. 

Under this act, the road was completed to Hopkins in 1869. 

The road from Council Bluffs to Hamburg, Iowa, fifty-two miles in 
length, was built by Willis, Phelps & Co.. and completed in 1867. It 
was styled the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad. Hon. James F. 



582 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Joy and his friends then came to the front, and built the road from St. 
Joseph to Hamburg, seventy-nine miles long, opening it for the traffic 
of 1868. This road was called the St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. 

Next 'in order came the consolidation of the St. Joseph and Council 
Bluffs and the Council Bluffs and St. Joseph roads, in 1868, under the 
corporation name of St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Company. 

In 1870, the Missouri Valley Railroad and the St. Joseph and Coun- 
cil Bluffs Railroad were consolidated, bringing the entire line from Kansas 
City to Council Bluffs under one management. Out of this union was 
born the present (1881) Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Rail- 
road. 

We have referred to the completion of the Branch road from St. 
Joseph to the Iowa line, just beyond Hopkins. Shortly after this, the 
Chicago, Burlington and Ouincy Railroad Company built a connecting 
branch, from Creston, Iowa, southward, to Hopkins, Missouri, thus afford- 
ing unbroken communication between St. Joseph and Chicago. 

February 8, 1871, the Legislature passed an act authorizing the con- 
solidated roads to change the route from St. Joseph, via Jimtown, to 
Savannah, substituting a more direct course along the Missouri River 
bottom, via Amazonia ; which was accordingly done. 

The following have been Superintendents of this road in its differ- 
ent phazes and under its different names : 

Davis Carpenter, when it was (in 1866) the Platte Country Railroad ; 
Col. A. G. Gower, from 1866 to 1869 ; Maj. A. L. Hopkins (now of the 
Toledo, Wabash and Western) from 1869 to 1870; J. F. Barnard, from 
1870 to the present time (188 1). 

THE ST. LOUIS AND ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD (NOW A BRANCH OF THE 
WABASH, ST. LOUIS AND PACIFIC,) 

was commenced in 1867, and completed in the winter of 1869-70, when 
it went into bankruptcy. Under a s^^le in the Bankrupt Court it was 
bought in by the bondholders, who leased it to the North Missouri Rail- 
road Company. It is seventy-three miles in length, extending from St. 
Joseph, in a southeasterly direction, through Plattsburg, the seat of Clin- 
ton, and Richmond, of Ray County, and continuing on to a point on the 
Missouri River, opposite Lexington, crossing the main line of what is 
now (1881) the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad at R. & L. Junc- 
tion. 

This branch road has had a variety of fortune. 

The name of the trunk line with which it connects St. Joseph has 
been styled, at different periods, successively, the North Missouri, the 
St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern, and finally, the Wabash, St. Louis 
and Pacific. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 583 

■ One of the oldest trunk lines in the state is the 

MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD. 

■This road was talked of as a probable enterprise as early as 1848. In 
1850, it was commenced. On the ist day of November, 1855, it was 
completed to Jefferson City. 

On that day, a fearful disaster befel : A train of fourteen cars, from, 
St. Louis, laden with human freight, embarked for the purpose of cele- 
brating or of taking part in the celebration of the completion of this 
road to the State Capital, were precipitated into the river by the falling 
of the Gasconade bridge. The loss of human life in this terrific wreck 
was appalling. Seventy-five persons were almost instantly ushered into 
eternity, and many others were seriously injured. The engineer who 
built the bridge was on board the train and escaped. Just about the 
beginning of the war the road was extended as far as Dresden, six miles 
west of Sedalia. 

Joseph Hansen opened the first telegraph office here, in November 
18, 1863. 

The succeeding four years, of course, put a stop to every such char- 
acter of improvement, and work was not again resumed till the close of 
the civil war, when labor on the same was actively revived ; and, before 
the close of the year 1865, the Missouri Pacific had reached Kansas City. 
It was subsequently extended through Leavenworth City to Atchison. 

About January, 1880, some citizens of St. Joseph offered Jay Gould 
$30,000 in consideration of his extending the Missouri Pacific, on the 
Kansas side of the river, to St. Joseph. This, Gould agreed to accept, 
and the money was raised and paid over. Considerable dissatisfaction, 
however, was expressed on the part of some who had contributed to this 
fund, when Mr. Gould leased the right of way, and brought his trains to 
St. Joseph over the Atchison branch of the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad. The first train of the Missouri Pacific to reach St. Joseph 
arrived February 23, 1880. 

THE ST. JOSEPH AND DES MOINES RAILROAD COMPANY 

was organized in 1877, with Colonel J. L. Motter as President. Under 
his able and judicious management, with the active co-operation of his 
associates, arrangements were perfected, and on the 12th day of Novem- 
ber, 1877, the contract for the grading was let. On the i8th of the same 
month the work was commenced, and by the ist of April, 1878, the first 
twenty miles of the road was graded and ready for the rails. 

Track-laying was commenced June i, 1878, and completed by the 
1st of October. The first engine was placed on the track on June 
26th of the same year. This is a narrow gauge road, extending in a 




o 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 585 

northerly direction, fifty miles, between St. Joseph and Albany, in Gen- 
try County. The seven stations on the line of this road between the ter- 
minal points, are Riverton, the first town north of St. Joseph, Cosby, 
Helena, Union Star, King City, Ford, and Darlington. Some time dur- 
ing the year 1880, the St. Joseph and Des Moines Narrow Gauge passed 
tinder the control of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, that 
great corporation having purchased it with a view of making it one of 
its numerous branches, and thus reaching the metropolis of the north- 
west. The Grand River country, which it traverses, is one of the most 
splendidly productive sections in the West. 

The following were the eight men who built and shared equally in 
the St. Joseph and DesMoines Narrow Gauge Railroad, till its sale to 
the C, B. & Q. R. R. : John L. Hotter, James H. Pickering, F. L. 
McLean, Wm. B. Johnson, Isaac T. Hosea, A. N. Schuster, R. L. 
McDonald and John B. Hundley. 

The first officials of this road were : John L. Hotter, President and 
General Manager ; Jas. H. Pickering, Superintendent ; F. L. McLean, 
General Freight and Ticket Agent ; W. B. Johnson, Secretary and 
Treasurer. 

OMNIBUS COMPANY, 

In February, 1859, upon the opening of the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad. Hajor Holman and Samuel Jerome started the St. Joseph 
Omnibus Line. In the spring following, Hessrs. John L. Hotter and C. 
D. Smith brought out the line, and built omnibus stables near the Patee 
House. They continued to operate this line until Geo. W. HcAleer 
came to St. Joseph, from Virginia, and bought out the interest of J. L, 
Hotter. The business was conducted by these gentlemen for some time, 
when Col. J. L. Hotter bought out C. D. Smith. Hotter & HcAleer ran 
the business in partnership for some time, when Col. Hotter sold his 
interest to McAleer. The line subsequently became the property of 
William Medaugh, by whom it was sold, in 1867, to Major Thomas Chris- 
topher. The stock then consisted of five omnibuses, one carriage, four 
buggies and thirt}'-six horses. The price paid for the whole was $12,000. 
Smith Adams afterwards became a partner in the omnibus line with 
Major Christopher, they continuing in the business as equal partners till 
1870, when they sold a one-third interest to A. Sidney Tebbs, Esq., of 
Platte County. The style of the firm at this time was Christopher & Co. 

In the following year, the entire concern, business, stock, etc., 
excepting the barns and lots, which then stood on the corner of Eighth 
and Olive Streets, was sold to Captain J. A. Piner, present (188 1) Mayor 
of St. Joseph. At the time of the sale, tw^o-thirds were owned by Chris- 
topher and one-third by the heirs of A. Sidney Tebbs. The price paid 
by Captain Piner was $17,000. The present firm is Piner & Co. The 

3(3 



586 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Co. of the concern is T. A. Massey. In the fall of 1880, they built, on 
the corner of Eighth and Mary Streets, a spacious brick stable, at a cost 
of $5,500. The present equipment of the company consists of six omni- 
buses, four transfer wagons, one elegant mail w agon, and forty horses. 

The Omnibus Company carries to and from the postofifice to the 
different railroads all the St. Joseph mails. 

There are now (1881) three lines of street railway in St. Joseph. 

THE CITIZENS RAILWAY COMPANY 

built their line, in 1866^ from Market Square to the corner of Mitchell 
Avenue and Eleventh Street. In 1881, this line was extended south- 
ward to the Exposition Grounds, making its entire length three miles. 

The officers of this road in 1866 still (1881) continue in the same 
respective positions : R. E. Turner, President, and T. J. Chew, Secre- 
tary and Treasurer ; T. J. Chew, A. Kirkpatrick and John S. Lemon 
compose the Executive Committee. 

THE UNION RAILWAY COMPANY, 

in July, 1876, completed their line of street railroad from Market Square 
northward to New Ulm Brewery, a distance of two and a half miles. In 
April, 1881, an extension from Market Square southward was completed 
to the machine shops of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs 
Railroad, making the entire length of the line several hundred feet over 
five miles. The present (1881) officers of the road are : J. E. Cox, Super- 
intendent ; Seymour Jenkins, President, and Thos. Steinacker, Secretary 
and Treasurer. 
In 1878, 

THE ST. JOSEPH & LAKE NARROW GAUGE STREET RAILWAY 

track and rolling stock were moved from Leavenworth City to St.. 
Joseph, and the former laid down from near Fifth, on Edmond Street, to 
Eighth and Felix, thence up Frederick Avenue. It was afterwards 
extended to the common street car line center, on Market Square. It 
now (188 1) extends between that point and Twentieth Street, a distance 
of over one and a half miles. Thos. Tootle is President of the com- 
pany. The stables are on Frederick Avenue, corner Twentieth Street. 

THE ST. JOSEPH IIERDIC COACH COMPANY 

was established July 15, 1881, and went immediately into operation.. 
The officers of the company are : Dr. John T. Berghoff, President ; J. 
A. Corby, Secretary ; E. F, Mitchell, Superintendent. It is supplied 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



587 



with eight coaches and fifty-six horses. The first line runs from Market 
Square east to Ninth Street, on Felix ; north to Francis, then east to 
Thirteenth ; thence south, to Sylvanie ; thence east, to Fifteenth Street ; 
then north, to Edmond ; then east, to Seventeenth ; then north, to 
Francis, and east, to Twentieth Street. The second line runs on Sixth 
to Hall, thence to Ninth, thence to Powell, and from Powell to Mount 
Mora Cemetery. 




PATTERSON, NOYES & CO., WHOLESALE BOOTS AND SHOES. 



CHAPTER XL 

TRADE, COMMERCE. ETC. 

BOARD OF TRADE- ITS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS— WHOLESALE TRADE-SEWERAGE— 
STREET RAILWAYS-GAS WORKS- WATER WORKS— ST. JOSEPH CLEARING HOUSE- 
UNION STOCK YARDS— LIVE STOCK— PACKING HOUSES— ICE-OPERA HOUSE— CITY 
HALL— CHAMBER OF COMMERCE-CUSTOM HOUSE AND POST OFFICE-GLUCOSE 
WORKS— STAR PRESERVING WORKS-PRODUCE PACKING-MILITARY-TELEPHONE 
—TELEGRAPH STATISTICS— EXPRESS COMPANIES-POST OFFICE-INTERNAL REVE- 
NUE-GRAIN— CITY FINANCES. 

The following chapter is mainly taken from the admirable report of 
the Board of Trade for the years 1879-80 : 

BOARD OF TRADE. 

The Board of Trade was organized October 19th, 1878. The fol- 
lowing are the names of the officers for each year since its organization, 
and a list of its members : 

1878 — Thos. F. Van Natta, President; Samuel I. Smith, First Vice 
President ; Andrew L. Kerr, Second Vice President ; Isaac Weil, Third 
Vice President ; George Olds, Treasurer ; W. A. P. McDonald, Secretary. 

1879 — Samuel I. Smith, President ; Andrew L. Kerr, First Vice Pres- 
ident ; Isaac Weil, Second Vice President ; John S. Welch, Third Vice 
President ; George Olds, Treasurer ; W. A. P. McDonald, Secretary. 

1880— Samuel I. Smith, President ; A. L. Kerr, First Vice President; 
Isaac Weil, Second Vice President ; H. R. W. Hartwig, Third Vice Pres- 
ident ; George Olds, Treasurer ; W. A. P. McDonald, Secretary. 

1881 — Samuel I. Smith, President; H. R. W. Hartwig, First Vice 
President ; T. J. Chew, Jr., Second Vice President ; Samuel M. Nave, 
Third Vice President ; W. A. P. McDonald, Treasurer ; Frank Motter, 
Secretary. Directors — Samuel I. Smith, Winslow Judson, Judson Lyon, 
Joseph Hansen, F. M. Posegate, Samuel M. Nave, T. J. Chew, Jr., H. R. 
W. Hartwig, C. H. Nash, A. C. Dawes, Hanson Gregg, Abe Furst, W. A. 
P. McDonald. 

Standing Committees for 1881 — Finance — Abe Furst, chairman, 
John M. Frazer, A. N. Schuster, C. W. Campbell, J. S. Brittain. Rail- 
l^oad and Transportation — Winslow Judson, Chairman, James McCord, 
R. E. Turner, Wm. M. Wyeth, J. W. Bailey. Trade and Commerce — 
Samuel M. Nave, Chairman, Hanson Gregg, A. Steinacker, W. A. P. 
McDonald, F. L. Sommer. Manufactures— T. J. Chew, Jr. Chairman, 
James McCord, R. E. Turner, Wm. M. Wycth, C. H. Nash. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 589 

The following is a list of members of this organization : 
C. J. Trowbridge, wholesale lumber. Hanson Gregg, grain dealer. 
H. R. W. Hartwig, wh'sale liquors. J. P. Emmert, stock yards. 
C. B. France, cashier State Savings George Olds, general freight agent 

Bank. K". C, St. Jo. & C. B. R. R. 

Louis Hax, wholesale carpets and J. W. Bailey, wholesale dry goods. 

furniture. C. D. Smith, wholesale grocer. 

R. L. McDonald, wholesale dry Wilson & Kennard, wholesale teas 

goods. and spices. 

W. M. Wyeth, wholesale hardware VV. A. P. McDonald, wholesale dry 
Geo. C. Hull, cashier Bank of St. goods. 

Joseph. Townsend, Wyatt & Co., retail dry 

S. I. Smith, wholesale drugs. goods. 

W. E. Hosea, wholesale dry goods. F. C. Condon, wholesale drugs. 
Samuel M. Nave, wholesale grocer. Isaac Weil, wholesale dry goods. 

E. M. Yates, cashier Merchants A. Steinacker, Secretary and Treas- 
Bank. urer Union Railway Co. 

James McCord, wholesale grocer. Abe Furst, wholesale liquors. 

R. H. Jordan, wholesale hardware. Frank G. Hopkins, wholesale coal 

F. Westheimer, wholesale liquors. dealer. 

Fred K. Maus, wholesale iron and John B. Brady, wholesale and retail 

heavy hardware. carpets. 

B. D. Buford & Co., agricultural im- T. F. Van Natta, wholesale grocer. 

plements. Studebaker & Welch, wagons and 

R. E. Turner, wholesale grocer. carriages. 

W. G. Tirrell, boots and shoes. W. R. Penick, wholesale drugs. 

A. N. Schuster, wholesale clothing. Jos. W. Swain, Con. Oil Tank Line. 
E. R. McDonald,whrsale hardware. Tyler & Hall, real estate and ins. 
R. L. Lancaster, attorney at law. B. Newberger, wholesale millinery. 
I. T. Hosea, wholesale hardware. Studebaker Bros. MT'g Co., wagons, 
Wm. Kneer& Son, whl'sale conf'y. H. B. Ketcham, retail clothing. 
Sam'l Westheimer, whl'sale liquors. F. L. Sommer & Co., cracker factory. 
Patterson, Noyes & Co., wholesale Meyer & Meyers, cigar manufact'rs. 

boots and shoes. D. M. Steele & Co., whl'sale grocers. 

Israel and John Landis, wholesale Buell Man'f ' ing Co., woolen mills, 

harness. Roberts & Stewart, green grocers.. 

Woolworth & Colt, wholesale books J. W. Atwill, grain dealer. 

and stationery. J. W. Zook, Union Stock Yards. 

Jo. Hansen, Gen. F'tand T'ket Ag't. J. W. Dimmitt & Co., whl'sale teas, 

St. J. & W. R. R. Co. T. J. Chew, Jr., negotiator of loans. 

E. P. Smith, grain commission. E. D. Nash, prop. St. Joe. elevator. 

Dougherty, Ray & Co., wholesale C. A. & E. H. Perry, grain dealers. 

lumber. A. L. Kerr, grain dealer. 

I. N. Speer, grain dealer Chambers &Marney,retail dry goods. 



590 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Krug Packing Co., pork packers. H. A. Russell, G. A.,W., St.L. & P. Ry. 
W. H. Whittaker, prop, starch fac'y. H. M. Garlichs, wholesale drugs. 
I. Haas, Commercial Wine Hall. Burnside, Crowther & Rogers, Union 
PLrnst & Brill, book and news dealers. Foundry. 

A. A. Grower, Chief Clerk St.' Joe. F. M. Posegate, Postm'ter and Pres- 

& W. R. R. Co. ident Steam Printing Co. 

Judson Lyon, wholesale lumber. Dr. Rob't Gunn, Gen'l Sup't St. J. & 
Hail & Kingsbury, steam printers. K. Bridge Co. 

D. F. Bombeck, copper and sheet H. J. Seip & Co., whl'sale coal dealers. 

iron works. K. J. Crowther, City Register. 

P. V. Wise, insurance. H. L. Williams, capitalist. 

Koenig,Hauck & Co., cracker fac'try. J.'Pfeiffer & Son., steam stone works. 
John Hax, pork packer. J. J. Tracy, whl'sale and retail grocer. 

R. T. Davis, proprietor City Mills. W. P. Sanders, wholesale stoves and 
H. Keene & Co., beer bottlers. tinware. 

W. J. Fulton, railroad contractor. C. S. Groff, G. A.,H. & St. J. R. R. Co. 
Milton Tootle, whl'sale dry goods. Philip Rogers, livery. 
Gilkey and Ullmann, pork packers. Oscar Schramm, vinegar factory. 
Dr. A. V. Banes, phy'n and surgeon. Winslow Judson, attorney at law. 
John L. Motter, President St. J. & Joseph Mclnerny, prop. Com. House. 

Des Moines R. R. Bernard Patton, contractor. 

Moorby & Fink, wholesale leather R. G. Dun & Co., mercantile agency. 

and findings. E. V. Snively, grain and mills. 

Green, Sherry & Minor, grain com. Blackwell & Clark, whl'sale lumber. 
H. N. Turner, City Collector. Henry Voss, wall paper. 

Boettner & Eckel, architects. F. M. Tracy, prop. Daily Herald. 

A. E. McKinney, retail dry goods. Paul Francke, capitalist. 
J. K. Burgess, livery. Wm. Bergman, wholesale and retail 

Louis Fuelling, beer and vinegar furniture. 

factory. C. W. Campbell, whl'sale dry goods. 

A. C. Dawes, G. P. A., K. C.,St. Joe C. H. Nash, President Mutual Gas 

& C. B. R. R. Light Co. 

John Kieffer, Pres't St. Joe Ice Co. J. H. Smith & Co., grain dealers. 
A. M. Wright & Co., prop'rs H. & A. Nunning, St. Joeseph brewery. 

St. Joe Elevator. J. A. Owen, real estate dealer. 

S. Lockwood & Co., wholesale hats, J. B. Laughlin, Gen'l Ticket Agent. 

caps and millinery. W. H. Floyd, flour and commission. 

Isaac Motter, grain dealer. P^vans & Son, grain dealers. 

John F. Tyler, at'ty and real estate N. K. Fairbanks & Co., provision 
Charles G. Hall, provision dealer. dealers. 

George Morris, builder and cont'or. Smith. Fra/.er & Co., whl'sale boots 
Ira N. Turner, livery. and shoes. 

C. C. Pratt, provision dealer. J. W. Rutherford, Vice Pres't Water 

John DeClue,builder and contractor. Works Co. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 59 1 

T. Pfcfferle, wine hall. Bradstreet & Co., mercantile agency. 

Armstrong Bros., whl'sale and retail P. P. Buddy, contractor. 

grocers. Chicago Produce Exchange, stocks. 

J. ¥. Barnard, Gen'l Sup't K. C, St. News Publishing Co., pub. Evening 

Joe & C. B. R. R. Co. News. 

Walter Eckel, grain commission. A. J. Foster, agricultural imp'lm'nts. 
Gazette Printing Co., pub. Daily J. B. Kitchen, projj. Pacific House. 

Gazette. Austin McFarland, Gen'l T'k't Agt. 

H. Marks & Co., whl'sale wool and D. P. McDonald, agent Fairbanks 

hides. _ Scale Co. 

G. W. Pooler, paints, oils and glass. D. Pinger, pork packer. 
A. M. Saxton & Co., prop. Eagle James Walsh, & Co., whl'sale liquors. 

Mills. W. G. Hall, physician and surgeon. 

J. A. Corby Pres't Telephone Ex. C. M. Hooper, grain dealer. 
J. C. McGinitie & Co., grain com. Bailey, Fairleigh & Weil, wholesale 
Consolidated Tank Line Company, dry goods. 

refined crude oil. Eckel & Mann, architects. 

Crowther & Rogers, iron founders. A. Furst & Co., wholesale liquors. 
Merchants Bank, banking. Gregg Bros., grain. 

Hax & Bro., pork packers, Judson & Motter, attorneys. 

Kennard & Fisher, wholesale teas Horace Jackson, grain commission. 

and spices. Tootle, Shireman & Co., wholesale 

St. Joseph Steam Printing Company, clothing. 

printers and binders. Turner,Frazer & Co.,wh's'le clothing. 

Schuster, Tootle & Co., wholesale Snively & Hedges, grain and mills. 

clothing. S. I. Smith & Co., wholesale drugs. 

Shultz & H'osea, whl'sale hardware Nunning & Son, brewers. 
Lockwood, Englehart & Co., whole- Sanders & McDonald, whl'sale stoves 

sale millinery. and tinware. 

J. S. Brittain & Co., whl's'le dry goods. 

WHOLESALE TRADE. 

The rapid increase of the wholesale trade of St. Joseph in the past 
year is simply remarkable. The merchants, last January, looked for- 
ward to a greatly increased trade, but they did not think for a moment 
that it would go far beyond the expectations of the most sanguine of 
their number. Such, however, has been the case, and there is no telling 
what proportions the trade will assume in 188 1. To accommodate this 
increase of business, many of our merchants are compelled to erect 
more commodious buildings. The many magnificent wholesale structures 
that have gone up in the past few months bear ample evidence to the 
truth of this assertion. It can be said that there has been an average 
increase of fifty per cent., a figure that is beyond the comprehension of 
many of the older cities. 



592 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

When it is known that St. Joseph employs over five hundred com- 
mercial travelers, who are almost constantly on the road, receiving 
orders daily for the various lines of goods, some idea may be formed of 
the importance of our wholesale interests. The St. Joseph wholesale 
houses have a reputation as broad as the American Continent, and our 
railroads carry out of the city daily immense consignments of goods for 
Colorado, Kansas. Nebraska, Iowa, California, Nevada, Oregon, New 
Mexico, Arkansas, Texas, Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and Montana. There 
are many other cities four times as large as St. Joseph that do not begin 
to rival her in wholesale business. These are facts that are demonstrated 
upon every side. Indeed, St. Joseph is known the world over for the 
number of her millionaires and the character of her wholesale houses. 
In 1880, the business of St. Joseph aggregated sixty-two millions of dol- 
lars. This includes the wholesale and retail trade, and manufactories,, 
and those best qualified to judge say that this figure is in no way exag- 
gerated. 

The statistics here given are prepared very carefully from all the 
evidence to be procured, and are regarded as near the mark as possibly 
can be approximated. It should be borne in mind that the transactions 
or sales given are for both the wholesale an/i retail business taken 
together, during 1880. 

Dry goods $8,500,000 

Groceries 8,000,000 

Boots and shoes 1,800,000 

Wines and Liquors 1,900,000 

Drugs, paints, oils, etc 1,750,000 

Lumber, lath and shingles 2,800,000 

Iron, hardware and cutlery 3,125,000 

Clothing 1,850,000 

Machinery and agricultural implements 2,250,000 

Hogs, cattle, live stock 1,700000 

Elevators, grain and produce 1,800,000 

Hats, caps and millinery 1,200,000 

Saddlery and harness 1,100,000 

Flour, feed and mill stuffs 1,500,000 

Furniture and carpets 1,250,000 

Tobacco, cigars, etc 950'000 

Crackers, confectionery and fruits •••... 880,000 

Wool, hides, tallow and furs 850,000 

Wagons, carriages, etc 800,000 

Teas and spices 600,000 

Queensvirare 55o>ooo 

Watches, clocks and jewelry 650,000 

Coal, wood and ice 635,000 

Printing, books and stationery 520,000 

Stoves and tinware 550,000 

Toys, notions and fancy goods 375,000 

Trunks, leather and findings 3,50,000. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 593 

Gasfitting, plumbing, etc 375,000 

Storage and commission 325 000 

Oysters, fish, game, meats, etc 2CO,ooo 

Sewing machines, guns and musical merchandise 150,000 

Bottled waters, beer and vinegar 100,000 

Total sales $49,385,000 

Add sales of manufactures 12,902,115 

Grand total trade $62,287 115 

SEWERAGE. 

The system of sewerage for the city, which although in its infancy, 
has been admirably planned for a perfect drainage of all portions. The 
main sewers are made to correspond to the natural water courses as 
nearly as possible, so that wherever there is a natural channel or drain- 
age for water it is incorporated into the system. Into these main sewers 
and living streams of water will be directed all the lateral or smaller 
sewers which will carry the water and drainage from every principal 
street and alley in the city. 

The principal one is the Smith Branch sewer, running from the 
intersection of Twentieth Street and Frederick Avenue to the corner of 
Seventh and Charles Streets, where it intersets the Charles Street sewer. 
It is about seven feet inside diameter, and is built partly of brick and 
partly of stone. The Charles Street sewer, the largest and best in the 
city, is constructed of solid limestone throughout, and is fully nine feet 
in diameter by inside measurement. The cost of the two sewers above 
described was about $ioo,ooo. 

The remainder of the sewers, such as Bush Branch, Sixth Street, 
Olive Street, Franklin Street and Mitchell Avenue, are constructed of 
brick, with an average of about five feet in the clear. 

The following facts will give an idea of the extent and magnitude of 
the system : 

No. of feet of sewers already completed 16,000 

No. feet to be built this year (1881) 2.000 

Total length of sewers now used 3 miles 

Total cost of sewers to date $200,000 

Amount to be expended for sewers in 1881 20,000 

Amount paid for improving streets, 1880 25,000 

Amount to be expended this year, 1881 30,000 

Total length of macadamized streets 30 miles 

Total length of stone and brick paved walks 55 miles 

GAS WORKS. 

St. Joseph has been extremely fortunate in having had a thoroughly 
reliable gas company here in operation since 1878. Previous to this^ 
the various companies serving the public were either inefficient in capac- 



594 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

ity or exorbitant in charges. In the year 1856, J. B. Ranney and hi.s 
associates proposed to the city authorities that privileges should be 
granted to a company to be organized, of which the city should supply 
■one-half of the capital stock and himself and associates the remaining 
half. This proposition was accepted on a basis of $50,000 capital stock 
and the works were erected and lamp posts placed at principal street 
corners. The price then charged for gas was $5 per 1,000 feet. The 
work not proving profitable and the city finances being at a low ebb, in 
1858 an ordinance was passed by the council to dispose of the $25,000 
stock of the city in the gas works, and James M. Wilson became the pur- 
chaser, paying therefore 20 per cent, of par value of the stock. In 1861, 
the interest of J. B. Ranney & Co., was sold under execution to T. B. 
Weakly, who, with J. M. Wilson, operated the works until 1864, when 
Weakly purchased the interest of Wilson, paying therefor $8,000. Pre- 
vious to this, the works were burned to the ground but had been rebuilt. 
At this time, Weakly advanced the price of gas to $6 per 1,000 feet to 
private customers, at which figure it was held until the purchase of the 
works in 1871, by James Clements and associates, of Detroit, Mich., 
under the name of Citizens Gas Light Company, at the sum of $50,000. 
This company at once enlarged and improved the works, and secured 
the contract for lighting the street lamps, which had remained unlighted 
.several years. They supplied private consumers at $4.50 per 1,000 feet, 
and afterwards reduced the price to $4 ; and for lighting each street 
lamp per year they received $30. 

In 1878, the Mutual Gas Light Company, which is the present owner 
■of the works, came before the city authorities and, through their Presi- 
dent, C. H. Nash, Esq., offered to supply private consumers at $2.50 per 
1,000 feet and the street lamps at $25 per annum. They were awarded 
the contract and granted franchises in the streets equal to the other com- 
pany. The beginning of work was but the commencement of hostilities 
between the rival companies, which finally resulted in the sale of the 
■entire works and franchises of the Citizens to the Mutual Gas Light 
■Company. 

The latter company has erected elegant new works on the corner of 
Lafayette and Sixth Streets, capable of supplying a city of 75,000 inhab- 
itants, in addition to the excellent improvements which had been already 
built by the former company on corner of Fifth and Angelique Streets. 

The company now have placed in position over twenty miles of main 
pipe, supplying over eight hundred consumers and nearly five hundred 
.street lamps. 

The officers of the company are C. H. Nash, President ; W. A. Has- 
tings, Treasurer; A. W. Na.sh, Secretary, and K. M. Mitchell, Superin- 
.tendent. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 595 

THE UNION DEPOT. 

To John B. Carson, General Manager of the Hannibal & St. Joseph 
Railroad, belongs the credit of originating a plan for the construction of 
a union depot at St. Joseph. 

After various conferences of the Union Depot projectors, the erec- 
tion of the building was finally determined upon in April, 1880, when 
the St. Joseph Union Depot Company was organized with the following 
companies as incorporators and stockholders : Hannibal & St. Joseph 
Railroad Company; Missouri Pacific Railway Company; St. Joseph & 
Western Railroad Company, which is a part of the Union Pacific ; Kan- 
sas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company, which is a part 
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ; Wabash, St. Louis & 
Pacific Railroad Company; St. Joseph & Des Moines Railroad Company 

The capital stock of the company was first placed at one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars, but for the purpose of procuring further funds 
for the better improvement of the building, the company issued first 
mortgage bonds to the extent of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars 
and placed them on the market. The financial agent and attorney of 
the company, Mr. Winslow Judson, found no difficulty in disposing of 
these bonds, and they were sold at par, and the money placed in the 
hands of the treasurer for use in constructing the depot. 

The ground which was selected and legally condemned for this 
enterprise, is situated on the east side of Sixth Street, near the corner 
of Mitchell Avenue, that having been found to be the most suitable 
location for a common point of meeting for the different railroads oper- 
ating their lines through this city. It embraces a tract of six acres, all 
of which will be required for its buildings, sheds, platforms, tracks, etc. 

A detailed description of the building, supplied by the architects, is 
as follows : 

The style of the building is Eastlake domestic gothic, and contem- 
plates a building 400 feet in length and 50 in width, set back from Sixth 
Street 36 feet, so as to give room for carriage way between present 
street line and front of building. 

The front on Sixth Street will present a central division of 120 feet 
front, and three stories in height, w^ith a clock tower in the center rising 
to the height of 150 feet from grade. On each side of this central divi- 
sion there will be wings of two stories in height, and extending 90 feet 
in each direction to the end pavilions, which are three stories in height. 

All exterior walls will be faced with pressed brick laid in black 
mortar, with elaborate trimmings of stone, black and moulded brick, 
and encaustic tiles. All windows will have transoms over them filled 
with stained cathedral glass in varying designs, set in lead sash. This 



596 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

work will be of the best description of stained glass work and will give 
a most beautiful effect to the various rooms of the building. 

The first floor of the building will be divided into three parts by 
open corridors or passage-ways, i6 feet 6 inches wide ; these corridors 
will be arched over, and faced with pressed brick with trimmings to cor- 
respond with the exterior of the building. From these passage-ways, 
the stairways to the second story of the building, will start. 

The north division will contain the baggage room, 50x50 feet ; two 
express offices, 22x50 feet ; mailing room and superintendent's room, 
each 15x25 feet. 

The central division between passage-ways will contain ladies' and 
gents' waiting rooms, each 50x50 feet ; ladies' and gents' wash-rooms, 
etc., each 18x25 feet ; barber shop and telegraph office, each 18x25 feet; 
general ticket office, lunch counters, etc. The south division will con- 
tain the diningroom, 50x50 feet; hotel office with wash rooms, etc.; bil- 
liard room, kitchen, all the necessary pantries, etc., and hotel stair- 
way to second story of building. 

The second story will contain the railroad offices, 18 in number, and 
35 large sleeping rooms, hotel parlor, bath rooms, etc. The third story 
over n^rth pavilion will contain janitor's apartments ; the third story 
over central part 15 sleejDing rooms for hotel, and that over the south 
pavilion the servants' rooms. 

The finish throughout the building will be rich and massive and of 
the style generally known, as " Eastlake." The trimmings for doors and 
windows will be of gold bronze of rich design. The building will be 
heated throughout by steam and be supplied with hot and cold water. 

In making their estimates for the building, the contractors find that 
there is a m'ile and fifty feet of base board on each floor ; that there 
is over a mile of stone belt courses on the building, and that five times 
around the building makes a mile. It will take about 2,100,000 brick. 

Such is the history and description of the Union Depot, and surely 
the vexatious delays that have from time to time retarded the work will 
be forgotten in contemplating the elegance, architectural beauty and 
convenience of the magnificent structure. 

The building will be a lasting monument to the energy, enterprise 
and public spirit of its projectors. 

WATER WORKS. 

One of the chief needs of St. Joseph for moje than ten years past 
has been a complete and perfect system of water works, to be employed 
both as a safeguard against fire and as a means of averting the possibili- 
ties of a deficient supply in seasons of drought. 

But it was not until the 10th day of December, 1879, that anything 
was actually accomplished in that direction, at which date the Mayor 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 597 

approved an ordinance passed by the City Council authorizing the con- 
struction of water works upon the "gravity system," the supply to be 
obtained from the Missouri River, above the city limits. 

On December 23d, 1879, the contract was let to the St. Joseph 
Water Company, under bond to complete the works and furnish a full 
supply of pure, wholesome water within twelve months from that date. 
This company commenced work on the 4th day of January, 1880, and 
upon the 12th day of January, 1881, the works were accepted as perfectly 
satisfactory by the city authorities. In order that our citizens and 
others may know something of the character and extent of the works, 
a brief description is here given : 

Three miles up the Missouri River, the Water Company purchased 
one hundred acres of land, where they have since erected their engine 
and reservoirs, and it is from that point the city is supplied with water. 

Few people have an idea of the immense amount of labor and mate- 
rial it requires to supply a city like St. Joseph with water works. The 
Water Company was fortunate in procuring the one hundred acres of 
land upon which the works have been erected. At the foot of the hill, 
on the ground mentioned, the great engine house stands, and upon the 
top of the same hill the splendid reservoirs are to be found. A few hun- 
dred feet from the engine house the water is procured from the Missouri 
River, and the company went to a heavy expense for the purpose of pro- 
curing river protection and a constant channel from which to procure at 
all times the purest water possible. About thirty thousand dollars were 
spent in this manner, the company well knowing that in order to make 
the water works of great value to the city, measures should be taken to 
guard against such a disaster as would result in an insufficient supply of 
water. All along the banks near the works the ground has been cov- 
ered with brush and rock, making it perfectly solid, and a piling runs 
out to the main channel about thirty feet in length. A 24-inch pipe 
runs from the end of this piling to the engine house and through this 
pipe the water is forced by the engine into the pipes running along the 
hill to the reservoirs above. 

The building, in which is situated the engine for forcing the water 
into the reservoirs, is forty feet wide by eighty feet long, and is divided 
into two compartments. The north compartment is used as a boiler 
room and in it are placed three boilers, which contain fifty-nine 4-inch 
flues. These boilers are sixteen feet long, and sixty-four inches in diam- 
eter. 

The southern portion of the room contains the engineer's room and 
the engines have been located therein. They have, besides the large 
one, a small engine set up which is capable of throwing one million gal- 
lons of water into the reservoirs every twenty-four hours. The large 
engine is capable of throwing four million gallons every twenty-four 



598 ■ HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

hours. These engines are from R. H. Worthington, of New York, and 
are built upon the horizontal plan. If one of them gets out of order the 
other can be put into use, thereby preventing the supply of water from 
giving out on account of accident. On the west of the engine is the 
smoke stack, which is one hundred feet high, sixteen feet in diameter at 
the base and six at the top. 

The reservoirs are situated upon the hill above. It cost the com- 
pany $7,000 to make a road from the foot to the top of this hill, and the 
reader can, consequently, judge how rough it is down this elevation. An 
immense amount of work has been expended upon these reservoirs. The 
great basins are supplied with water by the engines below, the water 
being first forced into a well west of the elevation, and after that it runs 
through pipes into the reservoirs, of which there are three. The settling 
basin is 380 feet long by 85 feet wide, and its capacity is three million 
gallons. Its depth is twenty feet, and its water level is two feet higher 
than the reservoir on the south. The company proposes to keep seven- 
teen feet of water in this department all the time. At the east end 
there is an overflow pipe from which water can escape. The largest 
basin of them all is that on the south side, which is 210 feet wide by 300 
feet long. Its full capacity is eight million gallons, and the idea is to 
keep at least fifteen feet of clear or filtered water in this reservoir all the 
time. Situated at a point midway between the settling basin and the 
south basin is the affluent well, and the water flows through a twenty-inch 
pipe and into the same. There is a strainer of copper at the end of this 
pipe, having five thousand little holes, which prevents the water from 
getting anything into it that might succeed in reaching the basins. The 
city receives its water directly from the affluent well mentioned. It is 
run through a twenty-inch pipe, which is laid under the ground all the 
way between the city and the reservoirs, three miles distant. The north 
basin, which is also intended for the filtered water, is 150 feet wide and 
300 feet long, and has a capacity of six millions of gallons. Although 
partly dug out, this basin will not be put in operation for the present. 
The company has laid a layer of gumbo one foot and a half thick all over 
the bottom and sides of the basins. Over the gumbo is placed a layer 
of brick, with the crevices filled up with cement. 

If at any time it should be required to empty these basins there is 
certain machinery on hand that can be placed at work immediately and 
the old water can be replaced by that which is fresh and pure. 

It is hardly probable that all the basins will ever get out of order at 
the same time. Should they do so, however, the company still has a 
way to supply the city with water. There is direct connection between 
the affluent and influent wells and the water is supplied to the city by 
opening the valves. If such an accident should happen, the company 
will not warrant the water to be pure, because it cannot go through the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 599 

purifying process in the settling basins. At all other times, the water is 
warranted clear and pure. 

Waste pipes are attached to the reservoirs for draining purposes, 
which can be readily used at any time. 

Reservoir Hill is 330 feet above high water mark, and it is 122 feet 
higher than any point in St. Joseph. In the business portion of the city 
the pressure has been, since the works were in operation, 120 pounds to 
the square inch. 

In testing the capacity of the street hydrants it has been demon- 
strated that in the business portion of the city a stream can be thrown 
through hose, with a proper nozzle attached, to the height of about 1 10 
feet, while at the corner of Nineteenth and Francis Streets, one of the 
highest points within the eastern corporate limits, a distance of 65 feet 
has been shown to be the extreme limit of elevation. From the above 
facts it will be seen that in a majority of cases the hydrants can be util- 
ized in place of steam fire engines now used in connection with the fire 
department, thus proving a source of economy as well as safety to every 
citizen. 

At first the contract only called for sixteen miles of piping, and 240 
fire hydrants, but it has been necessary since then to increase the num- 
ber of miles from sixteen to twenty-six. 

At the present writing, something over twenty miles of main pipe 
has been laid in place and one hundred and eighty-two hydrants placed 
at proper locations and in working order. At the junction of the prin- 
cipal streets, and at other suitable points, stop gates or valves have been 
inserted in the water mains for shutting off the water in cases of neces- 
sity or convenience from any of the lines of pipe. 

The large supply pipe enters the city at the corner of Third and 
Middleton Streets, and from there a sixteen-inch pipe runs to Sixth 
Street, and a twelve-inch pipe to Third. From these points the pipes 
run in every direction, making the water course every way during day 
and night. 

Anticipating that South St. Joseph is likely to become an important 
manufacturing point, the water company has run pipes all through that 
section of the city. 

The preparation for drainage in the city are complete. The com- 
pany has already placed a number of pipes in the lowest parts of the city 
for that purpose. These pipes are to be kept perfectly clean all the time, 
so the people can have fresh and pure water constantly. 

The works were to cost at first, $300,000, but the company kept 
adding to the original estimate until the works complete have cost $700,- 
000, instead of amount first estimated. 

In building the works, the company took into consideration the fact 
that St. Joseph is likely to grow much larger in the near future, and 



6oO HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

ample arrangements have been made to supply a city of several times 
the size of St. Joseph, if it becomes necessary, and it is believed that the 
time is not very far in the future when the company will have occasion 
to test the capacity of their works to the utmost extent. 

The popularity of the works is evidenced by the fact that nearly two 
hundred and fifty applications have been made since their completion for 
water supply for private residences, stores, hotels, factories, mills, etc. 
This even exceeds the most sanguine expectations of the company and is 
a gratifying assurance of liberal patronage in the near future. 

The officers of the company are : W. Scott Fitz, President ; T. J. 
Chew, Jr., Secretary ; J. W. Rutherfoord, Chief Engineer ; H. F. Juengst, 
Ass't Engineer ; Theo. W. Davis, Superintendent of the Works. The 
company keeps from thirty-five to forty hands constantly employed. 

The building of such immense water works is an undertaking that 
requires great engineering and mechanical skill, and Major Rutherfoord 
has demonstrated his capacity as an engineer by so successfully com- 
pleting the work. 

Such is the description of the St. Joseph water works, which are 
destined to be of so much value and pleasure to the people of St. Joseph, 
and which constitute one of the grandest enterprises that have been 
completed in the city in 1880. 

ST. JOSEPH CLEARING HOUSE. 

The St. Joseph Clearing House was organized in February, 1877, 
with A. Beattie, as President and E. O. Sayle, Manager. After the death 
of Mr. Beattie, in 1878, M^. John Colhoun was elected to the position of 
President, and the present officers are: John Colhoun, President; E. O. 
Sayle, Manager; C. B. France, Geo. C. Hull and Thos. W. Evans, Man- 
aging Committee. 

The clearings of a city are sometimes supposed to be a fair index, to 
its business transactions, yet this is a fallacy, and, for obvious reasons, 
this fact can be easily demonstrated. For illustration : if but one 
bank did the business of a city there could be no clearings at all ; 
while if two banks only existed there could be clearings, but they would 
not show as large transactions as if there were ten banks doing exactly 
the same amount of business as the two. The reason is, that if A, B, C, 
and D, are all depositors in one bank, though they may have transac- 
tions amounting to millions of dollars between each other, yet their 
checks never go through the clearing house ; while if these same parties, 
A, B, C and D, were depositors in four different banks their full trans- 
actions would pass through clearing house books. From this cause the 
clearings of St. Joseph do not appro.ximate the figures which would be 
shown did eiijht banks do the same business that four are now doing 



HISTORY OF ST. TOSEPH. 



6oi 



yet the figures are creditable and will be found below, given in detail, 
from 1877, by months, up to January i, 1881 : 



January . , 
February . 
March . . 
April . . . 
May . . . 
June . . . 
July. . . 
August . . 
September 
October . , 
November 
December 



Month. 



1877. 



312,000 
1,920,000 
2,094,000 
2,070,000 
2,080,000 
1,937,000 
2,000,000 
2,134,000 
2,704,000 
2,570,000 
3,118,000 



1878. 



2,820,000 
1,678,000 
1,758,000 
1,974,000 
2,372,000 
1,998,000 
1,984,000 
1,620,000 
I 590,000 
1,926,000 
1,678,000 
1,630,000 



1879. 



2, 104,000 
1,786,000 
1,966,000 
1,784,000 
2,010,000 
1,706,000 
1,850,000 
1,868,000 
2,120,000 
2 450,000 
2,332,000 
2,836 000 



Total $22,939,0001123,028,000 $24,812,000 $33,718,000 



1880. 



2,762,000 
2,462,000 
2,842,000 
2,464,000 
2,226,000 
2,810,000 
2,170,000 
2,680,000 
2,758,000 
3,192,000 
3,674,000 
3,678,000 



UNION STOCK YARDS. 

The Union Stock Yards Company was organized several years ago, 
but owing to the fact that the railroads have not endeavored to create a 
stock market in this city, the transactions are consequently small in 
comparison to what they should be were shippers required to unload 
here as is done in Kansas City. Hundreds of cars of stock go through 
the city annually which are not permitted to pass through the stock 
yards. But the prospect of new and rival lines of road will soon remedy 
this discrimination, and when St. Joseph gets a favorable arrangement 
in this direction she will soon become a great stock market. 

The transactions of the stock yards for the past three years are as 
follows : 



KIND OF STOCK. 



Head of hogs 

Head of cattle 

Head of horses and mules 
Head of sheep 



1878. 


1879. 


69,710 

5-992 
1,842 
3.564 


99,513 
15,005 

3.179 
2,293 



iSSo. 



102,150 

20,592 

3-505 
5-990 



The capacity of the yards is limited, at present, to fifty pens, which 
will accommodate 2,500 head of cattle and 3,000 head of hogs. 



LIVE STOCK. 



During the year 1880, nearly 10,000 head of cattle were marketed in 
St. Joseph, which amounted to an aggregate value of about $300,000. 

This is becoming a large market for horses and mules, and is now 
the chief source from which the Government secures supplies for the 



602 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

cavalry and frontier service. There were about 4,000 horses and mules 
sold in this market in 1880, of a total value of $350,000. A great por- 
tion of this number were shipped out to Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska? 
Kansas, Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Louisiana and South 
Carolina. 

There were 140,000 head of hogs sold in this city in 1880, of a 
value of $2,000,000, making the total sales of live stock $2,650,000. 
This does not include over 200,000 head of hogs bought in this county 
at the great packing house of Fowler Bros. 

PACKING HOUSES. 

The geographical position which this city occupies as a center of a 
large agricultural section, whose products naturally seek this point for a 
market, brings the city into great prominence as an advantageous point 
for pork packing. The tendency of this trade is westward, where hogs 
can be got cheaply and handled at little expense. St. Joseph is steadily 
growing in importance as a packing point, from the fact that she is sur- 
rounded by a section of country producing hogs in marvelous abundance 
that seek a market here. 

Kansas City, which is growing to be a great packing point, depends 
largely upon this section for material. The additional cost of transpor- 
tation to that city is a telling advantage in favor of St. Joseph packers. 
Barrels, fuel and labor are obtained here as cheap as at any point in the 
west. The total number of hogs packed in the city during the season 
of 1 880- 1, to March ist, was 120,000. 

In the Gazette of January 30, 1846, we find the following : 

" We are informed that there have been upwards of 5,000 hogs and 
about 200 beef cattle slaughtered in this place, besides near 2,000 which 
have been brought here slaughtered. Averaging the hogs at 175 
pounds, and the beef cattle at 600, which is a very low estimate, we have 
ready for shipment 1,225,000 pounds of pork, and 120,000 pounds ot 
beef, besides upwards of 600 barrels of lard and tallow. From differ- 
ent statements we have seen there have been more hogs slaughtered in 
this place than any other of its size in the state, and more than in towns 
of twice its population. When it is taken into consideration that this is 
the first season anything of the kind has been attempted, what may we 
not expect in a few years. Arrangements will be made to carry on 
extensively next season." 

From this we would infer that, in an early day, it was believed that 
St. Joseph was destined to become a great pork and beef packing center. 
This anticipation has not, however, been realized. The result is due to 
natural causes, however, and it is no reflection on the enterprise of the 
people of Buchanan County that so large a portion of her annual yield of 
cattle and hogs is shipped abroad alive. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 603 

There are at present (1881) three packing houses in the city. The 
oldest of these was established by the present proprietor, David Finger, 
in 1853. It was located at first on Blacksnake. It is now (188 1) near 
the Francis Street Depot. About five hands are generally employed. 
Slaughtering here is principally done for the butchers, 

Hax & Brother were established in 1868. Their packing house and 
office are on the corner of Fourth and Mary Streets. They employ in 
the winter season between sixty and eighty hands, and also pack to a 
limited extent in summer. 

The packing house of H. Krug & Co. was established in the winter 
of 1877-78. H. Krug, President; James McCord, Vice-President and 
Treasurer ; George C. Hax, Secretary. The capital stock of the com- 
pany is $72,000. In the winter of 1879-80, this house packed between 
60,000 and 65,000 hogs. In the summer, about 24,000 head were packed. 
In August, 1 88 1, they slaughtered 1,800 hogs per week. 

Connett Brothers, who packed in 1880, about 6,000 hogs, on their 
farm in the county, are now (1881) erecting a spacious brick structure 
south of the city limits, which will cost, when completed, about $25,000 
or $30,000. Its packing capacity will be from 1,000 to 1,500 per day. 

To Fowler Brothers' mammoth establishment, and to Smith, Farlow 
& Co.'s, at Winthrop, we have already referred. 

ICE. 

The past winter has afforded the best ice harvest ever before known 
in this city, and this fact was taken advantage of by all dealers and 
large consumers to lay in an abundant supply. The following statement 
shows the number of tons taken from the Missouri River and Lake Con- 
trary and stored for use : 

Breweries 40,000 tons 

Packing companies 25,000 " 

Ice dealers 25,000 " 

Private use 10,000 " 

Totil . 100,000 tons 

The average cost of storing ice last season was less than $1 per ton, 
while the average cost of imported ice the year previous was $4.50 per 
ton. 

OPERA HOUSE. 

No other city in the entire West can boast of so fine a temple 
devoted to the dramatic art, nor comparing in size and elegance of 
appointment, with the Opera House in this city. 

The building was erected by Mr. Milton Tootle, in 1873, at a cost of 
$150,000. It is regarded by all as the finest theatre west of Chicago, 



604 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

and was recently pronounced by John McCullough to be as well adapted 
to the presentation of the drama as any theatre in England or America- 
The ground floor is fitted up with six fine stores with plate glass 
windows, designed for the retail line. The upper stories are for offices, 
the entrance to which is on Fifth Street. The grand entrance to the 
auditorium is on Francis Street, and has a width of sixteen feet. It is 
reached by an easy ascent of four short flights of stairs, which convey 
the spectators into an exceedingly handsome interior, fitted up with all 
the accessories of modern opera seats, elegant crystal chandelier and 
bracket lights, handsome galleries, artistic frescoes, and a proscenium, 
with its*side boxes and drop curtains, that entrances one like a fairy 
scene. The auditorium is 66x69 ^'St^t, and 45 feet from pit to dome. The 
seating capacity is 1,400, which will be large enough for any growth of 
the city for ten )'ears to come. The stage is 40x60 feet, with a prosce- 
nium arch of 32 feet. It is most perfect in its appointments, being sup- 
plied with all the modern machinery and tweh^e sets of scenery. In the 
rear of the stage are the green room and dressing rooms— apartments 
furnished with all the conveniences and comforts of home life ; an atten- 
tion to the well-being of theatrical performers scarcely ever displayed, 
which reflects the highest credit on the humanity of the public spirited 
proprietor. 

THE CITY HALL. 

This spacious, lofty and elegant three-story structure which occu- 
pies the area of Market Square, was erected in 1873. Stigers & Roettner 
were the architects, and R. K. Allen, builder. It fronts 70 feet on Felix, 
and 70 on Edmond, extending between these streets 140 feet, the side 
windows looking out on Second Street and on Market Square. The 
principal material used in the construction of this building is brick. The 
doors and windows are surmounted with semi-circular arches, trimmed 
like other parts of the building, with cut stone. The roof and tower- 
caps are of tin, tasefully painted in the South-Americo-Anaconda style. 
The altitude of the structure to the eaves is 55 feet, and from the base 
to the top of the cupola is 92 feet. 

The lower floor is used as a City Market House. The second story 
is occupied by city officials, lawyers and others. The third floor is an 
immense public hall, fitted up wnth gallery, ante-rooms, and all 'the appli- 
ances of modern conveniences properly pertaining to such places of 
public assembly. The upper floors are approached by four spacious and 
easy stairways, each occupying a corner of the building, thus affording, 
under all circumstances, convenient egress and entrance. 

In view of its imposing appearance, Us well as of the convenience of 
its internal arrangements, this is one of the most econonomical public 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. . 605 

structures in the Northwest, the entire cost of the building having been 
not more than $50,000. 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 

In accordance with a resolution of the Board of Trade, recently- 
adopted, a committee appointed for that purpose has prepared articles 
of association for the incorporation of a stock company to be called the 
Chamber of Commerce, the object of which is to perfect a plan for the 
erection of a Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce building in this 
city. The organization has been completed, and it is thought that the 
necessary stock can be placed at once. The location has not yet been 
determined upon, but it is designed to secure a corner lot, if possible, 
near to the business centre of the city. The character of the building 
desired will be of the best construction, of brick with stone fronts ; 
the basement to be on the grade and occupied with offices and stores ; 
the first floor to be occupied in the same manner, while the third floor is 
to be used for Board of Trade purposes. The size of the projected 
building, it is anticipated, will be eighty by one hundred and forty feet 
frontage, if suitable ground can be procured, and its height three spacious 
stories, equal to about the height of an ordinary five story building. 

CUSTOM HOUSE AND POSTOFFICE. 

St. Joseph has long been neglected in the matter of a government 
building, but her position now as the leading commercial city west of 
the Mississippi River, will have the effect of securing at an early day 
such a building, to be erected by the government, as will be an ornament 
to the city. 

At the last session of Congress, a bill to appropriate funds to pur- 
chase the ground and commence the erection of a building was intro- 
duced and referred to the proper committee, where it was favorably 
received, and it is confidently anticipated that the appropriation will be 
secured at the next session of Congress, through the earnest efforts of 
our representative, Hon. Nicholas Ford, who has, since his election, 
labored with an eye single to this object. 

GLUCOSE WORKS. 

The Glucose Works constitute another grand enterprise which has 
been inaugurated in St. Joseph during the past year, which, although not 
creating so much general interest as the Union Depot or Water Works, 
has been a very great addition to our manufacturing interests. 

Glucose is from the Greek word signifying " sweet," and, generally 
speaking, is the sugar or sweet product that comes from fruits, grain, 




WHOLESALE DRUG HOUSE OF SAMUEL L SMITH. 




IIIK I5UELL MAMiFACl'URL\(. CuM I'ANV'S WOOLEN MILL. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 607 

peas, beans, potatoes or anything that will make starch. It differs from 
the product of sugar cane, the maple tree and beet roots, which is called 
by chemists *' sucrose," in the fact that glucose will not crytallize or 
granulate, at least not readily. Chemically speaking, the glucose of 
commerce is the same as that which comes from grapes, and is seen on 
the surface of raisins, etc., and from this the solid glucose takes its name 
of grape sugar. The grape sugar, therefore, of commerce, is glucose in 
solid form, while the product in liquid form is also called glucose syrup. 

Each bushel of corn makes from twenty-six to thirty pounds of 
glucose, which brings from two and a half to four cents per pound. It is 
mostly used in the liquid form, for mixing with dark colored cane syrup 
to make light colored table syrup. The glucose syrup has scarcely any 
flavor, and so cane syrup is used as a base, though many of our table 
syrups are at least ninety per cent, glucose. Scarcely any candy is made 
now-a-days that does not contain more or less glucose. Some of the 
candy contains as high as ninety per cent, of the product. 

Experienced chemists say that it is a wholesome diet when properly 
prepared, but they advise the exercise of great care in its preparation. 

The St. Joseph Glucose Company was formed in June, 1880, with A. 
M. Saxton as President and Treasurer ; John B. Hundley, Vice President ; 
W. W. Macfarland, Secretary ; John L. Hotter, General Manager ; W. 
Y. Selleck, Chemist and Superintendent of Manufactory. 

The name of the company is " The St. Joseph Refining Company." 
It has all of the latest improved machinery, and a capacity for making 
up 3,000 bushels of corn daily. The building is situated in South St. 
Joseph, and covers over an acre of ground. The city Water Works 
Company have laid their pipes to the building, and the water will be 
turned on whenever called for. The factory is located on two lines of 
railroad, the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific, and the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph. The fall of water from the water works reservoirs to the factory 
is over 300 feet, and the pipes are so arranged that the water can be 
communicated to all points of the factory at a moment's notice. There 
will be employed altogether about the works about one hunred and fifty 
hands, and many wagons, trucks, etc. 

STAR PRESERVING WORKS. 



Situated on South Fourth Street, in the premises formerly occupied 
by the Evans, Day & Co., Canning Factory, are the Star Preserving 
Works, owned and operated by Albert Fischer & Co. They have 
recently enlarged the premises with additional buildings until they cover 
nearly an entire square. Entirely new machinery has been introduced 
and extensive preparations made for an immense business. 



6o8 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The capacity of the works are 40,000 cans, or 1,800 bushels of toma- 
toes per day, and from 1,000 to 1,200 bushels of peas. During the pre- 
serving season these works have about 250 employes upon their pay roll. 

PRODUCE PACKING. 

The packing of butter, eggs, apples, potatoes and other produce is 
assuming immense proportions, and as St. Joseph is situated in the heart 
of the finest agricultural district in the world, this industry must increase 
with each succeeding year. 

The following statistics of this branch of trade were supplied by 
the principal commission houses here for the year 1880 : 

No of bushels potatoes shipped from the city 100,000 

No. of bushels apples packed and shipped from the city 216,250 

No. dozen eggs packed and shipped from the city 400,000 

No. pounds butter packed and shipped from the city 880,000 

Total value of the shipments above noted $450000 

These figures do not include the sales of retail grocers, nor of pro- 
ducers to consumers in the city, and are exclusive of the fruits and 
vegetables packed in enormous quantities by the Preserving Works. 

THE BELL TELEPHONE. 

The first line erected west of the Mississippi River was put up in St. 
Joseph, Missouri, in the fall of 1874, by John Kenmuir, manufacturing 
jeweler and watchmaker. This line extended from his store on Felix 
Street, between Fifth and Sixth, to his residence on the corner of Fourth 
and Angelique Streets. At that time, Mr. Kenmuir was general western 
agent for the company. The second line which he erected was from Dr. 
Banes' office, on Felix Street, between Third and Fourth, to his residence 
on Convent Hill. 

The first telephone ever erected in the United States for fire-alarm 
purposes, was put up in St. Joseph, by John Kenmuir, and extended from 
one engine house to the next, in regular succession, connecting the entire 
system within the the city limits. 

About a year after, having entire control in the city, by virtue of his 
general agency, he attempted to establish a telephone exchange. 

He attempted by means of circulars and notices in the daily papers 
to get up this exchange. His efforts were generally derided, and little 
sympathy was expressed with his enterprise, until the fall of 1877, when 
Col. Alburger came up from Kansas City with a charter from the Bell 
Telephone Company, of Boston, Mass., authorizing the establishment of 
a system in St. Joseph, and turned the same over to John Kenmuir. By 
virtue of this charter, the said John Kenmuir became President, P. L. B. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 609 

Combs, Secretary; Joseph Corby, Treasurer. They immediately started 
the St. Joseph Telephone Exchange, with 250 subscribers. 

The original exchange was located in the rear of John Kenmuir's 
watch making and jewelry establishment, on Felix Street. The lines 
radiated thence, east and west, north and south, all over the city. 

In September, 1880, John Kenmuir, the father of the telephone in 
St. Joseph, withdrew from the company, and was succeeded by Joseph 
Corby. 

MILITARY. 

The military force of the city consists of two battalions, composed 
of five companies of infantry, all superbly equipped and exceedingly well 
drilled. Thj second battalion of the National Guard of Missouri, con- 
sisting of Company A, Captain Osborn ; Company B, Captain Saltzman, 
Company C, Captain Dowe, was organized, with Major Joseph Hansen in 
command. The Saxton Rifle Battalion, National Guard of Missouri, is 
composed of Company A, Captain Donovan and Company B, Captain 
Corby, with Major Condon as commanding officer. 

The military companies of St. Joseph embrace much of the wealth 
and high social standing of the city, and this fact coupled with the high 
character of their organization gives them such prestige as few other 
military organizations enjoy. 

THE FIRST TELEGRAPH LINE 

built to St. Joseph was completed to that point on the day of the inaug- 
uration of President Franklin Pierce. The first dispatch to come over 
this line to St. Joseph, was his inaugural address. The name of the 
telegraph operator who received this message, was Peter Lovell. His 
office was on the southwest corner of Second and Jule Streets. 

The forces of the Adventure and of the Gazette printing offices, 
combined to set up this long dispatch. George Leader, now (1881) of 
Nodaway County, Colonel J. H. R. Cundiff, afterwards editor and pub- 
lisher of the St.* Joseph Gazette, and subsequently of the St. Louis Times, 
Samuel Cundiff, now of Texas, Captain F. M. Posegate, President of the 
Steam Printing Company, and for seveal years Postmaster of St. Joseph — 
these four then constituted the force of the Adventure. Leroy D. Carter, 
now of Andrew County, C. M. Thompson, of St. Joseph, H. C. Patchen, 
now of Atchison, Kansas, and Ralph Cabanias, composed the Gazette 
force. The latter was a Mexican who had come to St. Joseph with an 
officer of Doniphan's command at the close of the Mexican war, and 
had afterwards learned the printing business in the Gazette office. He 
is now (1881) a printer in the City of Mexico. 



6io 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



TELEGRAPH STATISTICS. 



The following are the statistics collected relating to the operation 
and amount of business transacted by the various telegraph companies 
in this city during 1880 : 



NAMES OF COMPANIES. 



Western Union 

American Union 

Atlantic & Pacific 

K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R. Co 
St. J. & W. R. R. Co . . . . 
W., St. L. & P. R. W. Co . . 
H. & St J. R. R. Co . . . . 

M. P. R. R. Co 

C , R. I. & P. R. R. Co . . . 
St. J. & D. M. R. R. Co . . . 

Total , . 







«• 











<V 




^0 


•^'^ 


^ 


d 


d 


dO 


^ 


;2i 


2 


2 


16 


6 


I 


[I 


J 


I 


6 


2 


2 


8 


6 


2 


4 


5 


I 


3 


2 


I 


4 


2 


I 


2 


I 


I 


2 


I 


I 


2 


I 


13 


.S8 


29 



n s 

oW 



16 
12 

4 
10 

7 
3 
3 
2 
I 
2 

60 



WESTERN UNION STATISTICS. 

Number messages sent from office during year 1880 34>872 

Number messages received and delivered by messengers 41,106 

Number messages relayed 120,638 

Number words of press report sent and received 2,178,797 

Press report reduced to messages of thirty words 72,627 

Total messages sent, received and relayed 269,243 

AMERICAN UNION STATISTICS. 

Number messages sent during the year 1880 18,250 

Number messages received during same time 7^300 

Number messages relayed 1,826 

Number of words of press report received 240,000 



EXPRESS COMPANIES. 

There are four Express Companies doing business in the city. The 
oldest being the United States, in charge of J. A. Raynor, agent, which 
operates over the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad 
line. The American Express Company is under the superintendency of 
N. Worden, and operates upon the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. 
The Pacific, with D. L. Bartlctt in charge, is the newest candidate for 
public favor, and transacts busines oyer the St. Joseph and Western 
Division of the Union Pacific, the Missouri Pacific and the Wabash 
Railroads. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 6ll 

The St. Joseph Transfer and Express Company is a local organiza- 
tion, under the management of John Burlington, and it confines its 
operations to the local business of the city. The St. Joseph Omnibus 
Company also operates as a passenger and baggage transfer company 
to and from the various depots, its proprietors being J. A. Finer & Co. 

STATEMENT OF BUSINESS FOR 1880 OF ST. JOSEPH POSTOFFICE. 
MONEY ORDER DEPARTMENT. 

No. Issjicd. Amount. 

9,195 Domestic $111,409.42 

27 Canadian 539.40 

77 British 1,305 . 13 

175 German 2,651.41 

39 Swiss 555 50 

4 Italian 119 . 00 

7 French 214.14 

No. Paid. Amount. 

2$,\'i,7 Domestic $460,674. 14 

17 Canadian 703 .90 

15 British 359-88 

42 German i ,380 . 36 

18 Swiss 5 27 . 67 

2 Italian 52 . 12 

84 Domestic orders repaid 920 . 3 1 

I German 9.88 

8,210 Certificates Deposit issued other offices 679,01 1 .00 

Remitted to other offices 335,804.00 

Total Money Order transactions for 1880 1,596,237.26 

CARRIERS* DEPARTMENT. 

Mail letters delivered 1,043,209 

Local letters delivered 95.061 

Registered letters delivered 12,250 

Mail postals delivered 294,448 

Local postals delivered 72,988 

Newspapers delivered 802,190 

Letters collected 681,812 

Postals collected .* 257,867 

Newspapers collected 129,918 

REGISTERED LETTER DEPARTMENT. 1 

Registered letters in transit 20,123 

Registered letters, city delivery 22,238 

Registered letters sent from city 2,477 



6l2 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



MISCELLANEOUS FACTS. 

Carriers employed lO 

Clerks employed lO 

Route agents centering here 9 

Number of delivery trips daily 26 

Sales stamps, envelopes and postal cards $54i395 3^ 

Net revenue 42,254.68 

Number lock pouches and sacks received 37-968 

Number lock pouches and sacks dispatched 21,443. 

Total number pieces sent in 1879 3,459,652. 

Total number pieces sent in 1880 4,024,170 

Increase for 1880 564,5 18 

INTERNAL REVENUE. 

The aggregate returns of internal revenue collected in this city for 
the past five years are as follows : 



January . . 
February . 
March . . 
April . . . 
May . . . 
June . . . 
July . . . 
August . . 
September , 
October . . 
November. 
December . 



1876. 



2,762 38 
2,367 60 

2.873 87 

9989 15 

10,263 84 

3,583 56 
3665 67 

3>433 94 
3-465 28 
3.232 40 
2,496 35 
2,601 97 



1877. 



2,397 21 

2,543 19 

2,562 60 

10,252 51 

10,453 75 
4,036 60 
4,168 89 
4,440 53 
4,271 74 
3.643 83 
3.231 31 
3.160 35 



1878. 



2,726 01 
2,765 03 
2,846 50 
0,526 28 
0,176 51 
3,817 15 
4.074 30 
4-505 32 
4,218 12 

3,319 25 
3,899 II 
3.204 17 



Total 150,736 01 $55,162 51 $56,077 75 $61,434 71 $66,161 43 



1879 



2,842 
2,656 
3.258 
10,712 
11,249 
4341 
4,586 
4,759 
4,615 
4,596 
4.0S7 
3,757 



1880. 



5 3,862 77 
3,818 88 
3918 64 

12,533 19' 
10,482 91 
4,796 22 
5,442 34 
5,162 48 
4 665 64 

4,277 53 
3,470 93 
3,729 90" 



This does not include the taxes paid by the banks here, nor collec- 
lections from sales of stamps for rectified spirits. 

The following are the total collections in the Sixth District of Mis- 
souri of internal revenue from all sources during the year 1880 : 

January $ 35,050 14 

February 11 ,638 95 

March ! 14,23 1 2 1 

April 42,996 15 

, May 32,753 18 

June 18,591 48 

July : 41.418 65 

August 1 5,609 1 2 

September 16,202 22 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 613 

October 16,086 94 

November 14.672 26 

December 16,227 87 



Total $275,478 1 5 

GRAIN. 

It is with much pride and satisfaction that reference is made to the 
year just closed as one which will mark an epoch in the history of our 
city ; and while nearly all branches of our far-reaching commerce have 
been in a very satisfactory and healthy condition, and a very large and 
profitable trade consummated, the same cannot be said of the grain 
interest in a local point of view. While it is true that several gentlemen 
connected with the Board are largely engaged in the business on the 
various lines of roads tributary to St. Joseph, the grain handled by them, 
which should be emptied into elevators at this point, is diverted to Chi- 
cago, St. Louis, and other eastern cities by the railroad companies, 
thereby giving the roads the full benefit of a high tariff from country 
points direct. This is, in reality, systematic discrimination by the rail- 
roads against the city in the matter of terminal freight rates on grain to 
this point. It cannot be otherwise than that this practice is detrimental 
to the best interests and future greatness of the city as a commercial 
center, a great injury and hardship to the farmer by whose toil and sweat 
the grain is produced, and very discreditable to the roads themselves. 

There can be but one remedy suggested for this state of affairs. It 
would seem reasonable that if the railroad companies terminating at St. 
Joseph, would afford facilities for storing grain in elevators here, as is 
done elsewhere, and concede terminal rates in proportion to the distance 
hauled, it would be a long stride in the direction of settling this much 
vexed question, and work incalculable good to the city. 

The section of country tributary to St. Joseph, and which is trav- 
ersed by no less than six railroads, is one of great agricultural richness, 
and the various cereals are grown in the highest perfection, and to an 
extent surprising even to the best informed. Therefore, if the facilities 
above indicated were afforded, 'men of tact and energy, as well as means, 
would be attracted to our city to engage in handling these most impor- 
tant commercial products, who, for the reasons given, are unable to cope 
with those already engaged in this branch of tVade. 

In the face of these difficulties, however, it appears that an immense 
amount of grain has been received and forwarded from this city inde- 
pendent of the grain handled by dealers here, but shipped through to 
eastern markets. The local figures show as follows : 



6 14 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Bushels corn received and forwarded 10,000,000 

Bushels wheat 5,000,000 

Bushels other grain 3,000,000 

It is estimated that double the number of bushels given above annu- 
ally pass through the city on the different lines of road operated, con- 
signed to St. Louis, Chicago or other eastern markets. 

CITY FINANCES. 

LIABILITIES. 

River and Wharf Improvement bonds $ 88,000 

St. Joseph & Topeka Railroad bonds 49,800 

City Improvement bonds 36,600 

Funding bonds 125,700 

St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad bonds 431,500 

Missouri Valley Railroad bonds 150,000 

St. Joseph Bridge bonds 500,000 

Total $1,381,600 

Accrued interest coupons $328,400 

Outstanding general fund warrants 40,000 

368,400 



Total debt $1,750,000 

ASSETS. 

City Hall and Market Square property $100,000 

Hook and Ladder house and lot 12,000 

Patee Town Market House and grounds 15,000 

Sixth Street Market House and grounds 10,000 

Smith's Park 20,000 

Patee Park 15,000 

South St. jioseph Park 5,ooo 

City scales and grounds 15,000 

City workhouse and grounds 13,000 

Other city lots 10,000 

Value of property of Fire Department 25,000 

Value of other personal property 10,000 

Total assets $ 250,000 

Value of real property (assessed half real value) 5,723,784 

Value of personal property (assessed half real value) 3,294,451 

Total resources for revenue $9,268,235 

Total estimated value of property in city 20,000,000 

The entire indebtedness of the city is now being refunded in 
twenty-year four per cent, interest bearing bonds at par. Between 
$750,000 and $800,000 have already been refunded, and there is a fair 
prospect for refunding the balance. 

In consequence of the extensive improvements in progress, it is 
estimated that the assessment lists for 1881, even at the reduced valua- 
tion, will exceed $10,000,000. 




CONVENT OF THE SACRED HEART. 




THE CHRISTIAN BROTHER'S COLLEGE. 



CHAPTER XII. 



lEDICAL COLLEGES-BANKS AND BANKERS-INSURANCE COMPANIES-REAL ESTATE 
ASSOCIATIONS-HOTELS -MANUFACTURING INTERESTS - MILLS AND MANUFAC- 
TORIES—WHOLESALE HOUSES. 



ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL MEDICAL COLLEGE. 

Five years ago the founders of the St. Joseph Hospital Medical Col- 
lege, believing that in this day of advancement in the science of medicine 
and surgery it had become necssary to establish a school of medicine in 
the City of St. Joseph, for the education of young men for the profession, 
and thus afford an opportunity west of some of the larger cities of the 
country for the student of limited means, who was unable to take advan- 
tage of the older Eastern schools, such facilities for a thorough medical 
training, undertook, not without some misgivings, the organization of 
the present school of medicine. By a persistent adherence to the well- 
established landmarks of the profession, and the rules governing medical 
schools elsewhere, thfe institution has steadily advanced, and each year 
has witnessed new triumphs and rallied new friends to its support, thus 
assuring its future continued success. 

The character of its graduates during this time has been such as to 
merit the approbation of the medical profession, and the confidence and 
esteem of the public, and. all of them are to-day occupying lucrative 
fields in the West, battling for the higher advancement of medical edu- 
cation, against the ignorance which formerly prevailed to so large an 
extent in the newly-settled region of country by which we were sur- 
rounded. 

It is the desire of the faculty to build up, in this beautiful city of the 
Missouri Valle)', a school of medicine which shall be an honor to the 
profession as well as its founders, and here at home fit young men for 
the successful practice of medicine in this enlightened age. Our city is 
noted throughout the Northwest for the high character of its educa- 
tional institutions, and the results of the past four years have demon- 
strated that it is also as well adapted for the maintenance of a reputable 
medical school. 

The College, located on Second Street, between Francis and Jule, 
has been entirely remodeled, and contains, on the first and second floors, 
two large amphitheaters, dispensary, museum and laborator}-, and on 
the third floor one of the largest dissecting rooms in the W^cst. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH, 01/ 

Board of Trustees — Wm. M. Wyeth, Esq., President ; J. W. Bailey, 
Esq., Vice President ; T. J. Chew, Esq., Secretary; J. M. D. France, M. 
D.. Treasurer; E. S. Dulin, D. D., R. L. McDonald, Joseph D. Smith, M. 
D., Hon. Bennett Pike, R. E. Turner, Milton Tootle, Wm. Kneer, Charles 
F. Knight, M. D., Winslow Judson, Hon. John Doniphan. 

Faculty — Charles F. Knight, M. D., Professor of Obstetrics, Clinical 
Midwifery and Diseases of Women and Children, President of the Fac- 
ulty; Joseph D. Smith, M. D., Professor Principles and Practice of Sur- 
gery and Clinical Surgery; J. M. D. France, M. D.. Professor of Materia 
Medica, Therapeutics and Medical and Surgical Clinics, Secretary of the 
Faculty; Thomas H. Doyle, M. D., Professor Principles and Practice of 
Medicine and Clinical Medicine ; Wm. B. Craig, M. D., Professor of 
Anatomy and Orthopedic Surgery; D. I. Christopher, M. D., Professor of 
Physiology, Opthalmology and Otology; Hiram Christopher M. D., Pro- 
fessor of Chemistry and Toxicology; Wm. B. Craig, M. D., Demonstra- 
tor of Anatomy; J. M. Richmond, A. M., M. D., Clinical Lecturer on 
Diseases of the Genito-Urinary System ; Hon. John Doniphan, Lecturer 
■on Medical Jurisprudence ; George C. Catlett, M. D., Superintendent 
State Lunatic Asylum No. 2, Lecturer on Diseases of the Mind and 
Nervous System ; C. J. Siemens, M. D., Lecturer on Diseases of Child- 
ren ; A. V. Banes, M. D., Lecturer on Clinical Surgery; F. E. Bullock, 
M. D., Assistant Demonstrator of Anatomy. 

COLLEGE OF PHYSICTANS AND SURGEONS. 

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of St. Joseph, Missouri, 
was founded in June, 1879, by a number of the leading physicians of 
Northwest Missouri, among whom we find : Doctors Hugh Trevor, E. 
A. Donelan, W. L Heddens, W. H. Bryant, Jacob Geiger and J. W. 
Heddens. 

The references of the college embrace some of the best citizens of 
St. Joseph and vicinity, among which are found the names of Jas. 
McCord, Hon. David Rea, B. R. Vineyard, D. M. Steele, Hon. N. Ford, 
Abe Furst, Col. A. M. Saxton, Hon. F. M. Posegate, O. M. Spencer, Ex. 
Governor Woodson, Louis Hax, etc., etc. 

This array of talent and business worth must satisfy the public at 
once as to the reliability and high character of the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons of St. Joseph, Missouri. 

Early in the fall of 1879, the Faculty of the college issued their first 
annual announcement informing the public that they were fully prepared 
and equipped to teach medicine and surgery in all its branches, and 
would receive students on the 6th day of October, 1879. True to their 
announcement, they opened their first session in a beautiful suite of 
rooms in the large and magnificent Court House of Buchanan Count}\ 



6l8 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

The College was inaugurated by a public opening held on the evening- 
of the 6th, and largely attended by the citizens of St. Joseph. The col- 
lege met with most flattering success, having a class of 31 students the 
first session, and in the spring of 1880 the Faculty conferred the degree 
of Doctor of Medicine upon fourteen gentlemen, at a public commence- 
ment held in Tootle's Grand Opera House. Such was the success of the 
college that in the summer of 1880 the Faculty were enabled to purchase 
a large and commodious building, to be used as a college and hospital. 
This they fitted up in elegant style, having a large lecture hall, ample 
anatomical rooms, a free dispensary, where the poor of the city could be 
furnished medicine and treatment free of charge, together with wards in 
the hospital for the use of such patients as were confined to their beds, 
thus giving to the student at the college, not only the advantages of lec- 
tures and didactic teaching, but also of the bedside experience, so inval- 
uable to the practitioner of medicine and surgery. 

The second session of the College of Physicians and Surgeons 
opened in October, 1880, and was largely attended, the class numbering 
seventy-seven, and in the spring of 1881 the Faculty conferred the degree 
of M. D. upon fifteen young gentlemen. A few weeks after the close of 
this session the college was called upon to mourn the loss of Professor 
Hugh Trevor, B. A., M. D., a distinguished graduate of the University 
of Edinburgh, Scotland, who, after a life of usefulness, departed this 
life to report to the Great Physician on high. In the death of Professor 
Trevor, the college lost one of its founders and a most earnest and inde- 
fatigable Professor. 

The College of Physicians and Surgeons, though now only in its 
third year, has already taken a place in rank with the best colleges in 
the West, and receiving the support of the profession of the northwest, 
it will ere long prove itself to be a blessing and honor to St. Joseph and 
the medical profession of the Northwest. 

Faculty — W. I. Heddens, M. D., Professor of Principles and Practice 
of Medicine, and Clinical Medicine, Dean ; Jacob Geiger, M. D., Profes- 
sor of Principles and Practice of Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and Clini- 
cal Surgery, Secretary ; E. A. Donelan, M. D., Professor of Diseases of 
Women and Children, Treasurer ; W. H. Bryant, M. D., Professor of 
Obstetrics; J. W. Heddens, M. D., Professor of Surgical and Descriptive 
Anatomy, Demonstrator of Anatomy and Lecturer on Diseases of Genito- 
urinary Organs ; P. J. Kirschner, M. D. Professor of Physiology and 
Lecturer on Minor Surgery ; C. G. Hubbell, M. D., Professor of Chem- 
istry and Lecturer on Diseases of the Eye and Ear ; J. H. Stringfcllow, 
M. D., Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics; W. B. Davis, M. 
D., Lecturer on Diseases of the Nervous System ; C. H. Darby, D. D. S., 
Lecturer on Dental Surgery ; Ex-Governor Silas Woodson, Hon. H. S. 
Kelley, Lecturers on Medical Jurisprudence. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 619 

Board of Directors — W. I. Heddens, M. D., President ; Jacob Geiger, 
M. D. Secretary; J. W. Heddens, M. D.; C. G. Hubbell, M. D.; E. A. 
Donelan, M. D., Treasurer. 

THE NORTHWESTERN MEDICAL COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI. 

On the nth of January, 1881, F. A. Simmons, M. D., S. F. Carpen- 
ter, M. D., J. P. Chesney, M. D., and J. T. Berghoff, M. D., adopted arti- 
cles of agreement, by which they associated themselves together for 
scientific and educational purposes, under the name of Northwestern 
Medical College. On the 15th day of said month, in the Buchanan 
County Circuit Court, a decree was made, incorporating the Northwest- 
ern Medical College, clothed with all the rights, powers, privileges, 
immunities and franchises of a corporation, duly organized and incor- 
porated for scientific and educational purposes, under and by virtue of 
the laws of Missouri, in accordance with their said articles of agreement. 
These instruments, with the certificate of acknowledgement thereon 
indorsed, were put on record in the Recorder's office, on the 25th day of 
January, 188 1, at 11:15 o'clock A. M., and were filed by Michael K. 
McGrath, Secretary of State, January 20th, 1881. The powers set forth 
in article 4th is given to teach medicine, surgery, anatomy, and all collat- 
eral sciences ; to graduate such of its students as shall have passed a 
satisfactory examination ; confer upon them the degree of " Doctor of 
Medicine," and to award to them diplomas, and to do all other things 
that a medical college, duly established under and by virtue of the laws 
of Missouri, may of right do. 

Board of Incorporators — F. A. Simmons, M. D., S. F. Carpenter, M. 
D., J. P. Chesney, M. D., J. T. Berghoff, M. D. 

Officers — F. A. Simmons, M. D., President ; S. F. Carpenter, M. D., 
Treasurer ; J. P. Chesney, M. D., Secretary. 

Legal Advisers — James P. Thomas, Esq., and James W. Boyd, Esq. 

Faculty— F. A. Simmons, M. D., Professor of the Theory and Prac- 
tice of Medicine ; S. F. Carpenter, M. D., Professor of Medical Chem- 
istry and Toxicology, and Lecturer on Diseases of the Chest ; J. P. 
Chesney, M. D., Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women ; J. 
T. Berghoff, M. D., Professor of Surgery ; J. W. HoUiday, M. D., Professor 
of Anatomy ; T. E. Potter, M. D., Professor of Physiology and Lecturer 
on Diseases of the Nervous System ; E. M. Manning, M. D., Professor 
of Materia Medica and Therapeutics; Samuel M. Dunn, M. D., Lecturer 
on Diseases of Children ; J. W. Chadduck, M. D., Lecturer on Dental 
Medicine and Surgery ; D. F. Hanna, M. D., Lecturer on Minor Surgery 
and Syphilis, and Demonstrator of Anatomy ; J. W. Boyd, A. B., Lec- 
turer on Medical Jurisprudence. 



6^0 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

BANKS AND BANKERS. 

Among the earliest attempts to supply the deficiency of banking 
facilities in St. Joseph, was probably, in a limited way, that of John 
Corby, who is referred to in earlier issues of the Gazette as loaning 
money. 

The first to do a regular banking business, was 

ARMSTRONG BEATTIE, 

who first, in 1852, opened a private bank in the City Hotel, at the foot 
of Jule Street. He afterwards moved his place of business to Second 
Street, between Jule and Francis, and finally to the west side of Third 
Street, between Felix and Edmond, where he continued to transact the 
business of his bank, up to the period of his death, which occurred July 
26, 1878. 

THE FARMERS' AND MECHANICS' SAVINGS INSTITUTION, 

was a joint stock company, organized with a capital stock of $75,000. It 
was chartered in 1853, with Washington Jones, President, and Joseph C. 
Hull, Cashier, and immediately v/ent into operation. This was the first 
bank chartered in St. Joseph, and, during the twelve years of its exist- 
ence, was a highly successful institution. During that period it paid an 
average dividend of fifteen percent. In 1865, this corporation merged 
into the First National Bank of St. Joseph. 

THE BUCHANAN LIFE AND GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, 

was organized, with banking privileges, about 1857. J. B. Jennings was 
its first President, and N. J. McAshan its first Secretary and Treasurer. 
The capital stock of the concern was $2O,O00. This company did a fire 
and marine insurance, as well as a general banking business, up to the 
period of the breaking out of the war, when it confined itself exclusively 
to the latter till the year 1878, when it ceased to do business. About 
the period of its becoming exclusively a banking institution, A. G. 
Mansfield was elected President. In 1865, he was succeeded by George 
T. Hoagland, who remained in the position till its suspension. James 
L. O'Neil was Secretary from 1858 to 1862, when he was succeeded by 
John Williams, who remained till the final closing out of the business of 
the bank. 

THE WESTERN HANK 

was organized in April, 1859, and went into operation on the first day of 
May, following, with Milton Tootle, President, and Bela M. Hughes, 
Cashier. Its authorized capital was one million dollars. Besides the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 62 1 

parent bank in St. Joseph, there were three branches ot this institution, 
located, severally, at Bloomington, Fulton and Glasgow. Jas L. O'Neill 
became Cashier, succeeding Bela M. Hughes in 1862. In 1865, O'Neill 
died, and two years after the bank went into liquidation. A. P. Goff 
wound up the business of the bank. 

THE STATE SAVINGS BANK. 

was first, in 1859, organized as a branch of the State Bank of Missouri. 
Robert M. Donnell was first President, and A. M. Saxton, Cashier. 

In February, 1866, this institution was organized as the State 
National Bank, with L. M. Lawson, President; A. M. Saxton, Cashier, 
and C. B. prance. Assistant Cashier. In 1871, this was reorganized under 
the name and style of the State Savings Bank, with A. M. Saxton, 
President and C. B. France, Cashier. 

In May, 1881, A. M. Saxton withdrew from the corporation and 
Charles B. France was elected President. R. L. McDonald was chosen 
Vice President, and E. Lindsay, Cashier. 

The capital of this bank is (1881) one hundred thousand dollars, 
and the surplus seventy-five thousand dollars. 

The elegant building, owned and occupied by the State Savings 
Bank, stands on the southeast corner of Fourth and Felix Streets. It 
was erected at a cost of about $25,000, and has been continuously occu- 
pied by the banking houses of the above mentioned corporation since its 
erection, about 1859. 

JOHN COLHOUN & CO., BANKERS, 

commenced business June 9th, 1864, in the building formerly occupied 
by the Methodist Episcopal Church South, on the northeast corner of 
Third and Felix Streets. The firm consisted of John Colhoun and David 
Pinger ; the business was conducted by John Colhoun, assisted by W. B. 
Johnson and William Dixon. In the year 1865, David Pinger erected, 
for the use of this banking firm, the fine bank building now occupied by 
the Bank of St. Joseph. The business of this firm was conducted most 
successfully till the year 1871, when the partnership expired, and the 
business of the bank was transferred to a new institution, organized under 
the general banking law of the State, and called the Colhoun Bank. The 
bank building was sold by Mr. Pinger to the German Savings Bank. 

THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK 

was organized and chartered in 1865 ; Wm. Zook, President; Joseph C. 
Hull, Cashier. 'Wm. Zook was succeeded by Thos. E. Tootle, in 1868. 
The building was the property of Tootle and McLaughlin, and is situ- 
ated on the corner of Third and Francis Streets. 



622 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

On the 7th day of August, 1878, in consequence of having sustained 
a robbery of $19,700, this bank decided to wind up and cease their busi- 
ness. 

THE GERMAN SAVINGS BANK * 

was chartered in the spring of 1869; G. H. Koch, President and I. G. 
Kappner, Cashier ; with a capital stock of $100,000, of which $25,000 was 
paid up when they went into liquidation, August, 15, 1876. 

THE COLHOUN BANK 

was incorporated May 5, 1871. Authorized capital, $500,000. Incor- 
porators — William Zook, John Colhoun, W. B. Johnson, John R. Bell, 
J. D. McNeely, Milton Tootle and Robert P. Richardson. The officers 
of the bank were William Zook, President; John Colhoun, Cashier ; W. 
B. Johnson, Assistant Cashier ; William Dixon, Book-keeper. In 
March, 1874, the authorized capital was reduced to $300,000, and the whole 
amount called in. In October, 1875, a proposition was submitted and 
accepted for a consolidation of the Colhoun Bank with the St. Joseph 
Savings Bank, under the style of the Colhoun Savings Bank, which con- 
solidation went into effect December i, 1875. The Colhoun Bank 
occupied the building of W. G. Farleigh, on the southeast corner of 
Third and Felix Streets. 

ST. JOSEPH SAVINGS BANK 

was incorporated June, 1873 ; authorized capital, $150,000, and com- 
menced business on the first day of July, at the northwest corner of 
Market Square and Felix Street. The incorporators were : Isaac T. Hosea, 
Wm. B. Johnson, Wm. Kneer, Wm. H. Floyd, Ferdinand Westheimer, 
N. F. Baldwin and John D. Plint. The officers of the bank were : Isaac 
T. Hosea, President ; Wm. H. Floyd, Vice President ; W. B. Johnson, 
Cashier ; Samuel W. Campbell, Assistant Cashier. This bank continued 
in successful operation till December ist, 1875, when it consolidated with 
the Colhoun Bank, and organized the Colhoun Savings Bank. 

THE BANK OF ST. JOSEPH 

was organized in December, 1874, first in a building on the corner of 
Felix and P^ifth Streets, with C. F. Burnes, President, and R. P. Richard- 
son, Cashier. In August, 1876, this corporation purchased the good will 
and building of the German Savings Bank, on the northeast corner of 
Third and Felix Streets, and moved into that elegant structure, which it 
has since continued to occupy. The present (1881) officers of this bank 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 623 

are C. F. Burnes, President, and George C. Hull, Cashier. The paid up 
cash capital of the bank, as shown by the last statement, is $83,850. 

THE COLHOUN SAVINGS BANK, 

a consolidation of the Colhoun Bank and the St. Joseph Savings Bank, 
commenced business on the first day of December, 1875, in the building 
formerly occupied by the Colhoun Bank, southeast corner of Third and 
Felix Streets ; capital stock paid in, $100,000. The Directors were : 
John Colhoun, Milton Tootle, Isaac Weil, James Kay, Isaac T. Hosea, 
William H. Floyd and Wm. Kneer. The officers of the bank were : 
Isaac T. Hosea, President ; Milton Tootle, Vice President ; John Col- 
houn, Cashier ; W. B. Johnson, Assistant Cashier ; Wm. Dixon, Book- 
keeper. On the 9th day of May, 1878, this bank ceased to do business, 
sold its fixtures, and turned over its business to the banking firm of 
Schuster, Hax & Co., its successors having appointed W. B. Johnson to 
wind up the business. 

SCHUSTER, HAX & CO.'S BANKING HOUSE 

occupies the building formerly occupied by the Colhoun Bank and the 
Colhoun Savings Bank, having succeeded to the business of the latter 
institution. They commenced business May 9th, 1878. The firm con- 
sists of A. N. Schuster, Louis Hax, John Colhoun and James N. Burnes. 
The business is managed by John Colhoun, Cashier, assisted by Wm. 
Dixon. 

THE merchants' BANK 

commenced business August 8, 1878, as successors to the First National, 
in the building on the southwest corner of Francis and Third Streets, 
formerly occupied by the latter institution. The officers of the Mer- 
chants' Bank are (1881) Thomas E. Tootle, President ; John B. Hundley, 
Vice President, and Thos. W. Evans, Cashier. Capital stock, the first 
year,,$25,ooo. This was increased, during the second year, to $50,000^ 



INSURANCE COMPANIES. 

St. Joseph, for years past, as may be supposed, has had, represented 
in her midst, every leading insurance company in the United States, as 
well as not a few similar institutions from different states of the Old 
World. 

The spirit of enterprise, however, has led to the establishment of 
kindred associations at home. 



624 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE MERCHANTS' INSURANCE COMPANY OF ST. JOSEPH, MTSSOURT, 

was organized in 1866, with a capital of $200,000. The first president of 
this company was Thomas E. Tootle, and the first secretary, A. P. Goff, 
who remained in office till 1869, when he was succeeded by John Nicely, 
In January, 1873, D. M. Steele was elected President; R. L. McDonald. 
Vice President, and Arthur Kirkpatrick, Secretary. Since that period, 
the same officers have been continuously re-elected, and now (1881) hold 
these several positions. It is the only local insurance company now in 
exist-ence in the city, and does a prosperous business. 

THE ST. JOSEPH FIRE AND MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY 

was chartered December 27, 1867. January 9th, 1868, J. W. Bailey was 
installed President ; G. W. Samuels, Vice President, and A. P. Goff, Sec- 
retary. 

The directors of the company were, J. W. Bailey, A. Beattie, J. R.. 
Willis, D. M. Steele, Silas Woodson, John Corby, George Buell, Milton 
Tootle, G. W. Samuel and D. Pinger. In 1879, the company wound up 
its business and closed out, paying back the subscribed stock with good 
premium. 

THE REAL ESTATE AND SAVINGS ASSOCIATION OF ST. JOSEPH., 

was organized in 1870, with an authorized capital of six hundred' 
thousand dollars, in shares of six hundred dollars each. Two hundred 
and thirty-eight shares were subscribed for, and the amount represented, 
one hundred and forty-two thousand eight hundred dollars, fully paid 
up. The association was chartered by the state, with authority to buy 
and sell real. estate, loan money, etc. The first officers of the associa- 
tion were Arthur Kirkpatrick, President; B. S. Carter, Secretary, and 
James Hull, Treasurer. In 1872, George Hull, succeeded B. S. Carter as 
Secretary. The other officers remained in their several positions to the 
winding up of the affairs of the company, five years after its organiza- 
tion. During the entire period of its existence the association was a 
financial success, the books showing a profit to the stockholders of" 
eleven per cent, per annum on their several investments. 



HOTELS. 



Among the earliest institutions for the entertainment of the travel- 
ing public in St. Joseph is the 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 625 

OCCIDENTAL HOTEL, 

on the northeast corner of Main and Jule Streets. It was formerly 
styled the City Hotel. The building, which is of brick, was erected in 
1846, by William Fowler, the pioneer Circuit and County Clerk of 
Buchanan County. It is, considering the early date of its origin, spa- 
cious, containing thirty-five rooms, many of which are of unusual size. 
It is still (1881) a popular and well patronized house. 

THE ALLEN HOUSE, 

* 

on the corner of Fourth and Sylvanie Streets, now (1881) kept as the 
Griffith House, is one of the old landmarks. 

THE MISSOURI HOTEL, 

on Edmond Street, near the corner of Market Square, has long ceased 
to be known as such, and only forms one of the endless continuation of 
stores which line the street. 

THE EDGAR HOUSE, 

built in 1850, on the corner of Francis and Main Streets, was afterwards 
long known as the Planter's House. It w^as at one time the property of 
John Abell, who kept a hotel in it a year. It has long ceased to fulfill 
that purpose. 

THE ATLANTIC HOTEL, 

on Eighth Street, between Messanie and Locust, was built in 1859, and 
opened as a hotel. It was then styled the Batchele House. It is a large 
three-story brick, containing thirty-one rooms. The present (1881) pro- 
prietor is W. H. Love. 

THE GALT HOUSE, 

on Third Street, corner of Angelique, was originally the Snearley 
House. It has been known by the former name since 1873. It is now 
(188 1) kept by J. M. and J. B. Talbot. 

Among the more prominent of the early settlers of St. Joseph was 
John Saunders, Sr. Mr. Saunders was born in Richmond, Virginia, 
October 10, 1797. In 1843, he settled in St. Joseph, which he continued 
to make his home up to the period of his death, which occurred October 
10, 1870, his seventy-third birth day. 

In 1850, he built, for a residence, what is now a portion of a large 
brick buildin"- known as the 



626 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

SAUNDERS HOUSE, 

>on Third Street. It was at one time occupied as a school. In 1858, an 
extensive addition was made to the building and it was opened by the 
proprietor as a hotel. Richard and John Saunders, Jr., sons of the 
builder and owner of this house, who were then living in Nodaway 
County, Missouri, came down to St. Joseph in 1862 and bought out their 
father. They continued to keep a highly popular house here till April, 
1877, when they sold to Moore & Stall. In September, 1880, Mr. Moore 
died, and the house has since been conducted in a highly popular style 
by C: G. Stall. 

THE BACON HOUSE, 

on the southwest corner Third and Jule Streets, was established by the 
present, (1881) proprietor, E. E. Bacon, in i860, enlarged 1877, again in 
1879, and latterly in 188 1. It is well kept and liberally patronized. 

THE PATEE HOUSE, 

one of the most spacious and elegant structures ever erected in the north- 
west, was built by that enterprising pioneer, John Patee, who settled in 
St. Joseph in 1845. His farm of 320 acres, which he purchased at the 
rate of $13 per acre, he afterwards laid out in lots, and to-day (1881) it 
includes a populous and well-built section of the city, known as Patee- 
town. 

The foundation of the Patee House was laid in the fall of 1856. In 
the fall of 1858, this stately edifice was completed, at a cost of one hun- 
dred and thirty thousand dollars and furnished at a cost of twenty 
thousand dollars. It was first leased, as a hotel, to G. W. Alden, of Phil- 
adelphia, for three years, at the rate of $6,000 for the first year, $8,000 
for the second and $10,000 for the third year. Before the close of the 
first year, Alden, failing to make his payments, gave up the house, and 
was succeeded by Minor, of Chicago, who kept it one year. A man by 
the name of Espy then kept the house for about two years. He died 
from the effects of 'a fall from one of the hotel windows. He was suc- 
ceeded by Elijah Patee, a son of the owner of the building. Dougherty 
& Worden afterwards kept the house. The last man to keep a hotel in 
the building, was James H. Bagwell, who took charge of the same on the 
burning of the Pacific, in 1868. 

During the war, the house was raffled off in a lottery and drawn by 
Mr. John Patee, himself It has since experienced various fortunes, 
remaining idle for long periods — then again subserving the purposes of 
schools and colleges as referred to in our mention of those interests. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 627 

THE PACIFIC HOUSE; 

-on the corner of Third and Francis Streets, was built in the winter of 
1859 and i860. At that time, its principal front was on Francis Street. 
Its cost was $120,000. It was opened and kept for some time by Lounds- 
berry. Shackleford and Hughes soon after succeeded him in the pro- 
prietorship. In 1865, William K. Richardson was keeping the house. 
He was succeeded by James H. Bagwell, who continued to keep it till 
December 15, 1868, when it was totally destroyed by fire. 

In the following summer, it was rebuilt, with its main front on Third 
Street, and February 14, 1870, it was opened by Garth, Gilkey & Abell. 
Two years after, Garth retired from the partnership, and Gilkey & 
Abell continued the business till the expiration of their lease in Decem- 
ber, 1879, when the building was closed for repairs. The sum of $10,000 
was expended for this purpose. April i, 1880, Kitchen Bros., the present 
(1881) proprietors opened the best house ever kept in the building. 

THE ST. JAMES HOTEL, 

formerly the Heaton House, was opened October i, 1880, by James Her- 
son. It is pleasantly located on the corner of Sixth and Francis Streets, 
and is a well kept and highly popular house. An addition of 45x52 feet 
three and a half stories high, is being made. This will render the entire 
depth of the building 120 feet. The street car line turns the corner near 
which this hotel stands. 

THE ST. CHARLES HOTEL, 

on the corner of Charles and Fifth Streets, was opened September ist, 

1880, by the present proprietor, C. O. Lewis, who made large additions 
to the original building, which he entirely remodeled. In the fall of 

1881, an addition of thirty-five rooms is to be made, rendering it one of 
the largest hotels in the city. It is an excellent house. 

THE HUTTON HOUSE, 

on the corner of Ninth and Felix Streets, was completed in the summer 
of 1881. It is a handsome brick structure, modern in all its appoint- 
ments and well kept. 



628 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

TRADE AND COMMERCE. 

MANUFACTURES. 

As a manufacturing- point, our city grows in importance with great 
rapidity. During the past year, several new and important enterprises 
have been added to the already large list, among which are the Glucose 
Manufactory and the reorganization of the Fruit Canning establishment. 
The importance of keeping the subject of manufactures constantly agi- 
tated, cannot easily be exaggerated. Capital invested in manufactures 
is productive of greater benefit to the city than the same amount 
employed in any other way, from, the very fact that it adds to the pop- 
ulation, and therefore helps trade in all its branches. The permanency 
of manufactures when once established, also secures to every manufac- 
turing city sure and steady progress. In order that St. Joseph may be 
made what she should be — the great manufacturing center of the West — 
it is only necessary that the subject be constantly agitated, and that her 
advantages, and the success of many manufacturing enterprises already 
located here, be made known. In addition to the flouring and woolen 
mills, foundries, furniture factories, wagon and carriage factories, cracker 
and glucose factories, broom factories, establishments for turning out 
saddles, collars and harness, and other industries which add so much to> 
the wealth and general prosperity of the city, and furnish employment 
for so many of our most valued citizens, and which are already located 
here, St. Joseph needs many more. 

The past has been generous to our manufacturing interests, but the 
future has in store gifts of even greater importance and in increased 
numbers. 

St. Joseph needs and would liberally support cotton and woolen 
mills, soap factories, tobacco factories, tanneries, paper mills, bag facto- 
ries, rolling mills, stove foundries, glass works, nail mills, carpet mills,, 
oil mills, distilleries, implement works, flour mills, starch factories, wire 
works, grape sugar factories, packing establishments, match factories,, 
wooden and willow ware factories, and ore reducing and smelting works. 

MANUFACTURING STATISTICS. ,j. 

It will be noticed by a careful examination of the tabic here given, 
that the products of St. Joseph manufactories are growing to immense 
proportions, the actual figures of which are greatly in excess of any city 
west of St. Louis — showing a production of nearly $13,000,000 for the 
year 1880. 

The figures given below were carefully compiled from statistics col- 
lected by Willis M. Sherwood, Esq., Special Enumerator for the Govern- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



629 



■ment, from the records of his office, by special permission of General 
Francis A. Walker, Superintendent of the Tenth Census, for the use of 
the Board of Trade : 



KINDS OF MANUFACTORIES. 



Dairies 

Stone quarries 

Nurseries 

Cigars 

Boots and shoes 

Carriages and blacltsmiths 

Bakeries and crackers 

Brick yards 

Ornamental wood working and furniture 
Printing, publisiiing and binding . . . 

Foundries, machinery, etc 

Contractors 

Beer, ale, wine, vinegar, etc 

Flour, gri^l and woolen mills 

Slaughtering (including Buchanan Co.) . 
Miscellaneous 



Total S3. 1 19 



Real and 
Personal 
Property 
Invested 



10,100 

1 1 , 500 

11,500 

28,350 

66 200 

69,200 

143,000 

98650 

185,000 

138,000 

313,000 

145,190 

265.423 

358,300 

682,490 

594.005 



Greatest 

No. of 

Hands 

Efnployed 



35 

88 

35 
123 

155 
163 
124 
682 
184 
188 

781 

125 

228 

480 

1,076 



Amount 

of 
Wa^es 
Paid. 



4,800 
9,530 
6450 

33.467 
45 926 
54000 
36,121 

177,465 

152,840 

107 640 

86,720 

257 099 

38,870 

58,400 

124,770 

281,009 



lvalue of 
Material 

in 
Dollars. 



Value of 
Products 

in 
Dollars. 



% 18000 

17.700 

66,200 

76,566 

107,460 

74,665 

263.060 

139.890 

286,30oj 

109 908 

21 1,900 

387 344 

291,569 

682,045 

3393.312 

1,663,772 



4,700 S1.425.187 $7,729,691 S12 902,115 



25 000 

69,200 
28,750 

134,390 
198,500 

167.550 
415,627 
527.750 
573,350 

284,575 
389,620 

845.150 

862,709 

1,219.000 

4321,607 

2,839.337 



One of the earliest enterprises in the way of manufactures in St. 
Joseph, was the foundry, established on St. Joseph Avenue, in 1855, by 
T. W. Keys. This, with the exception of a small foundry at Lexington, 
was the first enterprise of the kind west of St. Louis. The power of this 
foundry was two yoke of oxen. The first pig iron melted in St. Joseph 
was run here in 1856. This foundry was operated till 1858, when Mr. 
Keys erected on the corner of Eighth and Messanie Streets, the building 
now (1881) occupied by the foundry of Crowthers & Rogers, which gives 
employment to thirty hands.. Mr. Keys leased this in April, 1863, to 
John Burnside. The firm afterwards became Burnside, Crowther & Co, 
Mr. John Burnside subsequently retired from the partnership. 

The foundry of J. W. Ambrose & Co., on the corner of Eighth and 
Monterey Streets, was established in 1871. Between sixty and seventy 
hands are here employed. 

The machine shops of Niles, Riblett & Co., on Patee Street, between 
Sixth and Seventh, was opened in September, 1880, by Chase, Riblett 
& Co. They closed August ist, 1881. 

The Vulcan Iron Works, corner Sixth and Patee Streets, established 
Jul)- 1st, 1880, employ an average force of fifteen men. 

CANDY FACTORIES. 



August Vegely, candy manufacturer and tropical fruit dealer, started 
in St. Joseph in 1852. 



630 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

William Kneer, in the same line of business, now (1881) on the south 
side of Market Square, was first established in 1862. His average 
annual business is $100,000. 

*F. L. Sommer & Co. also manufacture candy. 

A manufactory of 

POTTERY 

was for some time carried on by Peter Habig, on the northeast corner 
of Main and Faraon Streets. This was not in active operation in 188 r. 
R. Wilson & Co. carry on a 

BOX FACTORY 

on Second Street north of Felix. They employ seven hands. 
Lucas Bros, established, on the same street, a 

SHOW CASE FACTORY 

in 1878. This now employs five hands. • 

THE TRUNK FACTORY 

of F. Endebrock, on Second Street, was established in 1880. He 
employs a force of twelve hands. 

BOOKBINDERS, JOB PRINTERS, ETC. 

, Of these there are, in the city in 1881, the St. Joseph Steam Printing 
Company, C. P. Kingsbury, Geo. Rees, J. H. McGuire, J. J. Sheridan, 
John Combe, T. H. Hail, E. D. Ford, G. A. Heschong, and John Nusser, 
most of whom have good offices and turn out a nice class of work. The 
most extensive is that of the St. Joseph Steam Printing Company. 

The St. Joseph Steam Printing Company was established June i, 
1870, by F. M. Posegate and John W. Johnson, on the southwest corner 
of Fifth and Francis Streets, under the firm name of Posegate & John- 
son. June 5, 1872, it was incorporated as the St. Joseph Steam Printing 
Company, under the general statutes of the state, with F. M. Posegate, 
John W. Johnson and Harrison J. Seip as incorporators. The full amount 
of stock was taken by F. M. Posegate, John W. Johnson, Harrison J. 
Seip, J. W. Atwill and Edgar Sleppy. The present (1881) stockholders 
are F. M. Posegate, President ; John W. Johnson, Harrison J. Seip, B. F. 
Buzard, P2dgar Sleppy, D. H. Winton, Geo. Crowther and John T. Seip, 
Wm. T. Keller is foreman of the lithograph department; Wm. Much- 
leisen, foreman of the bindery department; Lon. Hardman, foreman of 
the type-setting department, and Samuel Ostrander, foreman of the 
press room. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 63 I 

This is one of the largest establishments of the kind in the country, 
operating fifteen steam power presses, and affording employment con- 
stantly to from seventy-five to one hundred hands. An extensive bind- 
ery and blank book manufactory is a feature of the concern. Wood 
engraving, in a superior style of art, is done here. It also includes the 
only lithographing establishment in the city. July i, 1872, it was moved 
to its present quarters, the large three-story building on the northwest 
corner of Felix Street and Market Square. The capital stock of the 
concern is $50,000. 

C. P. Kingsbury, also, has an extensive es'tablishment, employing 
ten or twelve hands. 

There was but one 

FURNITURE FACTORY 

in St. Joseph in 1881. This is the large establishment of Louis Hax, 
bounded in 1855. The salesrooms, on Felix Street, occupy one of the 
most spacious and elegant stone front structures in the city. The saw 
mill and factory is located on the corner of Seventh and Angelique 
Streets. Over two hundred hands are employed in this establishment. 
Numerous 

SOAP FACTORIES 

have, from time to time, been carried on in the city. Among the earliest of 
these, was one started, in 1855, by D. Finger, but no longer in existence. 
The most important enterprise of the kind was established, in 1874, by 
L. Huggins. It did a yearly business of $50,000, till 1878, w^hen the 
factory was discontinued. 

CARRIAGE FACTORIES. 

The first carriage factory established in St. Joseph was by A. Dolph. 
He retired from business in i860, and was succeed by W. E. Williams 
& Son, on Fifth Street, between Messanie and Locust. G. Miles, on 
Sylvanie Street, between Third and Fourth ; McPoland & Farrell, on 
Fourth Street, below Messanie ; Prawitz & Haegelin, on Charles Street, 
between Sixth and Seventh, and others, were manufacturing carriages 
and buggies in 1881. 

Among the wagon makers at that period, in the city, were Pape & 
Co., Prawitz & Haegelin, Wiedmaier & Wildberger, John Heflinger and 
Conrad Tanner. Besides these, there were numerous dealers of imported 
vehicles of all kinds. 

COOPER SHOPS. 

In 1 88 1, there were, in St. Joseph, eight cooper shops. Of these 
the earliest established was that of John Lee, on South Eleventh 



632 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Street ; Vogel ; Robert McCrary, on Messanie and Third Streets ; 

George Meyerhuer, corner Mary and Third Streets ; M. Swere, corner 
Fifth and Pattee Streets ; Peter Fhaw, on Frederick Avenue ; Brighten & 
McGuire, corner Sixth and Charles Streets, and A. Olsen, corner 
Seventh and Charles Streets. Frank Sommer also manufactured the 
kegs used in his cracker factory. 

Among the larger manufacturing establishments of the city is the 

SADDLE, HARNESS AND COLLAR SHOP 

of Wyeth & Co., established in 1867. This factory, which affords 
employment to seventy-five hands, superintended by W. W. Bernard, is 
located on North Second Street, occupying lots from 300 to 306, inclu- 
sive. The factory does an annual business of $150,000. 

Sanders & McDonald, manufacturers of tinware, on Fourth, below 
Edmond, were established in 1863. They employ 35 hands. 

Schultz, Hosea & Co., manufacturers of tinware, galvanized iron 
cornices, etc., established in 1865, employ 40 hands. 

Tootle, Shireman & Co, importers and wholesale dealers, began, 
August, 1881, the manufacture of overalls, shirts, etc. 

There are in the city 

FOUR MARBLE YARDS. 

One of the most extensive are the works of the Pfeiffer Stone Com- 
pany, the office and yards of which extend from Third to Fourth Streets, 
on Locust. These works were established in i860, and incorporated in 
1 88 1, with Charles A. Pfeiffer, President; Joseph Pfeiffer, Vice President, 
and F. W. Gansen, Secretary. This is probably the largest establish- 
ment of the kind between the Mississippi River and the mountains, and 
affords employment to sixty operatives. 

Abercrombie & Son's marble yard is on Fourth, between Messanie 
and Angelique Streets. 

I. B. Thompson's yard is on the the northeast corner of Seventh and 
Edmond. 

J. B. Johnson's marble works are on Frederick Avenue. 

There were in 1881, five large 

BOOT AND SHOE MANUFACTORIES, 
in St. Joseph. 

Patterson, Noyes & Co., manufacturers of men's and women's shoes, 
were established in 1870. They employ two hundred men and women 
in their factories, and do an annual business of half a million dollars. 

Moorby & Fink, on the corner of Third and Charles, manufactur- 
ers of boots and shoes, operate forty iiands. The firm was established 
in 1879. 




PACIFIC HOUSE, ST. JOSEPH. 




ST. JOSEPH STEAM PRINTING COMPANY, 



634 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Smith, Frazer & Co., established in 1878, employ forty hands, and 
turn out fifty thousand dollars worth of boots and shoes yearly. 

H. Patterson & Co., on the corner of Third and Isadore Streets, 
established in 1880, manufacture exclusively ladies' and misses' shoes. 
This firm employs twenty-five hands. 

Tootle, Hosea & Co., established in 1877, manufacture yearly 3,000 
cases of men's boots and shoes, and give employment to from fifty to 
seventy-five hands. 

MILLS AND MANUFACTORIES. 

To notice, individually and specifically, every industry in St. Josephs 
would swell the proportions of this work beyond the limits of appropri- 
ate fulness. We shall, however, briefly refer to some of the more import- 
ant interests of that character, as well as to the earlier efforts of the 
pioneers of the city to inaugurate them. 

There are, in the city, three large flouring mills, nearly equal in 
capacity : The Eagle Mills, owned by Saxton & Co., are located on the 
corner of Seventh and Olive Streets, and operate four run of burrs. 

The City Mills, on the corner of Third and Antoine, R. T. Davis, 
proprietor, were accidentally destroyed by fire in the summer of 1881, 
but were speedily rebuilt. 

The Excelsior Mills, owned by Hauck Bros., are located on the cor- 
ner of Second and Franklin Streets. These are all first-class. 

St. Joseph Woolen Mills, or Buell Manufacturing Company, one of 
the most extensive factories in the state, will be found described in our 
personal sketch of George Buell. 

St. Joseph Planing Mill, on the corner of Third and Messanie, estab- 
lished in i860, John DeClue, proprietor, employs forty hands. 

Francis Street Planing Mill, R, K. Allen, proprietor, was started in 
1873, and operated by horse power. It is now turned by steam and does 
a large business. It is located on Francis, between Main and Second 
Streets. 

CRACKER FACTORIES. 

The Cracker Factory of F. L. Sommer & Co., established in 1873* 
one of the largest mercantile establishments in the city, is located on 
Main Street. It is four stories high, and occupies lots from 202 to 212 
inclusive. The firm employs eighty hands, and, in 1880, did a business 
of $400,000. They also manufacture candy. 

Koenig & Co's Cracker Factory, 320 Third Street, was established 
in 1874, and, till 1881, employed fifteen hands. 

WHOLESALE HOUSES. 

Tootle, Hosea & Co., dry goods, notions, boots and shoes. Established 
in 1849. 



HISTORY OF St! JOSEPH. 635 

Schuster, Tootle & Co., clothing. Established in 1873. 

Tootle, Shireman & Co., clothing, hats, caps, etc. Established Jan- ^ 
uary i, 1881. 

Samuel I. Smith & Co., druggists. Established in 1873. 

R. L. McDonald & Co., dry goods, notions and gents furnishing 
goods. Began wholesaling in 1866, 

John S. Brittain & Co., dry goods, notions and furnishing goods. 
Established in 1864. 

McKinney, Hundley & Walker, dry goods, notions and furnishing 
goods. Established in 1880. 

Smith, Frazer & Co., boots, shoes and manufacturers. Established 
in 1880. 

Nave & McCord Mercantile Company, grocers. Established in 1857. 

Turner, Frazer & Co., grocers. 

J. V. Brady & Co., teas and cigars. Established 1880. 

J. W. Dimmitt & Co., teas and cigars. 

F. L. Sommer & Co., cracker manufacturers. Established in 1873. 

Sanders & McDonald, stoves, tin plate, sheet iron, wire, etc. 

Shultz & Hosea, hardware and cutlery manufacturers. 

Studebaker & Welch, carriages and wagons. Established in 1876. 

A. Furst & Co., liquor dealers. Established in 1858. 

Lockwood, Englehart & Co., hats, caps, gloves, furnishing goods, 
millinery, straw goods and notions. Established in 1850. 

C. D. Smith & Co., grocers. Established in 1859. 

D. M. Steele & Co., grocers. Established in 1873. 

J. B, Brady & Co., carpets, oil cloths, etc. Established 1870. 

Louis Hax, furniture, upholstery, carpets, oil cloths, etc. Established 
in 1859. 

Ernst & Brill, booksellers and stationery. Established in 1870. 

Woolworth & Colt, booksellers and stationers. 

Israel Landis, saddles, harness, collars, saddlery hardware, etc. 
Established in 1844. 

Wm. M. Wyeth & Co., saddles, harness, collars, saddlery hardware, 
etc. Established in 1857. 

Bailey, Fairleigh & Weil, dry goods and notions. Established 
in 1879. 

J. Goodlive, Jr., watches, clocks and jewelry. Established in 1861. 

A. B. Warren & Co., paper. Established in March, 1881. 

Wm. R. Penick, drugs. Established in 1852. 

Baldwin & Co., watches, clocks, jewelry and watchmakers' tools. 

There are at present (1881) five breweries in St. Joseph, all doing a 
more or less prosperous business. The oldest and most extensive of 
these is the St. Joseph Brewery, on the corner of Eighth and Charles 
Streets. It was established in 1849, by Joseph Kuechle, who died in 



636. 



HISTORY OF ST. [OSEPM. 



1878. The present proprietors are Kuechle & Greiner. The senior 
member of the firm is a son of the originator and former proprietor of tlie 
concern. The present capacity of this brewery is 15,000 barrels a year. 
There are two 

CIRCUl.ATIXO l.ir.RARIES 

in St. Joseph. That of Carl Fuelling, on Kdmond Street, was established 
in 1866, and contains 6,064 volumes, in the German, F^nglish and French 
languages. 

Woolworth & Colt's circulating librar)-, on Felix Street, between 
Third and Fourth Streets, was first opened in 1875, and includes about 
four thousand volumes, chiefly in the Fnglish language. 

THE EAW Lir.RARV 

occupies room nine, at the Court House. This library was established 
in 18-^, and contains about 2,200 volumes. The officers are Allen H. 
Vories, President; B. R. Vineyard, Treasurer; Vinton Pike> Secretary; 
B. J. Woodson, Librarian. 




H. R. W. HARTWTO A CO., WHOLESALE LIQUORS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

HORACE GREELEY-LINCOLN -SEWARD— SEWARD'S SPEECH-GRANT-SHERMAN— HAYES 
— PARK AND BOULEVARD-NEW ULM PARK-CEMETERIES— DEATH Of JOSEPH ROHI- 
DOUX— PONY EXPRESS— HOMES OP ST. JOSEPH-TOM FARRIS. 

We have noted the visits of Commodore Stockton and Colonel 
Thomas H. Benton, to St. Joseph, at an early period in the history of 
the town. 

May 13, 1859, Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune., 
passed through St. Joseph on his way to the Ossawattamie Convention, 
Kansas. December i, 1859, Abraham Lincoln, afterward President.of the 
United States, passed through St. Joseph on his way to Kansas. 

On the 22d December, i860, William H. Seward, Secretary of State, 
under President Lincoln, reached St. Joseph. He was escorted from the 
cars to the Patee House, and being introduced from the balcony by Mr. 
T. J. Boynton, made the following speech : 

Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen and Fellow Citizens: — I think that 
I have sometime before this said, that the most interesting and agreeable 
surprises that ever human being has had on this earth, was that which 
Columbus felt when, after his long and tedious voyage in search of a 
continent, the existence of which was unknown to himself, as to all man- 
kind, and the evidence of whose existence was nothing but a suggestion 
of his own philosophy, surrounded as he was by a mutinous crew, who were 
determined on the destruction of his own life if he should continue the voy- 
age unsuccessfully another day, he went out at night on the deck of his 
little vessel, and there rose up before him, in the dark, the shadow of an 
island, with habitations lighted by human beings like himself. That 
was the most interesting surprise that ever occurred to any man on 
earth. And yet I do not think that Columbus was much more surprised 
than I and those who are with me have been to-night. 

We have been traveling in a land of friends and brethren, through 
many states, from Maine to Missouri, along the shores of the ocean, 
along the shores of the great lakes, and along the banks of the great 
rivers, and I will not deny that our footsteps have been made pleasant 
by kind and friendly and fraternal greetings. We entered the soil of 
Missouri this morning at ten o'clock, feeling that, although we had a right 
to regard the people of Missouri as our brethren, and although we were 
their brethren and friends, yet we were to be regarded by its citizens as 
strangers, if not aliens and enemies ; but this welcome which greets us 
here, surpasses anything that we have experienced in our sojournings 
from Bangor, in the State of Maine, to this place. The discovery that 
here there is so much of kindness for us ; so much of respect and con- 
sideration, takes us by surprise. I will confess freely that it effects us 



638 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

with deep sensibility, for we did not propose to visit St. Joseph. There 
is a land beyond you — a land redeemed and saved for freedom, through 
trials and sufferings that have commended its young and growing peo- 
ple to the respect of mankind and to our peculiar sympathy. 

We proposed to be quiet travelers through the State of Missouri, 
hoping and expecting without stopping here, to rest this night on the 
other side of the Missouri, where we know we would be welcome, [a 
voice — we wont hurt you.] No, I know you won't hurt me. The man 
who never wished evil to any human being, who challenges enemies as 
friends to show the wrong with which any being made in his own form 
can accuse him when he comes before the bar of justice, has no fear of 
being harmed in the country of his birth and of his affection. But I 
stated that, not merely for the purpose of showing how agreeable is this 
fraternal welcome. It is full of promise. I pass over all that has been 
said to me of consideration to myself There are subjects on which I 
take no verdict from my fellow-citizens. I choose to take the approba- 
bation of my own conscience if I can get it, and to wait till a future age 
for the respect and considerati9n of mankind. But I will dwell for one 
moment on this extraordinary scene, full of assurance on many points, 
and interesting to every one of you as it is to me. The most cheering 
fact, as it is the most striking one in it, is that we, who are visitors and 
pilgrims to Kansas, beyond you, find that we have reached Kansas 
already, on the northern shores of the Missouri River. Now, come up 
here — if there are any such before me— ^you who are so accustomed to 
sound an alarm about the danger of a dissolution of the Union ; come 
up here and look at the scene of Kansas and Missouri, so lately hostile, 
brought together on either shore in the bonds of fraternal affection and 
friendship. That is exactly what will always occur when you attempt to 
divide this people, and to set one portion against another. The moment 
you have brought the people to the point, where there is the least degree 
of danger to the national existence felt, then those whom party malice or 
party ambition have arrayed against each other as enemies, will embrace 
each other as friends and brethren. 

Let me tell you this simple truth ; that though you live in the land 
of slavery, there is not a man among you who does not love slavery less 
than he loves the Union. Nor have I ever met the man who loved free- 
dom so much, under any of the aspects involved in the present Presiden- 
tial issues, as he loved the Union, for it is only through the stability and 
perpetuity of the Union that any blessings whatever ma}' be expected to 
descend on the American people. 

And now, fellow citizens, there is another lesson which this occasion 
and this demonstration teach. They teach that there is no difference 
whatever in the nature, constitution or character of the people of the 
several states of the Union, or of the several sections of the Union. 
They are all of one nature, if they are not all native born, and educated 
in the same sentiments. Although many of them came from distant 
lands, still the very effect of their being American citizens is to make 
them all alike. 

I will tell you why this is so. The reason is simply this : the Dem- 
ocratic principle that every man ought to be the owner of the soil that 
he cultivates, and the owner of the limbs and the head that he applies to 
that culture, has been adopted in some of the states earlier than others. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 639 

and where it was adopted, earliest, it has worked out the fruits of higher 
advancement, of greater enterprise, of greater prosperity. Where it has 
not been adopted, enterprise and industry have languished in proportion. 
But it is going through ; it's bound to go through. [A voice — It's not 
going through here.] Yes, here. As it has already gone through eighteen 
states of the Union, so it is bound to go through all of the other fifteen. 
It is bound to go through all of the thirty-three states of the Union for 
the simple reason that it is going through the world." 

In 1868, General Grant was here, and in 1879, Rutherford B. Hayes, 
then President of the United States, in company with Mrs. Hayes and 
General Sherman, was present at the opening of the fair at St. Joseph. 

PARK AND BOULEVARD. 

We take the following from the Evening News : 

"Here we sit gracefully reclining upon our seven hills, forty thous- 
and souls, with block after block of costly business houses, wherein thous- 
ands upon top of thousands of dollars change hands daily ; with beauti- 
ful residences and everything necessary to make this the city of the west, 
yet not a park have we. It has been a standing disgrace to us for years, 
but thanks to Messrs. Chapman & Cornell, the live real estate dealers 
under the News office, for one. They were far-seeing, and imbued with 
a love for their home and determined to have a park, or know the reason 
why. They went to work some time ago, and have kept up a "still 
hunt" which has proven very successful. They labored late and early, 
and last week completed all arrangements, and it is at last definitely 
settled that within a very short time St. Joseph will have a park and a 
boulevard which will be an honor and a credit to the Queen City. 

One hundred and fifty acres of land have been secured, which is 
undoubtedly the most beautiful location for a park that could be found. 

The land has been purchased from different parties during the last 
six months, and has been all sown in blue grass this spring. The tract 
embraces what is known as the old Richardson or Hawley farm, lying 
north of Corby's Grove, part of Corby's Addition, and two other tracts 
adjoining these pieces. It is beautifully diversified with hill and dale, 
has some seventy-five acres of lovely woodland, several springs and 
streams, and one of the finest orchards in Buchanan County. There are 
several high points on it that command a view of St. Joseph and the sur- 
rounding country. Near the center of the park will be a mile track, one 
hundred feet wide. Surveyors and parties who have looked at the 
ground say it will make the best track in the West. While the plans of 
the projectors of this enterprise are not yet fully developed, as an initial 
step they propose at once to raise a subscription to make the boulevard 
from Faraon Street north on Twenty-second Street, until it strikes their 
ground, where they will widen it to one hundred feet, and run it through 



640 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

the proposed park on the section line, to a point near A. P. Goft's resi- 
dence, making a splendid boulevard two miles long. Mrs. Corby has 
consented to give half the road where it strikes her line, and, also, to. 
give the right of way, one hundred feet wide, through her land for a 
drive, which will deflect to the east and run partly through her land and 
partly through the park to a point on the Rochester Road, just north 
of Ashland. The drive will continue on the Rochester Road to a point 
known as " Lovers' Lane," returning on that drive will pass A. P. Goff 's 
residence, and intersect the boulevard, running north from Twenty-sec- 
ond Street. This makes a drive of about five miles, a great portion of 
which is beautifully shaded. Frederick Avenue, from Twenty-second 
Street and the Rochester Road, passing W. G. Fairleigh's, Captain 
Charles West's, John B. Hundley's, and William Carson's places, to 
intersect the boulevard passing east out of the park, will also form one 
of the beautiful drives. 

NEW ULM PARK. 

New Ulm Park is located about one mile north from the limits of 
the city, and is accessible by the street railroad. The grounds were laid 
out about fifteen years ago, and contain eighteen acres of ground, eight 
of which are enclosed. The grounds are handsomely ornamented with 
cultivated shade trees of different varieties. At present^ there are in 
the park, as objects of attraction, a few deer, bear, wolves, white rabbits, 
etc., and several species of birds. Schaeffer & Rosemund are the pro- 
prietors. 

CEMETERIES. 

Ashland Cemetery. — Situated on the Rochester Road, one mile 
northeast of the city limits. 

Catholic Cemetery.— Situa'ted southeast of the city limits. 

City Cemetery. — Situated on Amazonia Road, one and a quarter 
miles from the city limits. 

King Hill Cemetery. — Situated on the DeKalb Road, two miles 
south of the city. 

Jewish Cemetery. — Situated on the Rochester Road, one and a half 
miles northeast of the city. 

Corby Chapel Cemetery. — Situated on the Amazonia Road, one and 
a half miles from the city. 

Mount Mora Cemetery. — Situated north side of Ridenbaugh, between 
Thirteenth and Sixteenth Streets. 

Oakland Cemetery. — Situated on the Rochester Road, one mile 
northeast of the city. 

DEATH OF JOSEPH ROBIDOUX. 

Having, in a former chapter, given a brief biographical sketch of 
Joseph Robidoux, we shall now record the date of his death, which 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 64 1 

occurred on the 27th day of May, A. D. 1868, at the age of nearly eighty- 
five years. 

The Herald, of May 28, 1868, contains the following in reference to 
his funeral obsequies : 

" The funeral obsequies of the late Joseph Robidoux most con- 
clusively manifested that the citizens of St. Joseph were not unmind- 
ful of the deep obligations due to the deceased, the founder of the 
city, who had so cheerfully sacrificed his time and money to aid the 
growth and establish the prosperity of St. Joseph. 

At noon all the places of business were closed, and in all parts of 
the city there was a general suspension of business during the remainder 
of the day. Edmond Street, in the neighborhood of the residence of 
Jule Robidoux, Sr., w^as densely crowded during the early hours of the 
afternoon, by the old and young, all anxious to take a last look at the 
remains of the old pioneer, whose name is inseparably connected with 
the city of St. Joseph. Before the hour named for the funeral proces- 
sion, the neighboring streets were literally packed with conveyances, 
while the sidewalks were crowded with hundreds of our residents. 

Simeon Kemper, Wm. Fow'ler, Robert Carter, E. W. Welch, Judge 
Schreiber and Governor R. M. Stewart, all old citizens, officiated as 
pall-bearers. 

At three o'clock, the funeral procession was formed as follows : 
Police, delegation of firemen, the hearse with the remains of the 
deceased, guarded by his grand-children, relations of the deceased, the 
old settlers, the Mayor and members of the City Council, and citizens 
in general. 

The remains of the deceased were taken to the Catholic cemetery 
and there consigned to their last resting place with all respect." 

We know not whether the site of his grave is marked by marble 
slab or granite shaft, or whether anything exists to tell the stranger of 
the exact burial place of Joseph Robidoux. We do know, however, that 
the grandest and most enduring monument of him, is the city he founded. 
His name, and the names of his children, will live co-extensive in his- 
tory with the name of St. Joseph. 

THE PONY EXPRESS. 

One of the most noted events in the history of St. Joseph was the 
starting, on Tuesday evening, April 3d, i860, of the pony express for 
San Francisco. 

At a given signal, a cannon shot from the Patee House, the fleet 
little animal with its light and active rider, darted from the doorway 
of the old Pike's Peak Stables, which then stood on Penn, between 
Ninth and Tenth Streets, opposite the Patee Park, and in a few minutes 



642 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

was at the United States Express office, on Third Street, between Felix 
and Edmond. Here, amid the cheers and huzzas of the vast throng 
assembled to witness the event, the rider received his light burden of 
dispatches, and again, at 7:15 P. M., darted off, directing his course to 
the ferryboat at the foot of Jule Street, and, in a few minutes after, was 
pursuing his wild career to the distant West. 

The St. Joseph Weekly Free Democrat of April 7, i85o, thus refers 
to this important occasion : 

"On last Tuesday evening the pony express of Messrs. Majors, Rus- 
sell & Co., started from this city amid the shouts and cheers of hundreds 
of persons who had gathered together on the spot from whence it was to 
depart, to witness the opening of this grand enterprise. 

"All being desirous of preserving a memento of the flying messen- 
ger, the little pony was almost robbed of his tail. The train which bore 
the messenger over the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, accomplished 
the distance from Palmyra to this city, in four hours and fifty minutes, 
averaging thirty-six miles per hour, including stoppages. 

" The pony express made Kinnekuk, a distance of forty-five miles, 
in four hours and fifteen minutes, and was met by the express from Salt 
Lake 140 miles out, being then only thirteen hours from St. Joseph." 

The Elwood Free Press of Saturday, April 7, i860, says: 

"The pony express from St. Joseph to San Francisco, left Elwood 
on Tuesday evening, the 3d inst. The following is the time table : 

, "Elwood* to Marysville, 12 hours; Fort Kearney, 34 hours; Lar- 
amie, 80 hours ; Bridger, 108 hours ; Salt Lake, 124 hours; Camp Floyd, 
128 hours; Carson City, 188 hours; Placerville, 226 hours; Sacramento, 
232 hours ; San Francisco, 240 hours. 

" The express carries only telegraphic dispatches. It will run 
weekly from date." 

As may be supposed, the transmission of messages over this line 
was effected at no trifling cost, and those who had occasion to avail 
themselves of its convenience made it a point to study brevity of expres- 
sion. An amusing incident is chronicled as having transpired in this 
connection. Baldwin, the leading theatrical manager of San Francisco, 
sent to Artemus Ward, in New York, the following dispatch : " What 
will you take for forty nights .''" The great humorist, who never lost an 
opportunity for a joke, promptly replied, at the expense of the manager, 
"Brandy and water." Baldwin, it appears, had the good sense to accept 
the joke, and by means of a perhaps less ambiguous communication, 
afterwards effected a mutually profitable engagement with the witty and 
jocose Artemus. 



*Elwood, formerly a thriving, populous village of Kansas, opposite St. Joseph, now (1881) 
-existing only in name, having long since disappeared by the caving of the Missouri River banks. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 643 

The following interesting scrap of history is taken from the Herald : 

The facts narrated constitute the most remarkable feat ev^er recorded 
in the annals of time. We regret that the article is not more lengthy, 
and that all the facts and incidents connected with this ride of two thou- 
sand miles are not given. 

"In 1859, St. Joseph was the western terminus of railroad commu- 
nication. Beyond, the stage-coach, the saddle-horse and the ox-trains 
were the only means of commerce and communication with the Rocky 
Mountains and the Pacific Slope. In the winter of i860, there was a 
Wall Street lobby at Washington, trying to get $5,000,000 for carrying 
the mails overland one year between New York and San Francisco. 
The proposition was extremely cheeky, and Wm. H. Russell, backed by 
Secretary of War Floyd, resolved to give the lobby a cold shower-bath- 
He therefore offered to bet $200,000 that he could put on a mail line from 
San Francisco to St. Joseph that should make the distance — 1,950 miles 
in ten days. The bet was taken and the 8th of April fixed upon as the 
•day for starting. Mr. Russell called his partner and general manager of 
business upon the plains, Mr. A. B. Miller, now a citizen of Denver, and 
stated what he had done, and asked if he could perform the feat. Miller 
replied: 'Yes sir, I'll do it, and do it by pony express.' To accomplish 
this. Miller purchased 300 of the fleetest horses he could find in the west, 
and employed 125 men. Eighty of these men were to be post-riders. 
These were selected with reference to their light weight and their known 
bravery and courage. It was very essential that the horses should be 
loaded as light as possible : therefore the lighter the man the better. It 
was necessary that some portions of the route should be run at the rate, 
of twenty miles an hour. The horses were stationed from ten to twenty 
miles apart, and each rider would be required to ride sixty miles. For 
the change of animals and the shifting of the mails two minutes were 
allowed. Where there were no stage stations at proper distances, tents 
sufficient to hold one man and two horses were provided. Indians would 
sometimes give chase, but their cayuse ponies made very sorry show in 
their stern chase after Miller's thoroughbreds, many of which could make 
a single mile in a minute and fifty seconds. 

All arrangements being completed, a signal gun on the steamer at 
Sacramento proclaimed the meridian of April 8th, i860, the hour for 
starting — when 'Border Ruffian,' Mr. Miller's private saddle horse, with 
Billy Baker in the saddle, bounded away toward the foothills of the 
Sierra Nevadas, and made his ride of twenty miles in forty-nine 
minutes. The snows were deep in the mountains, and one rider was 
lost for several hours in a snow storm, and after Salt Lake Valley 
was reached additional speed became necessary to reach St. Joseph 
on time. From here on all went well until the Platte was to be crossed 
at Julesburg. The river was up and running rapidly, but the rider 



644 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

plunged his horse into the flood, only, however, to mire in quicksand and 
drown. The courier succeeded in reaching the shore, with his mail bag 
in hand, and traveled ten miles on foot to reach the next relay. Johnny 
Fry, a popular rider of his day, was to make the finish. He had sixty 
miles to ride with six horses to do it. When the last courier arrived at 
the sixty-mile post, out from St. Joseph, he was one hour behind time. 
A heavy rain had set in and the roads were slippery. Two hundred 
thousand dollars might turn upon a single minute. Fry had just three 
hours and thirty minutes in which to win. This was the finish of the 
longest race and stake ever run in America. When the time for his 
arrival was nearly up, at least 5,000 people stood upon the river bank, 
with eyes turned toward the woods from which the horse and its rider 
should emerge into the open country in the rear of Elwood — one mile 
from the finish. Tick, tick, went thousands of watches ! The time was- 
nearly up ! But nearly seven minutes remained! Hark.'' a shout goes 
up from the assembled multitude ! 'He comes! he comes!' The noble 
little mare 'Sylph,' the daughter of little 'Arthur,' darts like an arrow 
from the bow and makes the run of the last mile in one minute and fifty 
seconds, landing upon the ferryboat with five minutes and a fraction to- 
spare. 

THE HOMES OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Chief among the many attractions of St. Joseph, are the homes of 
its citizens. There is perhaps no city of its size in the United States that 
has a greater number of elegant mansions. St. Joseph is to her citizens 
■what Athens was to the Athenian of the age of Perricles ; what Flor- 
ence was to the Florentine of the fifteenth century. They are not only 
proud of their city, because of its commercial importance, but especially 
proud of it because it is associated in their minds with all the domestic 
affections and endearments of loved homes ; hom^es to which the banker, 
the merchant and the shopkeeper repair when the evening shadows fall, 
knowing that the genial fireside, the social table and the quiet bed are 
all there. Appropos to the subject, we here quote from the report of the 
Board of Trade of 1881 : 

"A larger percentage of its population live in houses and lots unen- 
cumbered, owned by their occupants, than any other city in the Great 
West. Outside of the massive structures of its compact business dis- 
tricts, stretching for miles, are the neat frame and brick residences of the 
mechanics, artisans and small shop-keepers, and the cleanly, white cot- 
tages of the laboring population, each surrounded by a liberal plot of 
ground, the whole covering a vast territory. 

"The wealth of room and air thus afforded the poorer population is 
increased by numerous little parks and garden plots that dot its wide 
expanse of white and red with spots of green, so frequent that the chil- 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 645 

•dren of every neighborhood have a convenient place of recreation in 
some of them. The first care of every lot owner seems to be to set out 
trees, principally indigenous elms and maples, which grow in rich luxu- 
riance, and are so numerous that, viewed from one of our towering bluffs, 
many portions of the city have the appearance of an unbroken forest or 
well-kept parks. The householders are equally solicitous about their 
patches of ground, and their lawns and blooming flower-beds are so com- 
mon that their absence is the rare exception. The homes of the St. 
Joseph mechanic are as interesting within as without. The works of 
refinement and comfort pervade them everywhere. 

"The beauty of St. Joseph, unlike other cities, is reflected largely 
from the homes of its working classes, but it by no means depends 
entirely upon lovely cottages. Radiating through the avenues and 
streets devoted to residences, many of which rival the celebrated resi- 
dential districts of any of our great cities, in the splendor of its archi- 
tecture, the smoothness of its well-kept pavements, and the expanse and 
beauty of the grounds surrounding, are elegant mansions, which in some 
cases cover an entire square. These are not the growth of a day, but in 
some cases are the monuments of a life of industry and economy." 

TOM. FARRIS. 

The following we take from the St. Joseph Herald : 

St. Joseph became again the headquarters of an organized band of 
thieves, from 1847 to 185 i, who baffled all attempts of officers and law 
abiding citizens to convict, notwithstanding there are many of them 
well known, and their robberies almost of weekly occurrence. The 
gang was headed by one Tom. Farris, an old man of pleasant address and 
rather prepossessing appearance. He stole everything he wanted, and 
many things that he did not want, but he could never be detected. 

John Corby was the first pork packer in St. Joseph, and he was 
annoyed very much by "Old Tom. Farris," as he was called, stealing 
hams from his smoke house for the use of his family and friends. When 
Mr. Corby proposed to him one day, that if he would take shoulders, he 
would supply him with all he and his family could use, but he didn't 
like to have him steal his hams. Old Farris replied that he would rather 
have hams. 

During the great rush for California, in the days of '49, Tom. Farris 
was in his glory, and many a victim to his artful tricks was compelled to 
pay tribute to the old rogue. In the spring of 1849, the facilities for 
crossing the Missouri River, were limited to a few unweildy flat boats, 
and the waters being very high at that season of the year, made the 
crossing of the thousands of gold seekers very slow and tedious. 

The hills and valleys round about St. Joseph were filled with the 
camps of the sturdy adventurers, and with their tents and camp-fires, 



646 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

their white covered wagons, the scene resembled more the camp of a grand 
army than anything else. It lacked only the blue coat and brass buttons, 
with the bugles sounding reveille, or retreat, to complete the picture. 

Many were compelled to wait for weeks their turn to undergo the 
trying ordeal of crossing their trains. Tom Farris was busy then. 
A train of wagons, or perhaps a single outfit, would move to the river 
bank, preparatory to crossing in the morning, unhitch their cattle, drop 
their chains in a line, as is the usual custom, and camp for the night, 
eagerly looking for the morrow, when they would go on their way 
rejoicing. Lo, and behold ! when morning came they missed their 
chains and were unable to hitch up. The hind wheel of a wagon was 
gone. Their time had come to cross after waiting a week or two, and 
they could not move. No chains could be found in St. Joseph ; the sup- 
ply was exhausted. To have a new wheel made was ne.xt to impossible. 
What a straight ! There is always a way out of the greatest difficulties. 
Some ministering angel seems to work out our salvation when we think 
we are lost. Tom Farris was far from being an angel then ; we don't 
know what he may be now. However, he appeared as one of these men. 
A kind, portly, prepossessing old man as he was. He would walk down, 
with his cane in his hand, along the river bank, and coming to the camp 
of the unfortunates, would say, "Well, boys, your off to-day ; good luck to 
you." The conversation would at once turn upon the lost chains and 
missing wheel. Old Tom would extend his sympathy. " That is too 
bad ! too bad ! Some mischievious boys, they are always up to some 
mischief " Tom would engage himself to hunt the wheel up, of course 
they would pay him well. The old man would hunt diligently for a 
short time, and finally discover a stout rope fastened to a stake in the 
water's edge, draw it in, and with the missing wheel, to the joy of the 
owners. Of course he would get his ten or twenty dollars. " Now, 
boys, I guess I can help you out on a few chains, though I don't like to 
let them go, for there are none to be had in these parts, and they are 
worth money," would come from his generous lips. They would pay any 
price. Farris had a few barrels of chains salted down. When he would 
steal the new chains at night, he would put salt on them to rust them, 
and sell them back to their owners in the morning. Many stores and dwell- 
ings were robbed from time to time by Farris and his gang, but notwith- 
standing the leaders were well known, they always managed to evade 
the law, and it was impossible to fasten any evidence upon them. 

One fine May day, the good people of St. Joseph became so tired of 
their stealing, that old Tom and his first lieutenant, a handsome and 
finely dressed man, was conducted to the top of Prospect Hill, and there 
received the kind admonitions of the raw-hide to the tune of one hun- 
dred each, with a pass through the lines good for thirty minutes. This 
broke up their thieving gang, and St. Joseph had a breathing spell. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE GREAT IRON BRIDGE AND UNION DEPOT. 

HISTORY OF THE BRIDGE-DESCRIPTION— CELEBRATION IN HONOR OF ITS COMPLETION 
— RAILROAD TRAFFIC OVER IT - FOOT AND WAGON TRAFFIC — UNION DEPOT— 
DESCRIPTION-ITS NECESSITY— IMPORTANCE TO ST. JOSEPH. 

The necessity of a permanent and reliable means of crossing the 
"uncontrollable and treacherous" stream that flows by the fair City of 
St. Joseph had long suggested itself to the people of that section of the 
state, and several organizations had been perfected with a view to con- 
summating this project ; much time, talk and money had been expended, 
but nothing done. 

Dispairing of the success of any of the measures on foot, a number 
of practical men subscribed stock, organized a company, to be styled the 
"St. Joseph Bridge Building Company," prepared their articles of asso- 
ciation, and were incorporated. 

At the first meeting of the incorporators, who were W. P. Hall, J. 
M. Hawley, J. H. R. Cundiff, J. B. Hinman, John L. Bittinger, James A. 
Matney, O. M. Smith, I. G. Kappner, John Pinger, J. D. McNeely, Wm. 
Z. Ransom, Mordecai Oliver and I. C. Parker, they proceeded to the elec- 
tion of officers, to hold their respective terms for one year, with the fol- 
lowing result: W. P. Hall, President; W. Z. Ransom, Vice President; 
I. G. Kappner, Treasurer; John Pinger, Auditor; J. M. Hawley, Secre- 
tary. The Finance Committee included Willard P. Hall, I. G. Kappner 
and James A. Matney. 

The Committee on Survey was composed of Willard P. Hall, J. M. 
Hawley and J. B. Hinman. 

On the 25th of January, 1871, there was submitted to the vote of the 
people of St. Joseph an ordinance authorizing a subscription of five thou- 
sand shares to the capital stock of the "St. Joseph Bridge Building Com- 
pany," amounting to $500,000, the bonds payable at the National Bank 
of Commerce, in the City of New York, twenty years after their date, 
bearing interest at the rate of ten per cent, per annum. The vote 
resulted in a unanimous majority — only nineteen votes being cast against 
the ordinance. 

The services of Colonel E. D. Mason, an engineer whose works have 
since achieved him a national reputation, were immediately secured. 



648 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

By the 6th of February, H. H. Kelley, Col. Mason's first assistant, 
arrived in the cit}' and commenced the preliminary survey, which 
extended from the rock bluffs near Belmont to a point se\en miles below 
the cit\'. The fall in the low water channel for that distance was found 
to be 82-100 of a foot to the mile. 

The annual rain fall in the basin, drained by the river at St. Joseph, 
averages nineteen and a half inches, w^hile that of the basin below is 
twent}'-six inches; so, but three-fourths of the water flowin^,^ out of the 
Missouri River at its mouth passes the city. 

As might have been expected, considerable difference of opinion 
existed as to the proper location of the bridge which, finally, however, 
was wisely left to the judgment of the engineer, Col. Mason. 

The original ordinance subscribing $500,000 required an expenditure 
of $100,000 by the company, before $50,000 of the city bonds could be 
touched, and $100,000 more in order that the second $50,000 could be 
secured, and so on. Although every effort of the Directors of the Bridge 
Company was made to raise, by private subscription $100,000, the sum 
necessary to commence the work, only $18,000 was raised. 

The Council met on the 5d of May to revise and modify the ordi- 
nance of the former subscription so as to authorize the payment of fifty 
per cent, of the city's subscription in bonds on calls. 

At the election on the 23d of the same month, the amendment was 
carried by an overwhelming majority — a manifest evidence that the 
people of St. Joseph were fully alive to the vast importance of spanning 
the river between the Missouri and Kansas shores, with a bridge at this 
point, at the earliest possible moment. 

June 10, 1 87 1, the day appointed for opening the sealed proposals 
for constructing a railroad, wagon and foot bridge across the Missouri 
River at St. Joseph, according to the specifications of the Chief Engineer, 
Colonel E. D. Mason, showed the following bids from six great com- 
panies, which were as follows: 

Baltimore Bridge Company $1,175,000 

King Wrought Iron Bridge Company 806,000 

American Bridge Company 714,000 

Keystone Bridge Company (for the superstructure alone) .... 260,000 
Phcenixville Bridge Company (for the superstructure alone). . 317.000 
Detroit Bridge and Iron Works 710,000 

The bids being considered, the following resolution was unanimously 
adopted : 

Resolved, That, whereas, the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works Com- 
pany has shown its capacity for bridge building, by building bridges at 
Burlington, Ouincy and Hannibal, and now has boats and all necessary 
machinery, etc., for the prosecution of the work ; therefore this company 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 649 

accepts the bid of the Detroit Bridge and Iron Works Company, it being 
the best and lowest bid. 

The contractors' bond was fixed at $100,000. 

On July 25, 1871, the first material arrived. This was in the shape 
of a train load of stone, on the St. Joseph and Denver City Road, from 
White's Camp, Kansas. The first stone was laid September 26th, in the 
presence of a large assemblage of people. 

December 8, 1871, the arduous task of landing pier six on bed-rock 
was accomplished. 

January 31, 1872, the caisson for pier five was landed on bed-rock. 

January 15, 1872, the second Board of Directors were designated, 
and consisted of W. P. Hall, W. Z. Ransom, J. D. McNeely, Peter G. 
Conlisk, G. H. Koch, Dr. Robert Gunn, Jeff, Chandler, John Pinger, J. L. 
Bittinger, Fred. W. Smith, T. B. Weakly, R. H. Jordan and S. P. Hyde. 

Hon. W. P. Hall was elected President ; Jeff Chandler, Vice Presi- 
dent ; Col. G. H. Koch, Treasurer ; Dr. Robert Gunn, Secretary ; John 
L- Bittinger, Auditor ; Ed. E. Mason, Superintendent and Engineer. 

The caisson for pier four was accidentally launched January 21, 1872. 
While the workmen were busily engaged in " blocking down " the 
immense caisson, weighing four or five hundred tons, and just as they 
had got from under it, for the purpose of getting more materials, the 
blocking gave way, and, with a lurch, the heavy mass of timber went 
down through the ice upon the sandy bed of the river, a distance of 
about eight feet, and there rested, as luck would have it, exactly in the 
position it was designed to occupy. During the sinking of this pier (4) 
the ice broke up in the river, but resulted in no material damage to the 
work. 

Pier four was landed on bed rock March 8, 1872. While the work 
was thus steadily progressing, a proposition to transfer the bridge to the 
Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company, according to the proposition 
of Mr. B. F. Carver, was presented at a meeting of the Manufacturers' 
Aid Association, held March 20, 1872. The proposition, as maybe sup- 
posed, caused a great deal of excitement among the people. 

Mr. Carver's proposition was to furnish the money to complete the 
bridge under the present direction, as fast as Chief Engineer Mason 
would estimate for the required funds ; that he would take and extend 
the St. Joseph & Topeka Railroad to Atchison, Kansas, and connect it 
with the various roads at that town ; that he would remove the machine 
shops, car works and general offices of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Rail- 
road, now located at Hannibal, to St. Joseph ; that he would fix the tariff 
of highway travel on the bridge at rates one-half lower than those of 
any similar structure on the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers, desiring, for 
example, that it may bring him from this source not more than $12,500 
per annum, whereas the business of the ferr}-, for similar work, pays over 

40 



650 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

$50,000 ; and that he would make the tariffs to railroads equal as between 
his and all others, and that rates guarded and liberal be assured to all. 

In consideration of his doing these things, he asked that the city- 
transfer to him its entire stock of $500,000, and that the machine and 
car shops should be exempted from taxation, as they were in Hannibal, 
for twenty years. 

There was much debate and a great variety of opinions delivered. 
Some wanted the bridge made absolutely free for highway travel, while 
others thought it was better to allow the owners of it to collect a low rate of 
tariff and return to the city a portion of the bonds voted to the work. 
All appeared to favor the proposition in one form or other, and adopted 
a resolution, unanimously, that it was the sense of the meeting that 
the city's stock ought to be sold whenever judicious terms could be 
made. The council submitted the transfer to the vote of the people, 
but before the election day had arrived the ordinance was withdrawn. 

The caisson for the upper draw rest was placed in position April 27, 
1872, and landed on bed rock May 30, 1872. 

Pier two, commonly known as pivot pier, was got in place Septem- 
tember i, 1872. 

The caisson of pier three was landed on bed rock, November 4, 
1872. 

The next and last pier sunk was pier one. After launching her into 
the water from the east bank, she was put in position and the air pumps 
started February 5, 1873. This pier landed in bed rock March 5th, and 
was completed March 25th. These piers, constituting the sub-structure 
of the bridge, contain 1,457,000 feet of timber, board measure ; 16,038 
cubic feet of concrete, and 172,071 cubic feet of masonry. The base of 
the largest pier is 45x45 feet the top 35 feet diameter. 

Work on the superstructure immediately began. The first span was 
swung January 18, 1873. The last span was swung May 4, 1873, all the 
superstructure suspending its own weight. 

The superstructure consists of three fixed spans of the quadrangular 
Pratt truss, each 300 feet long, one fixed span at east approach, 80 feet, 
and a draw span 365 feet, making the entire length of the bridge 1,345 
feet. The weight of the iron in the superstructure is 2,850,000 pounds ; of 
the road-bed and track, 382,000 pounds. The draw span alone weighs 
900,000 pounds, and is so perfectly adjusted as to be easily opened and 
shut by one man. The capacity of the bridge as estimated, is six times 
as great as the largest and heaviest train of cars that can be placed upon 
it. The approaches over bottom lands contain 2,025,000 cubic feet of 
earth and broken rock. 

February 11, 1873, the stockholders met and elected the following 
Directors for the ensuing third year: Willard P. Hall, W. B. Johnson, 
I G. Kappner, James McCord, G. H. Koch, W. M. Wyeth, Milton Tootle, 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 65 I 

Edward D. Mason, Robert Gunn, J. D. McNeely, Louis Hax, Jeff. Chand- 
ler, and R. L. McDonald. 

This board met on the 14th, and elected the following officers : W. 
P. Hall President ; Jeff. Chandler, Vice President ; Robert Gunn, Secre- 
tary ; G. H. Koch, Treasurer ; Edward D. Mason, Chief Engineer and 
Superintendent, and John L. Bittinger, Auditor. 

Rather an amusing incident occurred during the election. R. L. 
McDonald acted as teller, and announced Governor Hall elected unani- 
mously. " I know better," said the Governor quickly," I didn't Vote for 
myself!" Mr. McDonald again looked over the ballots, and as he vainly 
endeavored to decipher the hieroglyphics on one, the Governor said, 
nervously, "That's mine; I voted for Mr. McCord." 

" I will leave it to any member of the board to decide whether that 
does not look as much like Willard P. Hall as James McCord," said Mr. 
McDonald, good-naturedly exhibiting the ballot. The joke was on the 
Governor, and no one appreciated it more than he. 

On the 20th of May, 1873, the first locomotive crossed the bridge. 
This was engine No. 6, of the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad. It 
was in charge of E. Sleppy, Master Mechanic of the shops of that road, 
and the man who ran the first passenger train out of St. Joseph on the 
opening of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Road more than fourteen years 
before. Charles Stine performed the duties of firemen on this engine. 
There were on board besides, several bridge and railroad officials, 
together with several prominent citizens of St. Joseph and Kansas, 
among v/hom were the following : Colonel Edward E. Mason, Superin- 
tendent and Engineer ; Governor Williard P. Hall, President, and Dr. 
Robert Gunn, Secretary of the St. Joseph Bridge Building Company ; 
J. F. Barnard, of the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R.; R. J.Wells, General 
Agent of the H. & St. J. R. R. Co., Hon. Isaac C. Parker, Jeff. Chandler, 
General G. H. Hall, P. Arnholt, Captain C. Mast, Harry Carter, J. G. 
Wood, G. H. Koch, Judge J. P. Grubb and J. A. Piner, managed to secure 
positions on the pilot of the engine, while H. W. Musson, General Agent 
of the St. L., K. C. & N. R. R.; E. H. Saville, Secretary of the St. Joseph 
& Denver City R. R.; " Uncle Joseph Beaumont," and about thirty others 
secured sitting room on the tender. 

As soon as the engine arrived on Missouri's soil, three cheers were 
given for the St. Joseph Bridge. In a few minutes after, the engine 
again appeared ready for its return trip for a second crossing. 

Conspicuous among those perched upon the pilot, on the return 
trip, was Miss Hettie Mason, daughter of Col. E. D. Mason, Chief Engi- 
neer, who thus enjoyed the distinction of being the first lady to cross 
the bridge on wheels. On the same day, crossed the first regular train, 
ten car loads of freight. 



652 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

On Saturday, May 31, 1873, occurred the grand celebration of the 
completion of the bridge. This was, beyond doubt, the most magnifi- 
cent pageant ever displayed in the city. Not only was every civic asso- 
ciation and benevolent society represented in the vast procession, but 
the German citizens of the Northwest had selected St. Joseph as the 
place for holding their annual Saengerfest, and May 31 was selected as 
the time. The procession which traversed the streets of St. Joseph on 
that day was never equaled west of the Mississippi. Every trade was 
represented. The cooper was hooping barrels in his improvised shop on 
wheels, the shoemaker was pegging at his last, the axhandle manufac- 
turers were using their drawing-knives and turning out handles with the 
same celerity that marked their labors at home ; lathes, looms, steam 
engines, collar factories, trunk establishments, and an endless variety of 
other trades and appliances of merchanical labor were in full blast in the 
vast stream of human industry that moved along the streets to the 
enlivening music of six or eight brass bands. The procession on this 
occasion was fully six miles in length, and both in the novelty of its 
character and immensity of its magnitude, astonished even the people 
of the city in whose midst existed the industries represented. 

The morning papers stated that there were, on that day, 25,cx)0 
strangers in the city, and 50,000 people on the streets. As the proces- 
sion passed the bridge, the splendid structure presented, with its gay 
array of bunting, such a picture as few in the vast throng had ever before 
gazed upon. 

At night hundreds of Chinese lanters illuminated the structure. 

Ex-Governor W. P. Hall, President of the St. Joseph Bridge Build- 
ing Company, made the opening speech. He was followed by Rev. and 
Hon. I. S. Kalloch, of Leavenworth, in an oration of powerful eloquence, 
which was listened to by the vast audience with the most absorbing 
interest. Hon. Joseph Brown, Mayor of St. Louis, was then introduced 
and addressed the audience. General James Craig, Hon. L C. Parker, 
Captain James B. Eads, and Hon. Jeff Chandler, all spoke in turn. 

At 3 P. M., a sumptuous banquet was served in Tootle & McLaugh- 
lin's Hall, to which about five hundred invited guests sat down. Dur- 
ing the feast, the Fifth Infantry Band, from P'ort Leavenworth, under 
command of Lieutenant Lewis, took seats in the balcony and discoursed 
appropriate music during the entertainment. 

Numerous toasts were given and eloquent responses made. The 
last of these was "Joseph Robidoux. the founder of St. Joseph." which 
was drunk in silence by all standing. Thus closed the festivities of the 
grandest public demonstration ever witnessed in St. Joseph. 

On the 4th of July, 1873, at 6:30 P. M.,the steamer Mountaineer broke 
from her moorings, and. floating down, struck the bridge, occasioning 
damage to the amount of $16,000, which occupictl twelve days in repairing. 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 



6s ^ 



Dr. Robert Gunn, who served as Secretary of the Company from the 
bes^inning of the second year of its organization, and is now (1881) super- 
intendent of the bridge, has filled the latter position uninterruptedly, 
ever since the completion of the work. 

June 16, 1879, the control of the bridge was transferred to Jay Gould 
and associates. 

RAILROAD TRAFFIC OVER THE BRIDGE. 

Total number engines crossing both ways 2,500 

Total number passenger and baggage cars crossing both ways 8,500 

Total number empty freight cars 5,ooo 

Total number loaded freight cars 25,000 

FOOT AND WAGON TRAFFIC FOR YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 3 1, 1880 — 

CROSSING WEST. 



January . . 
February . 
March . . 
April . . . 
May . . . 
June . . . 

July . 

August . . 
September 
October . . 
November 
December 



Total 



200 



40 
600 
200 
430 



200 
12 



I 882 3,146 



» ft' 

1'^ 



185 
452 
344 
609 

349 
233 
165 
112 
178 
321 
90 
108 



I 

10 
12 

16 

3 
2 

4 



61 



1^ 



97 
129 
149 

135 
158 
217 
276 
236 
294 
306 
180 
143 



56 2 320 



»95 
200 
197 
173 
154 
132 

153 
201 

138 
189 
III 
130 



1973 



I 492 
1,630 
1,842 

1 743 
1,854 
1,958 

2,273 

2 33° 
1,994 
2.147 
I 665 

1,485 



22,413 



CROSSING EAST. 



January . 
February 
March . 
April . . 
May . . 
June . . 



July 

August . . 
September , 
October . . 
November. 
December. 



Total, 



121 
51 



17 

8 

13 

537 



15 

184 

9 



o ft' 



135 

276 
141 

198 
224 
227 
205 
3(>3 
555 
185 
97 



955 2.704 






553 
701 
722 

565 

721 

679 

922 

1,032 

1,160 

1,849 

1,198 

730 

10,882 






90 

95 
142 

121 

149 

193 

262 
210 
188 
176 

"3 

79 

1,818 



181 
163 

175 
142 
162 
142 

'65 
192 
166 

•74 
106 
126 



1,424 

1,442 
1,742 
1,603 
i.79« 
1.732 
2.219 
2 242 
1,880 
2 118 
1.520 
I 392 

20,105 



654 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

THE UNION DEPOT. 

Since the printing of the article on the Union Depot, under head of 
" Raih'oads," page 595. other and important data have come to our 
knowledge, which we offer, by way of explanation, for the appearance of 
this second article on the same subject. 

The officers of the St. Joseph Union Depot Company are as follows : 

L. D. Tuthill, of the St. Joseph and Western Railroad, President. 

J. F. Barnard, of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs 
Railroad, Secretary and Treasurer. 

Judson & Motter, Attorneys. 

A. A. Talmage, General Manager of the Missouri Pacific ; John B. 
Carson, General Manager of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad ; J. F. 
Barnard, General Superintendent of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & 
Council Bluffs Railroad ; Thomas McKissock, General Superintendent 
of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railroad ; L. D. Tuthill, General 
Superintendent of the St. Joseph and Western Railroad, are the 
Directors. All these gentlemen have done their utmost to forward the 
o-reat enterprise in every possible manner. 

The architects are Messrs. Eckel & Mann, two young men of this 
city, who have already taken a position among the first architects of the 
country. The plan furnished by these gentlemen shows the handsomest 
railway building in the West, and, when it is completed, St. Joseph will 
indeed have good cause to feel proud of the grand edifice. It will cer- 
tainly be a superb building and will stand as a monument to the genius, 
taste and wonderful skill of its accomplished architects. 

Outside of the carriage drive will be an ornamental park, set in grass 
and shrubbery, and adorned with statues, urns and a fountain, all of which 
will not only greatly add to the appearance of the depot, but will show 
the resthetic taste of the builder. We see no reason why a railroad 
depot should not be made as cheerful and inviting as a public park, or 
any other place of public resort. Here will congregate at all hours of 
the day and night, weary travelers and commercial men, fatigued women 
and tired children. The nice new depot, with its conveniences and 
accommodations, its small, handsome park, with its blooming flowers and 
sparkling fountain, will certainly do much to lighten the tedium of their 
waiting moments. 

To fully appreciate this magnificent structure it must be seen. No 
description of ours would convey to the reader an adequate idea of its 
great beauty. It is both ornamental and durable, and St. Joseph will be 
justly proud of it, as one of her crowning architectural glories. 

As a public improvement, it ranks next in importance to the great 
iron bridge that spans the Missouri River, a few blocks northwest of it. 
The stranger coming to St. Joseph from the east, gets his first glimpse ot 



HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 655 

the depot building as he approaches the city from the south. He will 
see distinctly its huge proportions, and white-crested tower, glittering in 
the morning sunlight, but not until he halts within the shadow of its 
immense awnings, will he realize the fact, that he is gazing upon one of 
the finest, one of the largest, and one of the most symmetrically con- 
structed edifices of the kind to be found anywhere in the country. 

The depot is the outgrowth of a necessity long since felt by not 
only those who are connected with the railroads, but by our business men 
generally. 

The conveniences of a depot centrally located, where all the trains 
arrive and whence they all depart, are numerous. The passenger busi- 
ness, which has been scattered between the different depots, will now be 
confined to one point. Besides this, the railroad ticket offices will be 
here, and the express offices. These conveniences will save time and 
expense, and facilitate business, travel, and every interest connected 
with commerce and railroad transit. 

St. Joseph has now a population of forty thousand, and being the 
converging point of several railroads, it is only in keeping with that 
spirit of enterprise ever manifested on the part of her citizens, and 
which has brought her present material prosperity, that she should have 
a first class Union depot — worthy of her growth and commercial import- 
ance. 

To form something like a correct idea for the present emergency 
for a Union depot, we need only to mention the fact that forty-eight 
daily passenger trains arrive and depart from St. Joseph, saying nothing 
of the freight trains, which number many more. 

At a congratulatory meeting held in Boston, in September, 185 1, 
Mr. Winthrop was pleased to say that the number of passenger trains 
which daily arrived and departed from Boston was one hundred. Boston 
was then the fifth city in population in the Union, and it was with great 
pride that the distinguished orator dwelt upon the fact so creditable to 
the sagacity and energy of that people. 

At that time St. Joseph was but a hamlet, struggling into existence. 
To-day, however, with about one-fifth the number of inhabitants that 
Boston then contained, St. Joseph has half the number of passenger and 
freight trains which Boston then boasted. 

Wqstern pluck and western energy have achieved, in a few short 
years, railroad facilities which older cities in the eastern states have not 
accomplished in half a century. The character of these improvements 
is not ephemeral, built merely to gratify the demand of the day, and to 
subserve a temporary purpose, but are substantial, and will be as durable, 
we hope, as the everlasting hills that surround our city. No other town 
in the wide Union, in proportion to population, presents a more thrifty 
or business like appearance than St. Joseph. 



656 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

Stand at the foot of Felix, Francis, Edmond or any of her business 
streets, on any day of the week, and glance eastward and there can be 
seen thoroughfares crowded with teams, wagons, carriages, men, womerr 
and children from morning till night. All over the city are seen the 
unmistakable evidences of that resistless, pushing spirit of enterprise- 
which has made the town and given it an impetus which cannot be 
checked. The evidences of this spirit are seen in the immense packing; 
houses, founderies, manufactories, planing and flour mills, street rail- 
roads, waterworks, Union depot, and all the other public improvements 
which have been inaugurated and pushed to completion, and lastly, \n 
our rapid increase in population, which has more than doubled since 1870. 
St. Joseph has struggled with a few difficulties in the past, yet 
with an unfaltering courage, and with an abiding faith in her own capa- 
bilities, like the stripling of Israel with his sling and stone, she has over- 
come them all, and now occupies a vantage ground from' which she 
cannot recede. 

Behind her, are the broad, rolling prairies, with a soil as prolific as 
was ever turned by the plowshare to the sunlight of heaven ; a soil upon 
which Ceres pours out the fullness of her horn in such plenteousness as 
will supply the granaries of half a continent. Toward the rising sun live 
the great bulk of the people of this country, who, in the course of time, 
will come in millions and pitch their tents upon our vast, plains and ver- 
dant valleys, and find in St. Joseph a ready market and an outlet for 
their surplus and their increase. 

Above us floats an atmosphere as clear and liiTDpid, and a sky as 
blue and sunny as ever cheered and brightened an Italian landscape. 

It will be seen, by glancing at a map, that Northwestern Missouri 
occupies about the central position of the American Union, and this 
being the fact, there must be, somewhere in the Valley of the Missouri, 
a grand pivotal point, about which may be eventually amassed the ele- 
ments of trade, power and influence, thence to be disseminated through- 
out the entire country. What town or city in this valley offers so 
many inducements for the location of this common center as St. Joseph ? 
All acknowledge the advantages of her geographical position, her salu- 
brious climate, and the unsurpassed fertility of her soil ; then, where 
would the stranger and the merchant, the mechanic, the tradesman, 
and sagacious business man„ look, if not to St. Joseph, to find this 
ultimate common center.'* 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE FIRP: department of ST. JOSEPH. 

ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH AND SUBSEQUENT IMPORTANCE. 

To the active, personal exertions of General W. R. Penick, is due 
the credit of first inaugurating a fire department in St. Joseph. June 
23, i860, while a member of the City Council, he introduced an ordinance 
appropriating $25,CK)0 for the purpose of procuring engines and equip- 
ping a fire company. This proposition was unanimously accepted by 
the Council, but, on being submitted to the people, was voted down. A 
subsequent attempt on the part of this enterprising citizen to raise the 
sum of $15,500 for the same purpose, met with a similar fate. 

Though many approved the policy and admitted the urgent neces- 
sity of such an organization for the protection from fire, nothing was 
accomplished and scarcely anything attempted in the premises till April, 
1864, at which period William R. Penick was elected Mayor of the city, 
and, in his message to the Council of that year, urgently recommended an 
appropriation of $5,000 for the purchase of a steam fire engine. In view 
of this recommendation, the City Council, at a meeting held July 5, 1864, 
passed an ordinance to that effect. ^ 

At the same meeting, the Mayor was requested to solicit subscrip- 
tions or donations of means for the purchase of hose and hook and lad- 
der truck. To the efforts of this gentleman, the citizens promptly re- 
sponded, and W. R. Penick having, as representing the firm of Penick & 
Loving, headed the list with a subscription of $100, was enabled to report, 
at the next meeting of the Council, the sum of $2,700 subscribed for the 
required purpose. 

May 17, 1865, the steam fire engine, Blacksnake, arrived and was 
tested by a committee of the Council, who pronounced it acceptable. 

August 7, 1865, a committee of the Council recommended the 
organization of Volunteer Fire Companies. The first to respond to 
this call was the Rescue Hook and Ladder Company, which was, for 
many years after, the pride of St. Joseph, including in its ranks some of 
the best young men in the city. 

The following named gentleman comprised the thirty charter mem- 
bers : 

John Lyon, Judson Lyon, H. Clay Carter, Joseph Andriano, Chas. 
C. Harrington, F. K. Maus, Ad. Andle, N. P. Schlupp, Wm. Borngesser, 



658 HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH. 

J. P. Lowell, J. M. Armstrong, C. H. Floyd, J. S. Thompson, John F. 
Lyon, Arthur Lowell, Theodore Textor, R. Saunders, John Smith, W. B. 
McNutt, S. J. Handley, R. M. Russell, C. E. Holman, E. C. Zimmerman, 
W. J. McCord, C. B. Wait, H. B. Floyd, W. K. Noyes, J. M. Hunter, 
Geo. W. McGibbons, F. A. Mitchell. 

The company officers elected were, John L. Lyon, Foreman ; J. M. 
Armstrong, First Assistant; Judson Lyon, Second Assistant; \Vm. J. 
McCord, Secretary; C. E. Holman, Treasurer. 

October 13, 1865, Charles W. Davenpqrt was appointed Chief Engi- 
neer of the fire department, but declined to act, for the reason that he 
was insurance agent, representing numerous companies. On the 31st of 
the same month, the Mayor appointed Dr. Robert Gunn to the position. 
He served as Chief Engineer till April, 1867, when Ed. R. Brandow was 
elected to succeed him. He served two years, to April, 1870, when he 
was succeeded by R. J. S. Wise. In 1871, Harry Carter was elected 
Chief, serving one year. He was succeeded in April, 1872, by E. Wag- 
ner. A. Saltzman, in turn, succeeded him, at the end of his annual 
term, serving till April, 1874, at which period, W. B. McNutt was elected. 
He served six years, to April, 1880, when he was succeeded by Henry 
Gibson, who served, till April, 1880, when W. .B. McNutt was again 
elected to the responsible office of Chief Engineer of the fire department 
of the city of St. Joseph, a position for which he has proven himself 
eminently fitted. 

In the years that have ensued since the organization of the first fire 
company in St. Joseph, there have been erected in the city, five engine 
houses, supplied with two steam fire engines, valued respectively, at 
$4,250 and $5,000; one hook and ladder truck, and two four-wheel hose 
carts and three two-wheel carts. 

The present force includes eighteen men, paid by the city. These 
are at present (188 1) under the direction of Chief W. B. McNutt, as 
above stated. Mr. McNutt is superintendent of the book bindery of C. 
P. Kingsbury, and a popular citizen. Dr. Robert Gunn, who has been 
superintendent of the bridge across the Missouri River at St. Joseph 
ever since its completion in May, 1873, has also long been especially 
active in promoting the interests of the fire department, and much of 
its present high state of efficiency is due to his untiring efforts. Mr. 
Edward R. Brandow was a member of the City Council when the hook 
and ladder house on Francis Street was built ; and to his efforts mainly 
is due the erection of that structure, which to-day constitutes an archi- 
tectural ornament of the city. 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



^.'^ 



ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI. 

JAMES ABERCROMBIE 

was born in Kincardinshire, Scotland, August 2, 1830. He was the third 
of a family of eleven children. He learned the trade of stone and marble 
■cutter in the City of Aberdeen, Scotland. In June, i85i,he left the 
shores of his native country for the New World, and landed in the City 
■of New York, after a short and prosperous voyage. Here he immedi- 
ately engaged in the avocation of his calling, soon doing business for 
•himself, and meeting with that success which skill and energy invariably 
command. June 7, 1853, Mr. Abercrombie married in New York City, 
Miss Agnes Monroe, a native of Scotland. The fruit of this marriage 
was two children, both sons. One of these, Roderick M., survived, and 
is now (1881) a partner of his father in the stone and marble business in 
•St. Joseph. On the breaking out of the civil war, James Abercrombie 
was a private in the Seventy-ninth New York National Guard, and 
immediately entered the army, where he did good service with his regi- 
ment till August, 1861, when he received his discharge, with the grade 
of Second Surgeant. In September of the same year, he again enlisted, 
this time in the Farthingham Rifles, in which he served till December, 
1862, when he was taken prisoner. A week before this event, he was 
promoted to the grade of Lieutenant in his regiment. In November. 
J 866, he went West, and settled in St. Joseph, where he remained one 
year, in partnership with Johnson & Co., stone and marble cutters. In 
1867, he moved to Caldwell County, engaging there in farming, and car- 
rying on the stone and marble business in Breckenridge. In January, 
1879, he returned to St. Joseph and opened in partnership with Erath, 
Johnson & Co., another yard. He is now (1881) engaged in business 
with his son, Roderick M., under the name and style of Abercrombie & 
Son. 



66o BIOGRAPHICAL. 

SMITH ADAMS 

is a retired farmer, living in Washington Township, Section 27. Post- 
office, St. Joseph. He is a native of Kentucky and was born August 
3, 1812 ; was raised upon a farm and had a common school education. 
He was married May 12. 1836, to Miss C. Ramsey, who was born in Ken- 
tucky, November4, 1819. By this union they had five children, Jones L. R.,. 
born April 17, 1837, died June 12, 1 841 ; W. R., born June 15, 1841 ;MaryE.,. 
born March 8, 1844 ; Rebecca C, born July 10, 1847 ; Edwin M., born June 
29, 1850. Mrs. Adams died February 4, 1854, and he was again married 
to Miss Elizabeth Adams, November 20, 1854. She was born in Tennes- 
see, January 6, 1828. They had five children : James A., born January 
2, 1856 ; Anna M., born March 26, 1858 ; Smith, born May 18, 1864 ; infant 
who died while young, and Ella L., born October 11, 1866. This wife 
died October 11, 1874, and he married May 5, 1875, to Miss Martha A. 
Mansfield. She was born September 11, 18 18. He was very successful 
financially, until the war, when he lost heavily. He endured many pri- 
vations for his country, and during the late war enlisted in what was 
known as the " Whisky Cavalry," in the Union Army, which stood guard 
around St. Joseph for three years. The government did not pay these 
men one dollar, and they did not ask for it, but furnished horses, time: 
and services to Uncle Sam without money and without price, and are 
proud to know that they had the manhood to defend the right at alL 
hazard. Mr. Adams first came to Missouri with his father in 18 15, loca- 
ting in Lafayette County. They lived in a block house for protection. 
In 18 18, his father returned to Kentucky, Smith accompanying him, but 
being infatuated with the West, returned to Missouri, locating in Howard 
County, known, in early days, as St. Charles. He has lived in Missouri 
ever since ; was engaged in the Mormon war- They surrendered upon 
his arrival, and he purchased land and was there when the County 
of Caldwell was organized. He is a Mason and a member of St. 
Joseph Lodge, No. 78, also a member of the Christian Church, and 
was Director on part of the State in the old Branch Bank of the State 
of Missouri before the war, has been school director and has donated 
liberally to churches and school houses. 

EDWARD ALDEN, 

gas-fitter, plumber, dealer in pumps, lightning rods, etc.; one of the. 
leaders in this line, and a man who stands among the popular citizens •,. 
was born in England, December 23, 1827. He came to America in 185 1,. 
residing for over five years in New York, where he learned his trade,, 
thence came to Chicago, and, after a four years' sojourn, came to St. 
Joseph, established his trade in i860, and at present does one of the 



ST. JOSEPH. 66 1 

largest trades in the northwest. He was married in I856, to Miss Bridget 
McTigh, a native of Ireland. Mr. Alden is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

DAVID ALDERMAN, 

liveryman, proprietor of Elk Horn stable, was born in Wilmington, New 
Hanover County, North Carolina, August 9th, 1824. His boyhood days 
were spent on a farm, his father, David, Sr., being an agriculturist. In 
1849, he came to Buchanan County, locating on a farm near Sparta. The 
country at that time was sparsely settled and he had many difficulties to 
contend with. For twenty years this was his home. In 1869, he came 
to St. Joseph, and has since been counted among its leading liverymen, 
the Elk Horn stable being one of the most popular in the city. He has 
been twice married ; first to Mary A. Larkins, of North Carolina, now 
deceased. His second wife was Lavinia J. Highsmith, of North Carolina. 
They have five children : Chas. A., A. M.. James D., Ann E. and Mary 
P. Mr. A. is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

C. W. ALLEN. 

manager of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Agency and dealer 
in Taylor & Farley organs, was born in London, England, in 1845, and 
when two years of age came to America with his parents, who located 
in Pelta County, Illinois, where his father, William, engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits. Here C. W. was educated and raised to manhood. At 
the breaking out of the rebellion, he enlisted in Co. K, Sixteenth Illinois 
Infantry, and participated in many notable engagements, among which 
were Chickamaugua, Island No. 10, in the Sherman campaign and others. 
He was honorably discharged at the expiration of his term (three years.) 
He came to Missouri and located in Atchison County, and engaged in 
the sewing machine business. Thence to DeKalb County, and for a time 
was at Maryville. He came to St. Joseph in the spring of 1880. Mr. A. 
was married in 1866, to Miss E. A. Burk. of Illinois. By this union they 
have six children : Lorena, Minnie F., C. W., B., L. E. and James. Mr. 
Allen is a Master Mason. 

R. K. ALLEN. 

Among those who contributed a just share in giving this city the 
reputation which it has attained as the metropolis of the Northwest, is 
R. K. Allen, who for twenty-two years has been identified with its 
growth and prosperity. He is a native of Massachusetts, and came to 
St. Joseph in 1859. ^"<^ engaged in working at his trade, that of carpen- 
ter and builder, which from that time has been steadily and largely on 
the increase. Many of the finest structures of St. Joseph, both in store 



662 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

edifices and residences, are specimens of his handiwork. In 1872, he 
opened his planing mill on Francis Street, which is the largest in the 
city. In the manufacture of doors, sash and blinds, etc., his business is 
the largest in the Northwest, extending into Kansas, Nebraska and 
Iowa. His long experience and skillful management makes him more 
proficient than the average in his line. In this respect his standing may 
be inferred from the fact that the Union Depot of St. Joseph, one of the 
finest in the United States, is being built by Mr. Allen. The cost of 
this is $150,000. Few residents of St. Joseph are more widely and pop- 
ularly known. 

WILLIAM M. ALBIN, 

attorney at law, insurance and real estate agent, was born in Indiana in 
1820. His youth was spent on a farm, with limited school advantages. 
After he attained his majority, he entered Asbury University, and grad- 
uated with the degree of A. M. He engaged for some time in teaching, 
and, in 185 1, came to Buchanan County, where he followed the same 
occupation. He read law with the Hon. Henry Vories, and was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1861. In 1852, he went to Gentry County and remained 
a short time. He enlisted in the army during the late war, and was com- 
missioned Lieutenant Colonel of the Fourth Missouri State Volunteers, 
commanded by Colonel W. P. Hall. Colonel Albin is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and of the I. O. O. F. 

J. W. AMBROSE, 

one of St. Joseph's prominent manufacturers, is a native of England, and 
was born September 2, 1829. He was there educated and raised until 
his nineteenth year, when he came to America, locating in Ohio. He 
learned the machinist trade, and in 1856 removed to Bloomington, Illi- 
nois, where he resided until 1871. In that year, he came to St. Joseph, 
and erected the foundry and machine shop that he now occupies. The 
present style of the firm is J. W. Ambrose & Co. They make a specialty 
of architectural iron work, and in this feature they are having unparal- 
leled success, their trade not only being in Missouri, but extends into 
Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Many of the finest structures in St. Joseph 
contains material from this establishment. The firm does a large busi- 
ness in the manufacture of stoves, and have attained a well merited rep- 
utation. 

JOSEPH ANDRIANO, 

City Collector, was born in the city of Heidelburg, Germany, October 
15, 1 841, and came to this country in 1849. He settled in St. Louis, 
Missouri, and came to this city in 185 1. He married Miss Isa- 



ST. JOSEPH. 663 

bella Young, of Chicago, Illinois, in 1869; they have one daughter, 
Gracie. Mr. Adriano obtained a good education in the city schools, 
and then commenced his mercantile experience, which he abandoned to 
go into the stage and omnibus business with his father-in-law, William 
H. Young, of Chicago, a short time before the great fire, and had but 
fairly commenced when, with others, they were burned out, losing 
$20,000. They at once, with commendable zeal, started again, and very 
soon worked up a very successful business and continued it for two years. 
At this time he sold out and returned to his old home in St. Joseph, and 
accepted a position in the post office. In 1880, he was elected to his 
present position as City Collector. 

D. C. ANDERSON, 

baker and confectioner, an early and well known citizen of Bechanan 
County, is our subject. He was born in Orange County, New York, 
August 20, 1832 ; his father, John K., was an agriculturist, and D. C. 
spent his early life on a farm. The family finally migrated to Erie 
County, Pennsylvania, and thence to Michigan, where he learned the 
carpenter trade. In 1859, he came to St. Joseph and worked at his 
trade until 1861, when he enlisted in the Union army, was captured at 
Lexington, and soon after enlisted in Stuart's cavalry, and was trans- 
ferred to Co. K, Forty-third Illinois Infantry, as a private. He passed 
through the usual routine of promotions, and resigned as First Lieuten- 
ant, after serving three and a half years. He participated in the battles 
of Shiloh, Fort Donelson, Vicksburg and Lttle Rock. At Shiloh he was 
slightly wounded. Returning to St. Joseph, he was for a number of 
years engaged in the grocery trade. From 1869 to 1871, he was clerk in 
the post office ; also for two years was clerk of the school board ; for the 
past several years has been engaged in the bakery and confectionery 
business. In i860, Mrs. Angeline Carr, nee Nelson, became his wife ; she 
died in the spring of '65. In 1867, he was married to Mrs. Ann Prosser, 
nee Sprinkle. They have had one daughter, Ada, who died in the 
autumn of 1880. He is a member of the A. O. of U. W. S. K. 

GEO. W. ANDERSON, 

check clerk for the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad. This well- 
known railroad man was born in Brown County, Ohio, June nth, 1844. 
At an early age, he removed to Galesburg, Illinois, his father, G. W., 
Sr., being a stone cutter by trade. The family eventually located in 
Monmouth, Illinois, where our subject learned the painter's trade, 
remaining until July, 1862, when he enlisted in Company C, Eighty-third 
Illinois Infantry. After serving five months, he was honorably dis- 



664 RIOGRAPHICAL. 

charged on account of disability. He returned home, recuperated, and 
on the 20th of November, 1863, enlisted in the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry- 
Was in the department of the Gulf, and served until the 29th of April, 
1866, when he was mustered out. Returning to Illinois, he engaged in 
working at his trade until 1875, when he became an employe of the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad, stationed at St. Joseph. He was 
married in 1880 to Miss Rosa Schreiber. Mr. Anderson is a Mason, 
being a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. 

JOHN ANGEL. 

One who took an active and live interest in making St. Joseph what 
it is to-day, is our subject. He was born in Virginia, January 24. 18 13, 
and when young removed" with his parents to Surry County, North Car- 
olina, where his father, Nicholas, engaged in farming. Here John was 
raised, educated and resided until 1833, when he emigrated to Tennes- 
see, residing there a number of years ; thence to Alabama, remaining 
one year, and from there he went to Texas, thence to Van Buren 
County, Iowa, coming to St. Joseph in November, 1843. He commenced 
working at his trade, that of a carpenter, which he followed for a num- 
ber of years; many of the old-time landmarks, long since wiped out, 
were the work of his hammer and saw. From the time he came to the 
village, up to the present, few men have been more closely identified with 
a city than John Angel. About thirty years ago he was a member ol 
the council a few terms ; also w^as city assessor for one year. During the 
Hannibal & St. Joseph project, in 1849, the first railway in the state, he 
was on the survey corps. In educational movements, and all commend- 
able enterprises for the advancement of St. Joseph, he was to be found 
on the right side. While in Iowa, he was a messenger in the Legisla- 
ture. He was married July 16, 1846, to Miss Eugena Robidoux, a neice 
of Joseph Robidoux. They had three children, all deceased, Felix. 
Edmond, and one unnamed. 

JOHN J. ANGSTEN, 

cooper, was born in Prussia, Germany, March 16, 1847, and came to 
America in 185 i. his parents locating in Chicago, where he was raised, 
educated and learned his trade. In 1877, he came to St. Joseph. He 
was married in 1873 to Miss Annie Boesh, They have, by this union, 
three children: John, Willie and Mary. 

ARMSTRONG BROTHERS, 

the live and spicy business men of St. Joseph, justly merit the rank 
they occupy. In the browning of coffee, manufacture of baking powder 



ST. JOSEPH. 665 

•and spices, their trade has grown from a small beginning until it stands 
among the prominent industries of the city. J. M. Armstrong was born 
in Centerville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, March 31, 1838. His father, 
Samuel, was a native of New York, and removed to Jerseyville, Illinois, 
with his family in 1849. The subject of this sketch was raised to man- 
hood, spending his time when not attending the common schools, in till- 
ing the soil of Jersey County. In September, 1861, he tendered his 
services to the Union cause in Illinois, but as the call on that state 
had been filled, was not accepted, consequently he came to Missouri and 
enlisted in Company A, Second Missouri Cavalry. He was mustered in 
as a private, and by regular promotion, in May, 1862, was made First 
Lieutenant of Company G, serving faithfully his allotted time, and was 
honorably discharged in 1864. At Little Rock he raised the Union flag 
to its position on the State House. Came to St. Joseph, and engaged as 
clerk in the Patee House, and soon became one of the proprietors, the 
firm being Espy & Armstrong. After continuing in the hotel business 
for a time, he branched out into other pursuits, eventually becoming a 
clerk in the grocery of W. H. Floyd. In 1867, he engaged in the gro- 
cery trade in company with George B., which continued until 1881, when 
the present business was established. He has been twice married — first 
to Miss Amelia Espy, in 1864. By this union, they had two children, 
one of whom, Thomas, is living, and Robert, deceased. Mrs. Armstrong 
died a few years later. Was again married, in 1871, to Miss Jennie 
Milton, of New York. They have two children — Beattie and Fannie. 
Geo. B. Armstrong was born in Centerville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, 
October 8, 1846. In 1849, ^^ came to Jerseyville, Illinois, with his 
parents, where he was educated and was engaged in farming until the 
autumn of 1866, when he became a resident of St. Joseph. He engaged 
in the grocery trade in the spring of 1867, and has since been closely 
associated with the business interests of the city. In 1870, he married 
Miss Mary E. Mapstone, of Chicago. Mr. Armstrong is a member of 
the A. O. U. W. 

J. P. ARNOLD, 

general blacksmith, is a native of Phcenixville, Chester County. Pennsyl- 
vania, and was born October 4, 1844. When young he removed to Berks 
County, where he was raised and learned his trade. For a time he had 
charge of Weymeyers & Co.'s establishment at Lebanon, and for two 
years was foreman for Garner Bros., at Ashland. During the rebellion, 
he enlisted in the L^nion army, but on account of his youth was reclaimed 
by his parents. In 1873, he came to St. Joseph. He is numbered among 
the finest workmen in the country, and does a first class trade in horse- 
shoeing. He married in 1865, Miss Frances Chillens. They have four 
children: Ida B.; William H.; George B.; John T. He is a member of 
the K. of P., and the I. O. O. F. 

41 



666 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

HERMAN ARNOLD, 

farmer and stock raiser, Section 7, postoffice St. Joseph, was born 
April 19, 1832, in Saxony, Germany, where he was reared and received 
the benefits of a fair education. He learned the stone mason's trade in 
his youth. He came to America in November, 1853, landing in New 
York City, and has worked in many of the principal cities in the East. 
For three years he worked on the capitol building at Washington. His 
family settled at Warsaw, Ind., and remained there nine years; they 
then came West and settled at Chicago, and from there to the place 
where he now resides. He owns a fine farm of 260 acres, well improved,, 
with good orchards and comfortable buildings. When he landed at 
New York he had but three dollars in his pocket, but he went to work, 
and by giving his attention to his business has succeeded admirably. 
He was married in May, 1853, to Miss Grenadine Behrens, a native of 
Germany. They have five children living, Mary, (now Mrs. L. Everhart, 
of St. Joseph,) Minnie, Charlie, Robert and Fritz. They lost four. They 
attend the Lutheran Church. 

CARL ARNHOLD, 

stone-mason, was born in Bavaria, Germany, March 12, 1828, and was 
there raised to manhood and learned the stone-mason's trade. In 1849,. 
he came to America, located temporarily, in New Orleans, thence to St. 
Louis, and for two years was foreman in the building of the Marine Hos- 
pital. He came to St. Joseph in 1852, and has since made it his home^ 
although for three years he was on the government work at Fort Leav- 
enworth. Many of the old land marks in the city are of his construction, 
and a large amount of the first class work, more modern, been done by 
him and under his supervision. He married in 1854, Miss Peternella 
Groff. They have one son, Charles A., who was born in St. Joseph? 
November 15, 1855, and here received his education. He adopted and 
learned the trade of his father, and is thoroughly competent and expe- 
rienced in stonework. He married in 1870, Miss Mary J. Saddler, of St- 

Joseph. 

JACOB ARNHOLD, 

with the Krug Packing Company, was born in Bavaria, Germany, Feb- 
ruary 17, 1843, and came to America with his parents when ten years of 
age. His father, Philip, located in St. Joseph, and here Jacob was raised, 
educated and learned the stone mason's trade. He was married in 1865 
to Miss Virginia Pash. He is a Mason and also a Knight Templar. 

GEORGE ARNHOLD, 

stone mason and contractor, was born in Bavaria, German}', April 5, 1850, 
and came to America with his parents, his father, Philip, locating in St. 



ST. JOSEPH. 66^ 

Joseph. The senior Arnhold was identified with the city up to the time 
of his demise a few years ago. George was here raised to manhood and 
learned his trade, to which he has closely adhered. He was married in 
1870 to Miss Mary Carpenter. They have five children, Frederick, 
Josephine, George, Philip and Caroline. He is a Royal Templar of 
Temperance. In 1864, he enlisted in the Forty-fourth Missouri, Com- 
pany C, participating at the battles of Franklin, Nashville, Mobile and 
others, serving to the close, when he was honorably discharged. 

BRO. ARTHEMIAN, 

President of the St. Joseph College, is comparatively a young man, yet 
he has had twenty-two years experience as a teacher. The great suc- 
cess which has followed his administration has given the college a repu- 
tation as a first class school. The present number of students is one 
hundred and eighty. He was appointed President in 1878, and the high 
reputation the school had gained under the charge of its former excel- 
lent Presidents, has been fully maintained. With the flattering outlook 
for the future of St. Joseph College, it is destined to take a front rank 
among the educational institutions of the state. A history of the school 
will be found in another connection. 

T. J. ASHFORD, 

carpenter and builder, is a native of Woodford County, Kentucky, and 
was born July 14, 1827, and was raised and learned his trade in his native 
state. In 1853, he came to Savannah, Andrew County, and worked at 
his trade until 1872, when he came to St. Joseph. For a time, he was in 
the employ of Bailey, Wood & Co., as shipping clerk, and also in the 
same capacity with other houses. The remainder of the time has been 
devoted to building, in which branch he has his share of the taade. He 
is a man of clear judgment, a fluent conversationalist, and commands the 
respect of his fellow citizens. In 1849, he married Miss Martha J. Clare- 
They have a family of twelve children : Thomas K., Geo. W., Lewis, 
John, Bettie (now Mrs. Duncan), Addie, AUie, Emma, Tillie, Mattie, 
Vinnie, Gabriel (deceased). Himself and family are members of the 
Christian Church. Mr. A. is an Odd Fellow, of Eclipse Lodge. 

THOMAS ASHTON, 

farmer and broker, Washington township, Section 33 ; Postofifice, St. 
Joseph. Was born in New York City, October 30, 1826. When but a 
child, his parents moved to Mason County, Kenucky, wHere he was 
raised and educated. From 1848, he was contracting for the planters, 
being located at Vicksburg and New Orleans. In 1855, he came to Mis- 



668 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

soLiri, and located fn Buchanan County. His landed estate consists of 
about 300 acres, his improvements being among the best in the county. 
He also has a very large orchard, containing over 1,000 bearing trees. 
Was married September 12, 1850, to Miss Lucinda B. Small, who was 
born in Mason County, Kentucky, April 8, 1834. They have had nine 
children, six now living: Louisa, William S., Effie M., Harry L., Annie 
K. and Charley. 

J. W. ATWILL. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 
February, 1844. He here received the advantages of an excellent edu- 
cation and entered on the active duties of life, a thoroughly qualified 
business man. On the breaking out of the civil war, though a very young 
man, Mr. Atwill determined to enter the service of his country, and 
enlisted in the Twenty-fourth Massachusetts volunteers. For his sol- 
dierly bearing and generally meritorious conduct he was promoted to a 
lieutenancy and transferred to the N. C. Union volunteer regiment. He 
was afterward advanced to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of this regi- 
ment, with which he remained till it was mustered out of the service in 
1865. He then went to St. Louis, where he remained, engaged in mer- 
cantile pursuits, till the year 1870, when he sold out and went to St. 
Joseph, Missouri, where he received the appointment of General Freight 
and Ticket Agent for the St. Joseph and Denver City, now the St. Joseph 
and Western Railroad, which position he held till the fall of 1878. He 
is now President of the Oakdale Coal Companj', and is an influential 
member of the City Council of St. Joseph. 

ADAM AXHELM, Jr.. 

merchant. One of Buchanan County's early settlers was Adam Axhelm, 
Sr., who took up his abode in St. Joseph in 1853. The subject of this 
sketch was born in Erie, Penn., March 27, 1850, and came to St. Joseph 
with his parents in 1853, and was here raised and educated. 

Mr. Axhelm has been twice married ; first, in 1869, to Miss Mary E. 
Thrap. By this union they had three children, one of whom is living — 
Charles. He lost two — Lena and Augusta. Mrs. Axhelm died in 1874- 
In 1878, Mrs. Mary Leip became his second wife. They have one daugh- 
ter — Lena. Mrs. Axhelm, by her first husband had two children — Tillie 
and Ollie. 

THOMAS AYLESBURY, 

Foreman Car Department Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs 
Railway, is a native of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and 
was born March 20, 1836; was there raised, educated, and learned the 



ST. JOSEPH. 669 

carpenter trade. His father, Robert, was superintendent of a coal mine, 
and our subject for a time was in the employ of the Reading Railway- 
Company. In i860, he came to Kewanee, Illinois, engaging in contract- 
ing and building, continuing until 1865, when he was employed by the 
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Company. For four years he 
was in the car department, and for three years was foreman of the coach 
building department. On the ist ofMay, 1872, he took his present situation 
with the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railway Company, 
the duties of which he has discharged to the entire satisfaction of his 
employers. He is numbered among the most proficient foremen in car 
building in the country. He is a member of the Master Car Builders' 
Association of the United States and Canada, and is one of the com- 
mittee on automatic freight train brakes. During his sojourn in the city, 
he has been the choice of the citizens of the Fifth Ward as councilman 
for two terms. He married, in 1856, Miss Harriet Hill, of Pennsyl- 
vania, a native of England. They have had eight children, five now 
living, Charles, Ella, Ida, Thomas and Winfred. They lost three, Mary 
(aged thirteen years), Harry (aged six years),. and Stella (aged three 
years). Mr. Aylesbury is a member of Charity Lodge No. 331 of 
Masons, and Enterprise Lodge I. O. O. F. During his term in the coun- 
cil, much credit is due him for the active and ardent work he did towards 
securing the water works. 

ENOS EWING BACON, 

proprietor Bacon House, was born in New Jersey, March 17, 1823, and 
was raised a farmer. He received a good education and taught school 
for one year, and then went to Indiana and taught school for nine years. 
He bought a farm in Maryland and worked it for six years, and after- 
wards sold out, and, in i860, came to this city. He bought the lot and a 
small building where the Bacon House now stands and commenced 
keeping a boarding house and grocery store. In 1879, it was enlarged 
and opened as a hotel. As a hotel keeper he excels, as a citizen he 
has the confidence of all, as an enterprising business man, he is regarded 
as a success. He has been a life-long, consistent Presbyterian, and has 
done much for the church and its benevolence. He married Miss Sarah 
E. Thomas in 1844. They have seven children living, William T., 
Charles F., Enos Ewing, John Knox, Sarah E., Mary Anna, Rachel 
Ewing. 

BADEN & CO., 

dealers in gents' furnishing goods, commenced business in St. Joseph in 
the autumn of 1880, and in the short time they have been here have won 
an enviable reputation. E. H. Baden, the senior member of the firm, 



6/0 BIOGRAPHICAL, 

was born on the 29th day of January, 1853, in Prussia, Province of Han- 
over, Germany, where his youth was spent until his sixteenth year. 
He then emigrated to the United States, and settled in Perry County, 
Missouri, and lived there two years, and then removed to Scott County, 
Iowa, residing there for a time, after which he engaged in trade in Lin- 
coln, Illinois. Becoming desirous to see the home once more of his 
early pilgrimage, he returned to his native country, remaining one year. 
When he again became a resident of the United States he engaged in 
the furnishing business at Lincoln, Illinois, and continuing until the 
autumn of 1880, when this house was established in St. Joseph. O. Del- 
venthal, the junior member of the firm, is a native of Hanover, Germany^ 
and was born January 7, 1855. In his fourteenth year, he came to the 
United States, and became a citizen of Perry County, Missouri, and, after 
a three years' residence, went to New York, where he filled a clerkship 
for a time ; then to Davenport, Iowa, and finally settled in Lincoln, Illi- 
nois, where he formed a copartnership with Mr. Baden, gent's furnishing 
business, which they have since conducted with a good degree of success. 

E. P. BADGER, 

the liveryman, is a native of Connecticut, and was born in West Leader 
June 27, 1830. At an early age, emigrated with his parents to Quincy, 
Illinois, where, after a short stay, he located in Payson, Illinois. There 
E. P. was raised to manhood, and educated, his youth being spent in 
tilling the soil. His father, Joseph Badger, while a resident of Connec- 
ticut, was a seafaring man. In 1849, like thousands of others, the subject 
of this sketch went overland to California, and for five years was engaged 
in mining, and other pursuits, on the Pacific Slope. During the war, he 
was superintendent of a quartermaster's department. In 1864, engaged 
in the livery business, in St. Joseph, which he has since followed with 
considerable success, having one of the best appointed stables to be 
found in the northwest. He is a man of close observation, unassuming 
in demeanor, and commands the respect of all. In i860, Miss Mary 
Griffith became his wife. They have six children : Walter S, Joseph E., 
Willie, Minnie, Eddie, Mazie. 

JNO. W. BAILEY, 

of the wholesale house of Bailey, Fairleigh & Weil, was born in Dover, 
Stewart County, Tennessee, September 17, 1830. He received an ordi- 
nary school education at home, and at the age of fourteen commenced 
his mercantile experience, in a country store owned by Watson & Hill- 
man, at Empire Iron Works, in Kentucky. Two years after he removed 
to the Tennessee Rolling Works, Kentucky, and sold goods for Hillman 



ST. JOSEPH. 671 

Van Lear & Co., four years. The last year he was given the entire 
charge and made the purchases of goods for the establishment, although 
-only twenty years of age. He resigned this position, and on May 9th 
came to St. Joseph in company with his brother-in-law, James Kay and 
his partner, J. C. Ingram. He accepted a situation with Ingram & Kay, 
and in 1852 succeeded Mr. Ingram in the business and has been contin- 
uously in the firm from that time until the present, a length of time 
sufficient to test a man's capacity both as a citizen and a merchant. The 
house of Bailey, Fairleigh & Weil is one of the best known in the south- 
west, and Mr. Bailey has become widely regarded as a thorough busi- 
jiess man, a reliable merchant and a gentleman of undoubted integrity. 
Mr, Bailey has been actively connected with many enterprises of public 
character in St. Joseph, and has uniformly manifested a commendable 
degree of sympathy with every scheme calculated to promote her inter- 
ests. May 8, 1856, he married Miss Susan E. Wildbahn, a daughter of 
Thomas Wildbahn, Esq., an old resident of Buchanan County. They 
have three children living, two sons and a daughter. 

PETER BAKER, 

boiler-maker and sheet iron worker, is a native of Germany, and was 
born in Prussia, in 1823, and was there educated and learned his trade. 
After serving his country in the army for several years, in 1849 ^e came 
to America, locating in Chicago, Illinois, where he worked at his trade 
for sixteen years. In 1865, he came to St. Joseph, where he has confined 
himself to manufacturing. He is a very proficient workman, and com- 
mands his share of patronage. He was married in Chicago to Miss 
Mary Kohner. They have had five children, three of whom are living: 
Mary, Margaret and Agnes, and has lost two, William and Joseph. 

JOHN H BAKER, 

bricklayer and plasterer, is among the progressive citizens of this city. 
He is a native of New York, and was born in Albany, February 22, 1852, 
and was there educated, raised and learned the bricklaying and plaster- 
ing trades, serving five years apprenticeship. In 1880, he came west, 
and took up his abode in St. Joseph. On the loth of October, 1878, Miss 
Agnes Meyers became his wife. By the union they have had one 
daughter, Kate. He belongs to the Bricklayers' Union. 

ARTILEUS V. BANES, M. D., 

was born near Zanesville, Ohio, February 19, 1845. He was the young- 
est of three children, two sons and a daughter, the latter being the eldest 
child, and a lady of rare ability and refined culture. She is the present 



6/2 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

wife of John Townsend, a prominent merchant of St. Joseph. The subject 
of this sketch received his primary education in Zanesville, Ohio. In 
April, 1858, he came to St. Joseph with his step-father, Colonel John A. 
Dolman. He had the good fortune to complete his education, taking a 
classical course, in the school of E. B. Neely, the present distinguished 
Superintendent of Public Instruction in that city. On leaving school in 
i860, he drove an ox-team to Denver. He then engaged in mining for 
some time near Central City, and subsequently moved to Montana Ter- 
ritory, where, in 1862, he was one of the first to settle in Alder Gulch, 
near Virginia City. His unremitting efforts in the mines were crowned 
with success, and he was enabled to return to Missouri in 1864, with 
sufficient means to defray the expenses of a first-class medical edu- 
cation, upon the pursuit of which he immediately entered. He first com- 
menced the study of his profession in the office of Dr. E. B. Forsee, of 
St. Joseph. He subsequently attended Jefferson Medical College, Phil- 
adelphia, from which he graduated with the degree of M. D., March 7, 
1868. Returning to St. Joseph, he immediately enterecj upon the prac- 
tice of his profession and soon achieved a reputation for surgical skill 
few in the city have attained. In March, 1873, he married, in Philadel- 
phia, Miss Bessie Davis, daughter of a resident of that city, and a lady 
of rare native ability and elegant culture. Dr. Banes isatpresent (1881) a 
member of the faculty and lecturer upon clinical surgery in St. Joseph 
Hospital Medical College. 

G. H. BANDEL, 

bricklayer and contractor, is a native of Germany, and was born in 
Wurtemberg June 5th, 1847. In 1854, came to America with his parents, 
locating in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where G. H. resided until 1863, 
when he became a resident of Springfield, Illinois, and there learned his 
trade, and remained until 1869, when St. Joseph became his home. Mr. 
Bandel is recognized as one of the stalwarts in his line, and many impos- 
ing edifices in the city are criterions to that effect. The Hax building,. 
Dr. Geiger's office and residence were erected by him. He married, in 
1870, Miss Kate Kiencle. By the union they have four children ; 
E. F., Lydia, Emma and Albert H. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. 
and Encampment. 

JOHN FISH BARNARD 

was born at Worcester, Mass., April 23, 1829. He was raised on a farm 
until seventeen years of age, and received his education up to this 
period in the district school. In 1846, he attended the Normal School 
at Bridgewater, Mass., and while there was induced to enter Rens- 
selaer Polytechnic Institute, where he took a course in civil engi- 



ST. JOSEPH. 673 

neering, and graduated in 1850. The same year he was engaged by the 
Chief Engineer of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad^ to go to Canada* 
where he remained until 1857, when the road was completed. He then, 
with others, engaged in making and shipping railroad ties to Cuba. In 
the summer of 1858, he took charge of a short road on the banks of the 
Ottawa River, in Canada, where he remained until 1863, when he was 
chosen Superintendent of the Montreal and Champlain Railroad. In 
1864, this road was merged into the Grand Trunk east and west of Mon- 
treal. He was then removed to Bradford, in Upper Canada, as superin- 
tendent of the road known as the Buffalo and Lake Huron, but which 
had been consolidated with the Grand Trunk Road, and remained here 
until 1866, and then re-called to Montreal, and became Chief Engineer 
of over six hundred miles of the Grand Trunk Road. In 1869, he took 
charge of the Missouri Valley Road as Chief Engineer and Superin- 
tendent. The Missouri Valley and Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Road 
were consolidated in 1870. He remained with the company until the 
road was compl.eted. In 1 871, he took charge of the St. Joseph and 
Denver City Railroad as Chief Engineer and Superintendent. In 1872^ 
he left this road, and was appointed Superintendent of the Kansas City, 
St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. April 21, 1853, he married Miss 
Gertrude A. Harvey, of Bath, England, who died March 25, 1865, leav- 
ing five children. April 28, 1868, he married Miss Julia B. Keefer, of 
Gault, Ohio. 

JOSEPH BARNES, 

the horseshoer, Frederick Avenue. Is a native of France, and was born 
April 22, 1855. He there learned his trade, and came to America in 
1872, taking up his abode in St. Joseph in 1874. He has attained an 
enviable reputation throughout the country as a horseshoer, which is 
well merited. As a farrier he is also deserving of special mention, and 
is thoroughly conversant with all ailments pertaining to the foot of a 
horse, which is very requisite in order to give satisfaction in shoeing. 

W. F. BASSETT, 

editor of the Evening News, is a native of Kentucky, and was born in 
Harrison County, June 21, 1848, and lived there until thirteen years of 
age, then removed to Clinton County, Missouri. His education was 
received in the schools of Kentucky and at Plattsburg. He studied law,, 
and was admitted to the bar in Pettis County. He returned to Ken- 
tucky, and was admitted to the bar in that state, but he had formed a 
preference for journalism, and in fact, it may be said for the past fifteen, 
years he has had more or less experience with the press. He 1878, he 
returned to Missouri, and since that time has been, comiected with the 



574 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

press of St. Joseph, and at the time of purchasing the Evening Kews, in 
1881, was editor of the Gazette. Mr. B. is a polished and affable gentle- 
man and a thorough newspaper man. Since his management of the 
News, he has rendered it one of the most readable and deservedly popu- 
lar papers in the Northwest. 

GENERAL JONATHAN MILES BASSETT, 

for many years a distinguished lawyer and representative citizen of St. 
Joseph, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, February 17, 18 17. After 
receiving a good common school education he was apprenticed to the 
printing trade. He completed his education in Springfield, Illinois, 
where he also read law, with Gov. Cailin, and was admitted to the bar 
by Judge Stephen A. Douglas. Shortly after, he moved to Ouincy, Illi- 
nois, where he was for several years engaged, first, in the publication of 
a newspaper, and afterwards in the successful practice of his profession. 
In 1844, he moved to Missouri and settled in Plattsburg,^ Clinton County, 
where he resumed the practice of law. He was chosen a delegate to 
the state convention called at Jefferson City for the purpose of framing a 
new constitution, which, it might be added, on being submitted to the 
people, was rejected. While in attendance at this convention he formed 
the acquaintance of Miss Nannie Dixon, of Raleigh, North Carolina, 
whom he married in 1850. The result of this happy union was two chil- 
•dren, Henry D., born August 26, 185 1, and Derdee Bell, born in 1856, 
and married to John Maddox. He, shortly after, located in St. Joseph, 
where he soon achieved eminence in his profession. He was at one time 
Mayor of St. Joseph, and for four years filled the position of circuit 
attorney for this judicial district. In the late civil war, he early declared 
^himself an uncompromising Union man, and did much to rally the lo}'al 
sentiment of Northwest Missouri. He commanded a company of militia, 
and was, for two years, provost marshal of the district in which St. Joseph 
was included. General Bassett was a man of powerful frame and com- 
manding presence. He was an able, fluent and persuasive speaker. Few 
men who have taken the active part in public life that did Gen. Bassett 
have left the world with fewer enemies and more personal friends than 
he did. His death occurred suddenly in 1871. 

J. W. BATCHELLER 

was born in Virginia, in 1835, and had a good military and civil school 
education. In 1857, he emigrated to St. Joseph, Missouri. He served 
an apprenticeship at gunsmithing. In December, 1861, he entered 
the United States service as principal musician of the Twenty- fifth 
Missouri Regiment, and remained ten months and then was dis- 
<charged on account of disability. He returned to St. Joseph and engaged 



ST. JOSEPH. t>75 

in the photograph business, continuing until 1869, and then engaged in 
the gun business up to 1874, at which time he engaged with F. G. Hop- 
kins, as foreman, remaining three and a half years, and then formed a 
partnership with Mr. Wall, the firm name being Batcheller & Wall. In 
1879, he purchased his partner's interest, and has since been doing a 
prosperous business. He was married in 1858 to Miss A. E. Way, a 
native of Virginia. They have three children living. He is a Mason 
and a member of the Francis Street M. E. Church. Mr. Batcheller is a 
dealer in and manufacturer of breech and muzzle loading guns, rifles and 
pistols, fishing tackle, ammunition and sporting goods of every descrip- 
tion. 

GEORGE BAUMAN 

is a wagon manufacturer on Frederick Avenue, between Ninth and 
Tenth Streets. He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, September 6, 
1834, When he attained his nineteenth year he came to America, arriv- 
ing in St. Joseph in 1854. He here learned his trade, and in i860, 
opened a shop on Third Street, continuing there until 1874, when he 
removed to his present commodious structure, which he erected. His 
business has been so increasing that in 1881, he will be obliged to add 
more room. In heavy and spring wagons he turns out durable and 
attractive work. He has a good and growing trade in Kansas and 
Nebraska, aside from Missouri. Mr. Bauman has been twice married, 
first in 1862, Miss Christena Behr, now deceased, became his wife, and 
for his second he married Miss Wilhelmina Fick, in 1869. By his first 
wife he has five children : Annie, Clara, Louie, Amelia and Oscar. 

EDWARD BECK, 

carpenter and foreman for John DeClue, is an accomplished and thorougly 
experienced mechanic ; was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 
2, 1842, and there raised to manhood and learned his trade. In 1862, he 
displayed his spirit of patriotism by enlisting in the Tenth New Jersey, 
First Division, First Brigade, and participated at Petersburg and many 
other notable engagements. In the spring of 1868, he came to St. Joseph, 
and for the past eleven years has been in the employ of John DeClue. 
In 1871, Miss Sarah T. Smith, of St. Joseph, became his wife. The 
Beck's were among the old time settlers of Pennsylvania. 

OTTO BEHR, 

professor of music. Missouri is largely indebted to Europe for its rapid 
growth and the sterling qualities and accomplishments of many of its 
best citizens. The subject of this brief sketch, who for twenty-four 
years has been a resident of Buchanan County, is deserving a special 



6^6 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

mention. He was born in Germany, on the 19th day of June, 1828, and 
was raised there. He early developed a remarkable talent for music 
and decided to make it the chosen occupation of his life, and commenced 
his first studies at his birthplace. Then availed himself of the advan- 
tages offered by the conservatory of Leipzig, and the more proficient 
he became the more desirous he was to excel, and went to Vienna, and 
thence to Milan, Italy. In 1853, he emigrated to the United States, and 
settled in Philadelphia, where he remained about three years, occupying 
a prominent place among the musical profession. In 1857, overtures 
were made for him to settle in St. Joseph. Since his residence here no 
one has done more to raise the standard of musical education and \.o 
cultivate a refined and elevated taste in this direction. For nine years 
he conducted a musical business in St. Joseph, for eleven years was 
organist of the church of St. Joseph, now the Cathedral, for six years 
organist of the Episcopal Church, and for eighteen years organist of the 
Synagogue. To his most thorough qualifications as a musician he has 
attained an enviable record as a composer. As an instructor of vocal 
and instrumental music he has a wide reputation in the West, which is 
well attested by the success some of his pupils have had. He organized 
the Philharmonic Society of St. Joseph, a string quartette of his pupils,, 
and the Mendelssohn Musical Association of St. Joseph. 

GEORGE W. BELL, 

inventor of the Bell weather strip, was born in Canada, July 8, 1838, and 
came to this city in November, 1864, and is a carpenter by trade. He 
opened a shop and carried on building for many years, and erected 
many of the fine buildings in the city, among which are the Webster 
School on Sixth Street, the Presbyterian Church, the residence of Mr. 
Zook, etc. On May 8, 1880, he received a patent on his justly celebrated 
weather strip for doors. He formed a stock company for the manufac- 
ture of them, and their utility is attested by the numerous orders they 
are receiving daily. They are simple, cheap, and the most practical 
strip in the market. Mr. Bell has also two other designs for strips for 
windows and the sides of doors, which he intends to patent. They are 
of equal value of his present one, and when completed will be a perfect 
protection from dust, rain, wind and snow. He married Miss Anna M. 
Johnson, September 6, 1868. They have two children, Frank and Flora. 

J. P. BENNETT, 

of the firm of Mayers & Bennett, is a native of Gallatin County, Ken- 
tucky, where he was born December 19, 1849, ^'""^^ ^^''^^ partially raised 
and educated in his native state. At the age of fifteen years, he removed 



ST. JOSEPH. 677 

to Illinois with his parents, and in 1869 took up his abode in St. Joseph. 
During his twelve years residence here, his career has been an active 
and successful one. His first appearance in the business arena was in 
the capacity of clerk in the clothing house of T. Connelly, subsequently 
was in the employ of Henry Hallo, Kahn & Co., and for three years 
Avaited on the patrons of the clothing house of Stern Bros. After this 
he was in the employ of Jones, Townsend & Co. We next find him 
with Mr. C. N. Mayers, the boot and shoe dealer, and, in 1 879, he purchased 
an interest in the business. Mr. B. has held many positions with St. 
Joseph merchants, of trust and responsibility, and few of the promising 
young business men of the city are more widely or popularly known. 
He found a wife in the person of Miss Mary Bartly, a native of Illinois, 
whom he married September 2d, 1878. They have one son, Herbert. 

W. W. BERNARD, 

superintendent of Wyeth & Co.'s manufacturing establishment, was born 
in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois, in 1837, and came to this city in 1863. 
His father was a harness and saddle manufacturer, and the son, while 
very young, worked at the trade, and early became an expert in all 
branches of the business. During this time, he was sent to school, and 
received a good education, preparing himself for a business man. At 
maturity, he went into business with his father, and remained with him 
until he came to this city. He immediately established himself in busi- 
ness here, and continued it until January, 1870, when he was employed 
by W. M. Wyeth & Co. to take charge of their large saddle and harness 
manufacturing business as superintendent. Since his connection with 
the company's business, it has increased from a working force of ten or 
twelve men to seventy-five, and is one of the most complete establish- 
ments in the entire West. The plan and construction of their new build- 
ing, on Second Street, was the work of Mr. B. It being so complete in 
all its arrangements, it would well repay a visit to any of our citizens to 
see what is being done in their midst. He married Miss Ella Cubberly, 
in Middletown, Ohio, in i860. By this happy union they have three chil- 
dren — Harry E., Jennie M. and Susan T. Harry E. graduated at the 
high school in the class of 1880, and is now in the employ of Messrs. 
Nave & McCord. Mr. B. is an active and zealous member of the Baptist 
Church, one of its staunch supporters and liberal contributors. 

JOSEPH BERNARD, 

grocer, corner Fourth and Isabelle Streets, was born in Alsace, France, 
February 28, 1826 ; was there educated, and resided, until he attained 
his twenty-sixth year. His father, Marc, was an agriculturist in that 
country. In 1852, our subject came to the United States, residing three 



678 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

years in Louisiana, where he learned the cooper's trade ; was also clerk 
for a time in a country store. He next went to Iowa, and resided tem- 
porarily at West Liberty, Indianola, and other points, engaged, princi- 
pally, in saw mill work ; was also for awhile a resident of Nebraska. In 
March, 1858, took up his abode in St. Joseph. He engaged in the hard- 
ware establishment of John Colhoun & Bro., on Second Street, and was 
in that house for ten years, and he then embarked in trade. He is fav- 
orably known in St. Joseph, and throughout the county, and does a 
lucrative trade. August 9, i860, Miss Julia Montavon, of Alsace, France? 
became his wife. They have eight children : Mary J., Julia C, Joseph 
J., Emily C, Lucy L., Isabelle L., Louis A., Helen M. Himself and 
family are members of the Catholic Church. 

Dr. JOHN THEODORE BERGHOFF, 

professor of surgery in the Northwestern Medical College, was born in 
Prussia, November 17th, 1825, and landed in this country April 15th, 
1846, and settled in Texas, with a Prussian colony, where he remained 
only a few months, when he came to St. Louis, October i6th, 1846. 
He remained in St. Louis until April, i860, when he came to St. Joseph, 
where he has received a large and lucrative practice. Dr. B. received a 
thorough druggist education in Prussia, and studied medicine in St. 
Louis, and graduated from the Medical Department of the St. Louis 
University on March ist, 1855. He was appointed assistant surgeon 
in the St. Louis hospital, and remained there for three years, with 
Dr. T. Y. Banister as resident surgeon. He opened a drug store in St. 
Louis, and continued the practice of his profession until he came to this 
city in i860, when he opened an office and commenced the practice of his 
profession. During the late war, after a thorough examination by the army 
board, he was appointed surgeon of the Twenty-fifth Missouri Volunteers 
and remained in the service until 1864, being promoted to brigade sur- 
geon. He returned to this city, where he has built up a lucrative prac- 
tice. In 1881, he was unanimously elected to the chair of surgery in the 
Northwestern Medical College. In every position in which the doctor 
has been placed he has been equal to the emergency. He has performed 
many very critical surgical operations very successfully. He is a good 
physician and a popular lecturer. 

DR. GALEN E. BISHOP. 

Among the distinguished physicians of l^uchanan County, Dr. Bishop 
stands prominent. He has been engaged in the active pursuit of his 
profession for nineteen years in Platte County, and for fifteen years in 
St. Joseph. His birth occurred in Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky. 



ST. JOSEPH. 679- 

His ancestors were of English descent, and, in colonial times, were resi- 
dents of New Hampshire. Members of the Bishop family fought in the 
Revolutionary War, and in 1783 settled in Virginia. Galen's father, who 
was born in Virginia, removed from Kentucky to Missouri in 1843, set- 
tling in Platte County, where he died in 1851. While comparatively 
young. Dr. Bishop had resolved on medicine as his profession. As soon 
as an opportunity offered, he began his medical studies, pursued them 
with diligence, and first established himself in practice at New Market, 
Platte County, Missouri, in the spring of 1846. He followed his chosen 
calling in that county for nineteen years, when, on account of threatened 
lung disease, induced by exposure incident to a rough country practice, 
and also with a view of securing a more central location, he determined 
to move to St. Joseph. Accordingly, he located in this city in the spring 
of 1865, and established himself in an office and general practice, mak- 
ing his specialties surgery and chronic diseases. To accommodate his 
increasing practice, he built his infirmary on Third Street, which is beau- 
tiful in architectural design He has one of the finest libraries in the 
western country, and on his long rows of shelves, ancient and modern 
authors stand side by side, and there can be found the best works 
of the leading writers of all schools. Dr. Bishop was originally an allo- 
pathic physician, but has thoroughly acquainted himself with the princi- 
ples of the different leading schools and systems. Naturally liberal in 
his tendencies, his practice is not hampered by the restrictive dogmas 
of any particular system. But he believes that some good and some 
foundation of truth exists in all systems, of which every physician should 
avail himself in his practice. 

JOHN L. BITTINGER 

is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born on the ?8th day of 
November, 1833, in Franklin County. In 1840, his parents removed to 
Ashland County, Ohio. His father dying when he was only thirteen 
years of age, Mr. Bittinger went to work on a farm, and at the age of 
sixteen came west with his employer to Green County, Wisconsin, where 
he remained until the spring of 1852, when, thirsting for knowledge, he 
made his way to Freeport, Illinois, and entered the office of the Journal 
as an apprentice to learn the printing business. Here, with the aptitude 
which distinguishes a true journalist, he commenced to write for the 
paper, while becoming an adept in its mechanism, and in a short time 
became one of its principal editorial contributors. Three years later, 
having acquired his trade, he removed to St. Louis, where he became 
connected with the Intelligencer. During his residence in St. Louis he 
was chosen a delegate from the Typographical Union to the National 
•■Convention, held in Chicago in 1858, and in Boston in 1859. I'"' 1857, he 



580 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

became foreman of the St. Louis Democrat newspaper, holding that 
responsible position for two years, when, in company with the late Col. 
James Peckham and Lieutenant Governor Charles P. Johnson, he started 
the St. Louis Evening Bulletin, disposing of his interest in it in the 
spring of i860, in order to remove to St. Joseph, where he has ever 
since resided. Taking an active part in the national political canvass of 
that year, especially as the correspondent of the St. Louis Democrat, as 
a reward for his labors, on the recommendation of General Francis P. 
Blair, Jr., at the incoming of President Lincoln's administration, in 1861, 
he was appointed Postmaster of St. Joseph, which position he held until 
May, 1865. In 1862, Mr. Bittinger was married to Annie M. Smith, of 
Freeport, Illinois. In 1862, he was elected as a member of the Twenty- 
second General Assembly, his competitor being the late Hon. Henry M. 
Vories, afterwards one of the Judges of the Supreme Court. Mr. Bittin- 
ger was chosen speaker pro tem. of the House at that session, and was 
one of the most active participants in the great senatorial contest of that 
period, which finally resulted in the choice of Hon. Jno. B. Henderson 
for the full term of six years, and ex-Governor B. Gratz Brown for the 
term of four years, he being the warm friend and supporter of both the 
successful aspirants. In 1862, he was commissioned as Aid-de-camp to 
Governor W. P. Hall, then Brigadier General in command of the North- 
western military district of the state. In the same year, he became asso- 
ciated with Hon. C. B. Wilkinson, as editor and proprietor of the St. 
Joseph Daily Herald, which he conducted as managing editor until 1878, 
when he disposed of his interest to the present proprietors. In 1864, he 
was unanimously nominated for re-election to the Legislature, but 
declined. Subsequently he was nominated for the State Senate, which 
honor he also declined. In 1866, he was selected by the then Secretary 
of War, Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, as one of the three commissioners to 
appraise the value of slaves, the property of loyal owners, who had been 
enlisted in the service of the United States. In 1870, Mr. Bittinger was 
again unanimously nominated for the Legislature ; was elected by a 
large majority and during that session was chairman of the committees 
on Internal Improvements and Insurance, and a member of the commit- 
tees on Congressional Apportionment, Printing, Retrenchment and 
Reform, and a number of special committees. Mr. Bittinger was 
re-elected in 1872, and again in 1874, after a most spirited contest, in 
which he was the only candidate of his party who was successful. At 
the beginning of the session, in January, 1875, Major Bittinger was the 
Republican nominee for Speaker of the House, and received the united 
Republican and Independent vote. After Major Bittinger had disposed 
of his interest in the St. Joseph Herald, he, for two years, was engaged 
in loaning money for Eastern capitalists, in Western Kansas. In June. 
1881, he was tendered the editorial chair of the Kansas City Daily Jour- 





&-l^^-t^/:^<^^^^ 



ST. JOSEPH. 68 1 

nal, which he accepted early in July, and he is now filling that responsi- 
ble position. He still retains his residence in St. Joseph, however. 
During his legislative career he obtained many important special priv- 
leges and benefits for his city, which accounts, in a great measure, for 
his success before the people when a candidate. To him, more than to 
all other influences, is due the location of the Northwestern State Luna- 
tic Asylum, at St. Joseph, and obtained the passage of the bill which 
secured to St. Joseph sessions of the Supreme Court. He was one of 
the incorporators of the St. Joseph Bridge Company, and Auditor of the 
Board during its construction, and did much towards securing the con- 
struction of the magnificent structure which now spans the Missouri 
River at that point. Mr. Bittinger, while in no sense a partisan, has 
always taken an active part in politics as a member of the Republican 
party. In 1862, he was a delegate and Secretary of the first Emancipa- 
tion State Convention ever held in Missouri, and has been chosen a dele- 
gate to every Republican State Convention since the organization of 
the party. In 1872, he was a delegate to the National Republican Con- 
vention held in Philadelphia, which nominated President Grant for a 
second term, and was also a member of the Republican State Central 
Committee for many years. Mr. Bittinger is a genial companion, a 
ready and forcible speaker, thoroughly versed in parliamentary practice, 
and an influential legislator. His friends in both parties are legion, 
attracted and attached to him by a suavity of manner which never for- 
sakes him, and by a kindliness of disposition and generosity which has 
no other limit than that of capacity. 

T. L. BLAKEMORE, 

farmer and breeder of fine stock. Section 25, postoffice St. Joseph, was 
born in Frederick County, Virginia, January 25, 18 19, and was raised on 
a farm until fourteen years of age, when he became a clerk in a store. 
Six years later he was engaged in the same business for himself, and 
continued four years, when he began the hotel business, and at the same 
time was sheriff*. He held the office of sheriff" for nine years. In 1849, 
he, in connection with two other parties, erected a fine hotel at Capin 
Springs, Virginia, (a summer resort) at a cost of $80,000. In 1857, he 
came to St. Joseph, Missouri, and engaged in the hotel business. He 
retired in 1879, ^^"^^ removed to his farm, where he now resides. He was 
married October i, 1839, to Miss Eliza Richards. Her nativity was the 
same as that of her husband, she being born May 19, 18 19. They had 
eight children, of whom three are living, James M., Mary and Russell. 

L. BLASS, 

brick manufacturer, was born August 15, 18 18, in Baden, Germany, 
where he was raised, educated, and learned the trade he now pursues. 



682 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

In 1848, he came to America, and after a short stay in the cities of New 
Orleans and St. Louis, engaged in the manufacture of brick at Belleville, 
Illinois. In the autumn of 185 1, he took up his abode in St. Joseph. 
Many of the old landmarks of the city have been constructed of mate- 
rial of his manufacture. Mr. Blass has been twice married. His first 
wife (now deceased) was Miss Johanna Meit. By this union they had 
one daughter, Louise. His second wife was Mrs. Mary Beock. They 
have three daughters, Mary, Lillie and Rosa. 

NOAH BOAZ, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Clay County, Misssouri, August 5, 
18/^4., and in his tenth year removed with his parents to DeKalb County, 
that state, where he was educated and raised to manhood. His father, 
Harrison, was a carpenter, and Noah adopted that profession. The 
death of Harrison Boaz occurred while he was a resident of DeKalb 
County, and Noah's mother was again married, to Captain William 
Moore, of Buchanan County. Mr. Boaz located in St. Joseph. He is a 
skilled workmain, and has built many of its fine residences and other 
buildings in the city. In 1864, Miss S. M. Anderson, a native of Ken- 
tucky, became his wife. They have five children : Hallie, Effie, Ruth, 
Stella and Harrison. 

HENRY BODER 

was born in Switzerland, September 6, 1805, and came to this country in 
1834, and settled in Mount Eaton, Ohio, and remained there for six 
years, working at his trade as carpenter and bridge builder. He went 
to New Orleans for several months, then to St. Louis, where he remained 
for four years, and then came to this city in 1844. He built two build- 
ings among the first built, one log and one frame. In 1845, he returned 
to New Orleans and remained until September i, 1847, when he returned, 
and since which time he has been actively engaged in building. He 
has, by his industry and economy, saved a competency for old age. He 
married Louisa Perring, of Ohio, in 1836. She died in 1854, leaving two 
sons, Henry and Lewis, who now are bankers and substantial business 
men in Troy, Kansas. In 1863, he married Mrs. Angelique Croteau, 
who came to this city in 1840. 

JOHN BOGLE, 

is a native of Ireland, and was born in 1835. He emigrated to 
America June 9th, 1852,. landing in New York, where he remained 
one year, and worked at bricklaying. In 1853, he was employed to go 
West and peddle. Worked his way on foot from Cincinnati, Ohio, to St. 
Joseph, Missouri, landing March 7th, 1857. He was a peddler three 



ST. JOSEPH. 683 

years, in partnership with McNealy, until 1861, and then went across the 
plains, and was absent for one year. He returned to St. Joseph, which 
has since been his home. Married, in 1863, S. O'Brien, a native of Can- 
ada, by which union they had one child. 

C. H. BOLLER, 

wholesale and retail dealer in stoves, tinware and general hardware, was 
born in Germany, in 1836, and came to America with his parents in 1848, 
locating in St. Louis. In 1849, the family removed to Boonville, Mis- 
souri, where C. H. was a resident until 1854, when he returned to St. 
Louis, and learned the tinner's trade. In 1864, he become a resident of 
St. Joseph. During the war, his father, John H. Boiler, and his oldest 
brother, Godfried, were killed at Boonville, by the bushwhackers. In 
1862, Miss Annie Roeder became his wife. By this union they have 
three children — Laura, Tilla and Ida. Mr. Boiler carries a stock of 
stoves and tinware that will compare favorable with any in the city. His 
wholesale trade is continually increasing. Is a member of the I. O. O. 
F. (Humboldt Lodge) Encampment, German School Society and German 
Benevolent Society. 

DANIEL F. BOMBECK, 

proprietor of the sheet iron, copper and galvanized iron works, was 
born July 16, 1826, at Rinteln, Lippe Schaumburg, Germany, where he 
was raised and learned the trade of copper smith. He became a soldier, 
served in the tenth German army corps, and took an active part in the 
Schleswig-Holstein campaign. When discharged, he again worked at 
his trade for six months and then emigrated to America, where he 
arrived, in 1850, at New Orleans. After a few months there, he went to 
St. Louis, where he was employed for six years. In the fall of 1856, he 
came to Hannibal, Missouri, where he established a sheet iron and copper 
works on his own account, which he carried on for three years. In 1859, 
Mr. Bombeck sold his business and went to Pike's Peak, trying his good 
luck by gold digging, but without much success. Hearing from the 
prospects in New Mexico he, in 1862, joined a prospecting party, and 
started with them up to the San Juan mountains, but had to return with- 
out reaching the desired success. He returned to the South Park mines, 
and then came back to Hannibal, Missouri, where he bought a farm, on 
which he worked up to 1867, when he came to St. Joseph. Here he was 
employed three years at his trade, and, in 1871, opened his iron and 
copper works, which business he carries on with great success. He mar- 
ried August 2, 1870, Mrs. Cornelia Hausting, born in Borngesser, Heidel- 
berg, Germany. They have two children, Frida, born September, 1871, 
and Heinrich Daniel, born September, 1875. 



684 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

A. D. BORTLE, 

broom manufacturer, was born in Middleburg, Schoharie County. New 
York, March 3d, 1852, and when three years of age emigrated to Wis- 
consin, his father, J. H. Bortle, locating with his family in West Salem, 
LaCrosse County, being among the early settlers in that section. A. D. 
was there raised and educated. The family was located for a time in 
Minnesota, but vacated the state during the Indian massacre. In 1869, 
our subject went to Clear Lake, Iowa, where he remained one and a half 
years ; thence to Stewartsville, Missouri, where he learned the broom 
making trade. For five years was in a factory at Falls City, Nebraska, 
and took up his abode in St. Joseph in the autumn of 1879. The supe- 
riority of his goods has attained a wide spread and well merited reputa- 
tion. He was married, in 1 881, to Miss Ida Bliss. Mr. Bortle is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. 

WM. C. BOTELER, M. D.. 

was born in Middletown, Md., August 4th, 1855. He received good 
educational advantages while young, preparing for a collegiate course, 
which he took at the Penn College at Gettysburg. He studied 
medicine with his father. Dr. W. E. Boteler, and attended the medical 
department of the University of Maryland, at Baltimore, receiving the 
degree of M. D. Dr. B. afterwards became a student at the John Hop- 
kins University, of Baltimore, Md., in the biological laboratory of Prof. 
J. Newell Martin, of Cambridge, England. Eighteen months afterwards 
he became a student of Prof. Mears, at the Jefferson Medical College, of 
Philadelphia, preparatory to service as surgeon in the United States 
Indian Department. In October 1879, he passed his examination and was 
appointed physician and surgeon, at the agency of Otoe and Missouri 
Indians in Nebraska. He remained there seventeen months, then 
resigned and located in St. Joseph, in Februar}-, 1881. On the 15th of 
May, 1 88 1, Dr. Boteler was elected by the faculty of the Hospital Medi- 
cal College of St. Joseph, as professor of chemistr}- and histology, which 
chair he at present fills. 

HENRY BOTTGER, 

contractor and builder, Saxton, was born September 11, 1836, in the 
City of Florenceburg, Holstein, German}-, and was there reared and 
receiv'cd the benefits of an education. When fourteen years of age, he 
commenced to learn the carpenter's trade. In 1854, he crossed the 
ocean, and landed at New York, working there for two years, and then 
emigrated West. He stopped a short time in Wisconsin and Chicago, 
and came to St. Joseph in 1858, remaining a shtn-t time, when he moved 



ST. JOSEPH. 685 

to Andrew County. During the late war, he served for three years in the 
Enrolled Missouri militia, under Captain Lewis, and then enlisted in the 
Eighteenth Missouri Infantry, Company E, and served until the end of 
the war. He took part in the battle of Atlanta, and was with General 
Sherman on his famous march to the sea and around to Washington. 
He returned to Andrew County, and engaged in farming, and came to 
Buchanan County in June, 1880, and settled in Saxton. He has built 
many buildings in St. Joseph and Andrew County. He was married 
December 30, i860, to Miss Alice McLaughlin, a native of Andrew 
County, Missouri. She died December 13, 1873, and left four children — 
Rose, (now Mrs. Henry Palmer), John, George W. and Mary. Mr. B. is 
member of the Masonic fraternity. 

JAMES BOWEN, 

a native of Ireland, was born October 19, 1826. He came to the United 
States when a child, settling first in Connecticut, where he resided till 
the year 1849, when he moved to Cleveland, Ohio. He married Miss 
Mary E. Fairbanks, daughter of Jabez Fairbanks, Esq., of Vermont. By 
this marriage he had several children, of whom six are now (1881) liv- 
ing : Emma A., Ella, Eliza L.. James Edward, Cora T., and Blanch R. 
He afterwards settled in St. Joseph, and, in 1871, was elected Council- 
man, serving two years of the period, during which the Missouri River 
bridge was being built. Mr. Bowen has devoted many years of his life to 
the building and operating of railroads. In 1875, Miss Eliza L., third 
daughter of the subject of this sketch, was married to Wm. L. Sommer, 
of St. Joseph. Emma received an excellent education ; is a teacher by 
profession, a business in which she has achieved marked success, and 
acquired an enviable reputation. She is now (188 1) principal of the 
Mitchell Avenue School. 

ROBERT I. BOYD 

was born in Halifax County, Virginia, in 1808, and came to this county 
in 1837, and settled five miles southeast of this city. The Indians were 
their neighbors with but a few white families. Mr. B. started the first 
dry goods store in the county. He remained in trade until 1844, when 
he came to Blacksnake Hills, St. Joseph, and started a store in the fall 
under the firm name of Boyd & Moss. They continued in trade until 
1857, and sold out on account of his poor health. He died in 1865. He 
married Kittie Moss in Boone County, Missouri, in June, 1828. They 
had one daughter, Isabella, who died when twelve years old. In 1867 
Mrs. Boyd was married to Dr. John H. Edwards, of Jefferson City, Mis- 
souri, after which he moved to this city where he lived for nine years. 
He died in 1876. Josiah B. Moss, her nephew, and partner with Dough- 
erty & Ray in the lumber business, and Ernst Edwards, her step son, 
now live with Mrs. Edwards. 



686 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

J. V. BRADY, 

of the firm of J. V. Brady & Co., jobbers in teas and cigars, is a native 
of Virginia, and during his boyhood, spent his time on a farm. During 
the years 1863-4, he was in the government employ, transporting horses 
from Wheeling to Washington City. In the spring of 1865, he emigrated 
to St. Joseph, and commenced clerking for Nave, McCord & Co. This 
he continued for eight years, and in January, 1873, ^^^s admitted as a 
partner. He retired from the firm in January, 1880, and on the ist of 
April, 1 88 1, he engaged in his present business. 

WILLIAM L. BRANYAN, 

foreman of St. Joseph Bridge, was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, 
March 4, 1834, and was there educated and learned his trade. His 
father, Andrew, was a puddler in the iron works, and a native of that 
state. Our subject came west in 1858, locating at Pleasant Hill, Cass 
County, Missouri, and worked at his trade until 1862, when he enlisted 
in the Confederate army, Co. A, Sixteenth Missouri Volunteer Infantry, 
serving three years, after which he came to St. Joseph. For a time he 
worked at the carpenter trade, and for five years followed butchering. 
He again engaged at his trade, and worked on the construction of the 
St. Joseph bridge, and the 15th of June, 1874, took the foremanship. The 
duties of this position he has discharged very efficiently. In 1859, Miss 
Christa A. Parker, of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, became his wife. They 
have three children, Jennie Lee, William A. and Eula May. 

A. F. BRAUN, 

general manager of Tootle & Hosea's boot and shoe factory, was born 
in Mecklenburg, Germany, November 7, 1844. When eight years of age, he 
came to the United States with his parents, his father locating at New 
Baltimore, Michigan, where our subject was reared and educated. He 
learned the boot and shoe trade in Detroit, and in 1872 went to St. 
Louis, and worked for Appleton & Noyes as cutter, and then with Geo. 
Gog, the largest manufacturer of boots and shoes in the city, with whom 
he was foreman for two years. After this he came to St. Joseph, and in 
May, 1879, took his present position. He is thoroughly conversant with 
all the details of the trade, and one of the most experienced Crispins in 
the West. In 1866, he married Miss Catherine Furtoh, of Michigan. 
They have five children, Ada, May, Henry, Lillic and Alice. Mr. B. is a 
Master Mason. 

GENERAL R. C. BRADSHAW, 

City Assessor, was born in Platte County, Missouri, March, 1840. In 
1848, after the death of his father, his mother moved with her famil}- to 



ST. JOSEPH. 687 

this city. Here young Bradshaw received his education, and in 185 1 
went to learn the blacksmith's trade. In 1858, he started a shop on the 
corner of Seventh and Messanie Streets, for the manufacture of wagons, 
which he continued until April, 1861. He took an active part in the 
election of Lincoln, and when the rebellion broke out, in April, 1861, he 
raised a company of 103 men, subsisting them himself until they joined 
different commands. He entered the service in June, 1861, as an enlisted 
man, in Company A, Peabody's Battalion, United States Reserve Corps, 
and a braver man did not enlist during the rebellion, and the wounds he 
received are evidence of his active service. After the war, he returned 
and continued the wagon business. In 1867, 1868 and 1869, he held the 
office of City Register. After this, he was appointed ticket agent of the 
St. Joseph and Denver Railroad, which he held for eighteen months. He 
is now City Assessor. He married Miss Fannie Wild, April 17, 1867, 
and they have three children — Fannie, Mary and Hero. 

HENRY BRILL, 

of the firm of Ernst & Brill, dealers in books and stationery, was born 
in Weston, Missouri, November 30, 1843. He was raised on a farm, and 
attended school during the winter, thereby receiving a common school 
education. At sixteen years of age, he came to St. Joseph and remained 
four years, learning the harness and saddlery trade. He started a shop in 
1867 in Weston, and carried on the business for three years. In 1870, he 
sold out and engaged in partnership with F. C. Ernst, in the book business. 
Since that time their business has increased from a small paper and 
stationery stand, until now, in addition to their extensive retail trade, 
are doing a jobbing trade. As a firm they are affable and accommoda- 
ting, hence their great popularity. He married Miss Matilda Ernst, of 
this city, in 1867. They have three children, Charles F., Wm. H. and 
Clarence Leslie. 

R. A. BRITTAIN, 

druggist, was born in Shelbyville, Kentucky, March 30th, 1823, and was 
there reared to manhood, educated and became proficient in pharmacy. 
His father, Samuel, was a carpenter and builder. In 1852, the subject of 
this sketch took up his abode in St. Joseph, and until 1859 ^^as of the 
firm of Vanley & Brittain. He then became one of the firm of McDon- 
ald, McCurdy & Brittain, but in 1861 was burnt out, which proved very 
disastrous to Mr. Brittain. For a number of years he was connected 
with different houses in the city. In 1873, he engaged in trade again, 
and now operates two stores, one between Fifth and Sixth, on Edmond, 
and one on Eighth Street between Olive and LaFayette Streets. Mr. 
Brittain has had many obstacles in life to contend with, but has finally 



BIGORAPHICAL. 

succeeded in securing a competency. In 1850, he married Miss Margaret 
Evans, of Henderson, Kentucky. They have a family of three children,, 
E. A., Robert S. and Thomas E. Himself and wife are members of the 
M. E. church south. 

JAMES G. BRIGHT, 

carpenter and builder. Among those who figured in the early building 
interests of St. Joseph was this gentleman, who was born in Clark County, 
Kentucky, April 22nd, 18 14. At an early age, he removed to Boone 
County, that state, where he resided until he attained his seventeenth 
year, then becoming a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. There he learned 
the carpenters and builders trade. In 1842, he located in Missouri, 
residing for a time at Booneville and other points. In the spring of 
1844, he took up his abode in St. Joseph where he has since been actively 
following his trade, with the exception of two years spent in California, 
going there in 1850 and returning in 1852. Mr. Bright worked on many 
of the old land marks, which have been torn down the past few years. 
Few Buchanan County pioneers are more widely and popularly known 
than Mr. Bright. He is unassuming in his demeanor and unchangeable 
in the tenor of ways. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

THOMAS J. BROWN, 

farmer and stock dealer, section eight, post office St. Joseph, was born in 
Nodaway County, Missouri, September 7, 1844. He came to Buchanaa 
County in 1862, and was for one year, during the war, engaged in freight- 
ing to New Mexico. With this exception, he has made farming his occu- 
pation during his life. His farm consists of 220 acres, and his improve- 
ments are above the average. He was married December 10, 1865, ta 
Miss Sarah Leonard, who was born in this county June 21, 1845. They 
have seven children: Laura V., Maggie D., Lena, Ida V., Mary E.,. 
Edgar L., and one infant. 

J. R. BROWN, 

of the firm of Brown & Leverich, blacksmiths, is a native of Logan 
County, Indiana, and was born February 7, 1838. When young, he 
removed to Keosauqua, Iowa, where his father, John, located with 
his family for a short time, and then came to Andrew County, Missouri. 
J. R. came to St. Joseph in 1861, and here learned his trade, and has 
since been a constant resident, with the exception of his term in the 
army. He was in the state militia, and in 1863, enlisted in the Twelfth 
Missouri Regiment, participating in many of the stirring events, and 
serving one year on the plains after the war was over, when he was hon- 
orably discharged. Returning to St. Joseph, he has since been employed 



ST. JOSEPH. 689 

at his trade, in which he is quite proficient. In 1880, he formed a part- 
nership with George Leverich. Mr. Brown has been twice married, first 
in 1862, to Miss Martha Rains, who died in 1868, leaving one daughter 
living, Mary E. He was again married in September, 1876, to Flora 
Ratliff. They have two children, Ono and Ora. 

JOHN BRODER 

was born in Middlebury, Vermont, July 14, 1830, and came to St. Joseph 
in i860. He was an overseer, of the railroad track laying, and well 
posted in all that pertains to the business, having commenced it in 1849, 
and it was his business until 1873. He was with Davis Carpenter, Jr., 
for five years; he laid the first bar of iron west of the Missouri River or 
in Kansas. In 1874, he was elected City Marshal and served for two 
years. In 1876, he was elected one of the School Board and has served 
very acceptably ever since. He married Miss R. C. Cole, of Oswego^ 
New York, September 15, 1859. 

JOHN BROSI, 

manufacturer of tinware and contractor in sheet iron and copper work,, 
was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, May 14, 1838, and was raised, edu- 
cated, and learned his trade in his native city. In 1857, his father, John,, 
Sr., emigrated to Missouri with his family. They located on a farm in 
Andrew County, where they still reside. After a short sojourn in Mis- 
souri, John, Jr., returned to Pittsburg. At the breaking out of the rebel- 
lion, he tendered his services to the cause of the Confederacy, enlisting 
in the Third Louisiana Infantry. Participated at the battles of Wilson's 
Creek, Pea Ridge, Corinth, luka and others. Was honorably discharged 
at the close of the rebellion. In 1867, he took up his abode in St. Joseph, 
where he has since been in trade. He commands an ample share of 
the trade. Mr. Brosi is a good conversationalist, and keeps well read in 
the current literature of the day. Is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

NORTON BROOKER 

is one of the most thoroughly skilled and well known millwrights in the 
northwest. He is a native of London, England, and was born in that 
part of the famous city known as Surry, on the 30th of April, 1837 ; was 
there raised, educated and learned his trade. In 1865, he came to Amer- 
ica, and, after spending two years in the mountains, took up his abode in 
St. Joseph, where he has since, principally, made his headquarters, doing 
work in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and other states. For a few years he 
was in the employ of Tood & Alderman, mill furnishers, St. Louis, as 
their agent on the road. He built the mill at Easton, for Messrs. Boone 



690 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

& Yates, and others in close proximity to St. Joseph. He is well posted 
in all the latest improvements connected with the milling business. 

HERMAN BRUNSING 

was born in Berlin, Prussia, June 8th, 1829, and lived there until four 
years of age, and then went to Ruppin and attended a gymnasium until 
seventeen years of age, when he entered the army and remained in the 
military service until i860. After leaving the army, he engaged in mer- 
cantile pursuits with unsatisfactory results. He decided to emigrate to 
America, and in 1864 landed at New York, and enlisted in the Tenth 
New Jersey Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He returned 
to New York, and thence to Chicago, and after a year's residence in the 
latter place he came to this city in 1866, and engaged in the manufac- 
ture of vinegar, which he continued for some time. In 1873, he was 
appointed local agent of the United States Postal Department, and in 
1875 engaged in a general insurance business. In 1879, ^^ purchased an 
interest in the Volksblatt, which has since been conducted under the firm 
name of Brunsing & Co., mention of which is made in the article entitled 
"The Press." Mr. Brunsing was married December 5, 1853, to Miss 
Matilda Lehman. She was was born in Landsberg, December 5, 183 1. 
Their family consists of four children, Clara, Emile, Elise and Hedwig. 
Emile was register clerk in postoffice for four years. 

BRYANT'S BUSINESS COLLEGE. 

Thomas J. Bryant, A. M., L. L. B., President. Prominent among the 
great educational institutions in the West, for the past seventeen years, 
is Bryant's Business College. The institution was established in the 
autumn of 1864, by Professor T. J. Bryant, and up to the spring of 1881, 
the college register indicates 2,138 pupils who had entered for a com- 
plete business course. Many of these are engaged in business in differ- 
•ent states and territories, while others are holding responsible and 
lucrative positions in banking houses and all departments on the great 
commercial wave of industry throughout the entire country. The 
thousands of testimonials received by the college is a sufficient guaran- 
tee that the satisfaction it has given to those who have been attendants. 
Professor Bryant is a native of Kentucky, and was principally educated 
in Cincinnati, Ohio. His early aim was to become proficient as an 
instructor in commercial and business usages, and for over thirty years 
has been a successful teacher in these important branches. For fifteen 
years, he was associated with Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College 
of Cincinnati. When six years of age, he lost almost the entire use of 
both legs by disease, which debarred him from all callings requiring 
physical powers. At the age of fourteen, his parents died, leaving him 



ST. JOSEPH. 691 

comparatively without other resources than his mind, which was soon 
devoted to such sciences as seemed the most useful and practical. He 
was soon recognized as an unsurpassed teacher in penmanship, drawing 
and the English branches. Graduating at the leading commercial insti- 
tute at the time, and finding its instructions superficial and impractical, 
he entered several others with the same result, and has since labored to 
remedy the difficulty. While teaching under the supervision of the late 
Joseph Ray, close to leading commercial colleges of the time, he was 
continually noting the deficiencies of their pupils and seeking such rem- 
edies as could be obtained from books and experienced accountants, 
which initiated the course he has so energetically pursued for many 
years, during which he has visited the leading business centers, and has 
continually introduced the improvements best adapted to business and 
the comprehension of students. Long experience convinced him that 
though intimate with the details of business and the general nature of 
accounts, he could not explain the reasons for many things, sufficiently 
to remove the doubts of his pupils without a practical and comprehen- 
sive knowledge of law, political economy and similar branches. He lost 
no time in taking the degrees at one of the best law schools, and em- 
ploying the best lecturers and teachers in utilizing these branches to the 
course of instruction which has generally been but imitated elsewhere, 
but is now demanded throughout the entire country as the only one 
approved of by well informed business men of all classes. 

PHILIP BUDDY 

was born July 25th, 1825, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. After having 
received his education, he served his apprenticeship as carpenter from 
1 841 to 1844, in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Desiring to become 
independent, he went to Frederick City, Maryland, where he opened a 
carpenter shop, and remained up to 1866, then going to Cincinnati, 
Ohio. He came to St. Joseph and opened a carpenter shop in March, 
1868, was very successful and has done his full share in building up this 
city. Many fine buildings were erected by him. He was married Sep- 
tember 1st, 1852, at Frederick City, Maryland, to Miss Sophia M. Stein. 
They had ten children, six of whom are living : Charles Allen, born in 
1856; Catharine Elizabeth, 1859; Philip Perry, 1861 ; Allen Lee, April 9, 
1864; Joseph Allen, September, 1872; Pauline, March, 1875. Four are 
deceased: Louis, born in 1853, died in 1855 ; Wm. Albert, born October, 
20, 1866, died in July, 1868 ; Sophie M., born in October, 1869, died in 
March, 1870, and Bradley B., born in March, 1871, died in August, 1871. 

GEORGE BUELL 

was born in Jefferson County, New York, where he received a limited 
education. He was brought up in a woolen mill, and, at the age of eigh- 



692 bio(;raphical. 

teen, was intrusted with the management and direction of a factory in 
Illinois. In 1848, he moved to St. Joseph, and there engaged in the 
flouring business, at the same time operating two custom carding rolls. 
In 1852, his father built, in St. Joseph, a small woolen mill, at that time 
the only one west of the Mississippi River. In 1856, he erected a saw 
mill, which he operated till i860, achieving success in both enterprises. 
In 1852, he married Miss Juliette Bancroft, a native of Missouri. By 
this union he had six children. In 1862, he lost his wife. In 1865, he 
married Miss Clara Mapstone, a native of Michigan, by whom he has had 
two children. Mr. Buell, in common with many others, encountered 
severe losses during the period of the civil war. He has recovered from 
these, however, and ranks with the substantial business men of St. 
Joseph. He has served two terms in the City Council, and has held 
important positions in banks and other corporations. He is, at present, 
engaged in the manufacture of woolen fabrics, and is President of the 
Buell Manufacturing Company, a corporation organized under the laws 
of the state, and including in its membership Geo. Buell, W. N. Buell, J. 
W. Bailey and J. S. -Lemon. The woolen mill is one of the most exten- 
sive and popular in this section of the west, and constitutes an import- 
ant factor in the manufacturing wealth of the city. 

JOHN G. BULLING, 

merchant, is a native of Germany, and was born in Wurtemberg, January 
13, 1832. Was there educated and resided until 1854, when he emigrated 
to the United States, coming direct to St. Joseph. He arrived on 
the 17th of May, and engaged in farming in Wayne and Center Town- 
ships, in this county, and continued in that capacity until 1869, when he 
embarked in merchandising in St. Joseph. For a time he was in part- 
nership with John Graff, and also had an interest with Mr. George Sey- 
fried, in an establishment on Eleventh Street. Mr. Bulling carries a 
very complete stock of dry goods, notions, etc. His long sojourn in the 
county has given him a wide acquaintanceship, and he commands a large 
and lucrative trade. He was married in 1859, to Miss Mary Hill, a native 
of Clay County, Missouri. By this union they have six children — Albert, 
Louis, Robert, John, Mary Josephine and Laura. Mr. B. is a member of 
the I. O. O. F., Humboldt Lodge, the Foresters, of which he is Chap- 
lain, and the Druids and the German Benevolent Society, being one of the 
Directors. 

COLONEL LEWIS BURNES 

was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 181 1. He afterwards moved to Indiana, 
and was, for several terms, a member of the General Assembly of the 
latter state. In 1838, he moved to Platte County, Missouri, and at once 



ST. JOSEPH. 693 

became an honored member of society there, and a staunch and reliable 
business man. In 1842, he was chosen State Senator from the counties 
of Platte, Clay and Ray, and occupied his seat until 1850. He was -the 
associate and peer of such men as Governor Stewart, Hon. James S. 
Rollins, Claiborne F. Jackson, and others, and was an active participant 
in the memorable contest between the Benton and anti-Benton Democ- 
racy. He was the Colonel commanding a regiment under the old militia 
law, and was several times called into active service in the Indian cam- 
paigns on the frontier. He was, at the period of his death, which occurred 
in St. Joseph, on Monday morning, November 17, 1879, a lawyer of forty 
years standing, and eminent in the profession. In Platte County he 
accumulated a handsome fortune, and was regarded as one of the ablest 
and cleverest men in the county. Not long before the breaking out of 
the war, he transferred his residence to Leavenworth, Kansas, and at once 
engaged in business there in an energetic and enterprising manner. While 
in Leavenworth, he added greatly to his private fortune and possessed 
legions of ardent friends. He afterwards emigrated to Salt Lake City, 
and for a few years engaged in mining and other enterprises. Return- 
ing to the states, he purchased the St. Joseph Gazette, and from that 
time up to the period of his death, was an honored citizen of St. Joseph. 
He left a wife and two daughters, and five grand-children. These 
were Mrs. Smedley, of Salt Lake City, and her two children, and Mrs- 
Victoria Stoddart, of Kirwin, Kansas, and her three children. Being a 
man of remarkable energy and enterprise, he always delighted in the 
prosperity and greatness of our common country. He was a consistent 
Democrat all his life, and conscientiously believed in the principles of 
the party, but he was never arrogant in expressing his opinions, or 
desirous of abridging the political rights and privileges of others. No 
man ever endeared himself to his subordinates more than Mr. Burnes 
did while he was the controlling spirit of the St. Joseph Gazette, and 
he went to the grave possessing the respect, admiration and love of all 
the attaches of the paper. 

THOS. J. BURGESS, Sr.. 

farmer and breeder of fine stock, Sec. 2 ; postoffice, St. Joseph. Was 
born in Mason County, Iventucky, June 15, 1828 and was reared on a 
farm., and educated in the common schools and academies. In March, 
1850, he came to St. Joseph, and during this same year he took a freight 
train to California, and located in Nevada City, Nevada County. At 
this point he studied law, and was admitted to the bar, before the Cir- 
cuit Judge, Wm. T. Barber, and acted as an associate judge of this 
court for four years. He was also the first Assessor of the county. 
After his term of office expired, he continued the practice of his pro- 



694 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

fession till 1858, when he returned to St. Joseph, and wa.s engaged in 
the practice of law for some time. Was Deputy Sheriff for two years^ 
under R. P. Richardson, and has also acted as Deputy Collector two 
years, and was elected to the same office for two years. In the fall of 
1878, he moved to his present location, since which time he has been 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, his landed estate consisting of nearly 
300 acres. His home farm, containing the greater part, which is finely 
improved, has also a fine orchard. His farm is well supplied with water 
of ever flowing springs, by which he has made a large fish pond, which 
is stocked with government fish. He was married December 22, 1859, 
to Miss Martha P. Owens. She was born April 22, 1841, and is a native 
of Maryland. They have four children living : Abbie E., Martha W., 
Ida L. and Thos. J., Jr. He is a Master Mason and Sir Knight. 

ANDREW BURVENICH 

was born in Cologne, Germany, April 22d, 1826, and was there raised to 
manhood and learned the trade of cabinet making. In 1856, he came to 
America, and the same year located in St. Joseph. For a time worked 
at his trade, when he engaged in contracting and building, and many 
structures of the city were built under his supervision. At the breaking 
out of the rebellion, Mr. B. tendered his services to the Union cause, 
enlisting in Company A, First Kansas Infantry; participated in the bat- 
tle of Wilson's Creek and other notable engagements; was honorably 
discharged after serving three years. He was married in Germany to 
Miss Elizabeth Scheeffer. They have had nine children, eight of whom 
are living : Maggie, Anton, John, Mary, Andrew, Jr., Lizzie, Teresa and 
Henry. They lost one, Tillie. Mr. B. is a Turner and a member of the 
German Benevolent Society. 

DENNIS BURNS, 

grocer. Mr. Burns is a native of Ireland, and was born in County Lim- 
erick, July 17, 1833. Iri 1849, he came to America, taking up his abode 
in Alexandria, Virginia, where he worked at the plumber's trade and 
resided until the spring of 1859, when he became a resident of St. Joseph. 
During his sojourn in the city, he was proprietor of an express wagon 
nine years, was on the police force several years, and for two years was 
constable of Washington Township. In 1875, he engaged in his present 
business. His long residence in the city has given him a wide acquaint- 
ance, and his trade will compare favorably with any in the place. In 
1859, ^c married Mary Welch. By this union they have had five child- 
ren, Edward, John, William, Mary and Dennis, Jr. Himself and family 
are closely identified with the Catholic Church, and among its liberal 
supporters. He is a member of St. Patrick's Benevolent Society. 



ST. JOSEPH. 695 

J. KATE BURGESS, 

proprietor of the Grand Central Livery Stable, was born in Mason County, 
Kentucky, March 12, 1830. His father, John D. Burgess, was a native of 
Maryland, and immigrated to Kentucky with his parents in his eighth 
year. His grandfather, Joshua, was a Virginian, and a Captain in the 
Revolutionary War. His mother, Lydia M. Wise, was the daughter of 
John Wise, of Virginia. Kate's early vocation was that of tilling the soil 
of Mason County, and attending the common schools. In 1853, he opened 
a livery stable in Millersburg, Bourbon County, Kentucky, which he con- 
ducted until 1855, and in that winter came to St. Joseph, engaging in 
the same trade until 1858, when he removed five miles south of the city. 
Engaged in agricultural pursuits for five years, and in 1863, commenced 
the stock trade in St. Joseph, continuing until 1867, when he again turned 
his attention to farming. In 1874, we again find him in the livery busi- 
ness in St. Joseph. He is a thorough horse man, and it may be said of 
him, has been literally bred in the business, and his judgment among 
horse fanciers is considered conclusive. When a farmer, he gave his 
attention to the breeding of fine stock, and to him the people through- 
out Northwestern Missouri are indebted for raising the standard and 
furnishing them with the finest type of Berkshire hogs. The Grand 
Central, of which he is proprietor, is well stocked with fleet-footed road- 
sters, which are kept in the best of tone, the business receiving his indi- 
vidual attention. In 1856, Miss Lucinda A. Holliday became his wife. 
She is a native of Bourbon County, Kentucky, and daughter of William 
Holliday, brother of Ben Holliday, of Western stage coach notoriety. 
Their family consists of seven children — William D., Mary M., Minnie 
N., W. M., John E., Katie and Guy. 

JOHN BURNSIDE, 

A person who could be a resident of St. Joseph a month and not hear of 
honest John, would undoubtedly be deaf. There are but few men in this 
city who have figured more conspicuously in its manufacturing interests 
in the past two and a half decades. Mr. Burnside was born September 
21, 18 1 8, in Glasgow, Scotland. His boyhood days were spent in his 
native city, and when of a suitable age, he learned the machinist's trade. 
In 1848, he came to America, residing six months at New Orleans, work- 
ing for the government in the mint. After this he came to St. Louis, 
and was for seven years in the employ of Sam. Gaty. In 1855, he 
took up his abode in St. Joseph, first embarking in trade in a little Cot- 
tonwood shop, but being a skilled workman he kept gaining ground, 
until he was on terra firma. For a number of years he was the senior 
member of the firm of Burnside, Crowther & Rogers. He is a self-made 



696 . BIOGRAPHICAL. 

man, and demonstrates the fact that much can be accomplished where 
there is a will to execute. He was the choice of the citizens of the 
Fourth Ward for two terms, as Councilman, and while there acquitted 
himself creditably. He was married in 1844, to Miss Margaret Mcintosh. 
He is a Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Council Com- 
mandery and Eastern Star, also the Knights of Pythias, I. O. O. F., and 
Encampment. 

ANTON BURVENICH, 

druggist, is a native of Germany, and came to the United States with 
his parents when quite young. His father, Andrew, was among the early 
settlers of St. Joseph. Anton was here raised, educated and learned his 
profession. He is popularly known in the city and throughout the 
county, and commands a fair share of the trade. 

BUTCHER & HUMMEL, 

fresco and ornamental painters. This enterprising firm embraces two 
very excellent workmen. Mr. F. G. Butcher is a native of Loudon 
County, Virginia, and was born in 1848, and there resided until i860, 
when he came to Missouri, where he learned his trade. After learning 
his trade, he worked for a number of years in Washington, D. C, Balti- 
more, and other points. He came to St. Joseph in 1873, and for some 
time was in the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs 
Railway Company, after which he was a resident of Chicago and other 
points. Returning to St. Joseph in the spring of 1880, he has since been 
a resident, engaged at his trade. He is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. Charles H. Hummel is a native of Schuylkill County, Pennsyl- 
vania, and came West in 1867, locating for a time in Council Bluffs. In 
the spring of 1881, he came to St. Joseph. As a fresco and scene artist 
Mr. Hummel is unexcelled in the country. Many of the fine halls 
throughout the Northwest have been fitted by him. He makes a spe- 
cialty of scenery, and in this branch of the art will rival many whose 
names are more familiar to the public. 

BUTLER & CLAY. 

manufacturers of hosiery and knit goods. In the manufacture of knit 
goods these gentlemen have attained a wide and well merited reputa- 
tion. They established their business in St. Joseph in 1878, and their 
trade has been one of a continual and solid growth. Senterlow Butler 
was born in Nottinghamshire, England, April 10, 1832, and was there 
raised and educated, his father Thomas was a manufacturer of knit goods 
and our subject adopted and learned that trade. In 1865, he came to 
America, locating in Massachusetts, and for seven years had charge of 



ST. JOSEPH. 697 

the first-class work in the Boston Manufacturing Company, at Waltham, 
which position required experience and ability. He worked at other 
points in the eastern states, and in 1878 came to St. Joseph. He married 
in 1853, Miss Emily Snell. By thisu nion they had four children, Mary A. 
(now Mrs. J. Burlington), Anna, (now Mrs. Dempsey), Rebecca, (now 
Mrs. Procter), Elizabeth M., (now Mrs. Gaskins). Mr. Butler is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. William Clay was born in Nottinghamshire, 
England, November 29, 1854, and when young, came to America with 
his parents, and learned the knitting business and factory work in Need- 
ham, Massachusetts and other points. He came to St. Joseph in 1878, 
and engaged in trade. He was married in 1879 to Miss Jennette Archi- 
bald. They have one son, William D. Mr. Clay is a member of the 
church of Latter Day Saints. 

B. F. BUZARD 

was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, October i6th, 1839, ^"d lived in 
his native place until 1854, and then came to Missouri, and settled first 
in St. Joseph, and thence to Holt County, Missouri, where he remained 
until 1856. At this time the Kansas excitement so imbued him that he 
decided to remove to Kansas and contribute his share towards making 
it a free state. After a residence in Kansas until 1859, ^^ returned to 
Holt County, and in i86i,_in response to the call for troops to assist in 
putting down the rebellion of the South, he enlisted in the Twenty-fifth 
Missouri Infantry as a private, and for meritorious conduct at Lexington 
was promoted to second lieutenant, and was assigned to duty in the 
First Missouri Regiment of Engineers, which was afterwards consoli- 
dated with Bissel's Corps of Engineers. In 1863, he was promoted to 
captain. He served under Grant and Sherman in the armies of the Ten- 
nessee and Cumberland, and in 1865 was appointed Adjutant General of 
the District of Northwest Missouri, General W. R. Penick commanding. 
After the death of Lincoln, he resigned, and engaged in mercantile 
business, and was in the employ of the St. Joseph Steam Printing Com- 
pany, of which, at the present time, he is a stockholder. In 1876, he was 
elected city marshal. In 1874, he commenced the stock business, at first 
on a small scale, but it has grown to such proportions as to demand his 
entire time. He married Miss E. Nicholson in December, 1865. She 
was born in London, Pmgland. Their family consists of four children, 
Frank, Harry, George and Charles J. 

HUGH BYRNE, . 

roadmaster of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Of the railroad 

men of Missouri there are few more widely known than Mr. Byrne. He 

is a native of Ireland, and was born in Queen's County, February 11, 

1840, and was there educated and raised. His father, Timothy, was an 

43 



698 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

agriculturist in that country. In 1861, our subject came to America, and 
made his debut in railroading on the construction of the New York and 
Albany Railroad, after which he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was 
employed in the building of the Whitewater Valley Railroad, and when 
the road bed was complete, he had charge of the track laying. He next 
came to Sedalia, Missouri, and for four years had charge of the middle 
division of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, after which he was engaged in 
the construction of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, continuing 
with that company until the road was completed to Dennison, Texas. 
He next entered the employ of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, as 
roadmaster on the east end, where he remained one year, and since has 
been on other divisions. Twenty years of constant experience has made 
him very competent in the most essential part of railroading. He was 
married in 1868, to Miss Kate Sack, of Indiana. By this union they 
have six children : Mary, Robert, James, Margaret, Ella and Kate. 

CABLES & OZENBERGER, . 

proprietors of a grist mill, better known as the Corby mill, Section 6. 
This mill is a substantial brick building, four and one-half stories high, 
and contains three runs of burrs and a new and complete set of machin- 
ery. The present proprietors took possession in January, 1881. Mr. 
Cables has been raised to the business and understands it thoroughly, 
and patrons may rely on their work with safety. 

B. F. CALLAWAY, 

contractor and builder, one who has been interested in the building 
interests here, and also in the manufacturing of brick, is our subject. 
He is a native of Indiana, and was born in Madison, Jefferson County, 
March 15, 1840. Was there raised to manhood, educated and learned 
the brick mason's trade. He came to Missouri in 1858, locating in Boon- 
ville, and was engaged in contracting and building until 1869, when he 
took up his abode in St. Joseph. During the war, he was in the state 
militia. Many of the palatial mansions and attractive business houses of 
St. Joseph have been erected by Mr. Callaway. He was married in 1859, 
to Miss Susan G. Morton, of Missouri. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

CHARLES W. CAMPBELL 

was born in Winchester, Virginia, February loth, 1827. His father, 
Thomas B. Campbell, also a native of Virginia, was, by occupation, a 
goldsmith. The subject of this sketch was one of five children, two of 
whom were boys. He received an excellent education in a private 
academy of his native town, and embarked in mercantile pursuits, selling 



ST. JOSEPH. 699 

goods first in his native city, for a period of about three years, to 1846, 
when he started for the West, and landed in Louisville, Kentucky ; from 
there he came to St. Joseph, February, 1849. His first business experi- 
ence in this, then embryo city, was in the capacity of clerk for Donnell, 
Saxton & Duval, dry goods merchants. He remained in this house for 
some time, when, in partnership with William T. Duval, he opened a 
general stock of merchandise in St. Joseph. He remained in this busi- 
ness about three years. About 1855, he moved to Rock House Prairie, 
in Buchanan County, where he engaged in general merchandise, first in 
partnership with Duval, and afterwards alone. He also, about this period, 
purchased and operated a farm in the neighborhood of his store. He sub- 
sequently received in partnership in his mercantile business his brother, 
T. Ed. Campbell, a well known business man of St. Joseph, and now (1881) 
of the wholesale dry goods house of R. L. McDonald & Co. In 1857, he 
traded his stock of merchandise for a plantation in Clinton County. In 
1861, being a heavy loser by change of times at the breaking out of the 
war, his plantation was disposed of, and he returned to St. Joseph, where 
he engaged in business with Tootle, Fairleigh & Co., wholesale dry 
goods dealers, and as an active partner with Tootle, Craig & Co., whole- 
sale dry goods dealers, and, subsequently, in the same capacity with 
Tootle, Hosea & Co., in the same line of business, of which firm he is 
now (1881) an active member. In 1854, Charles W. Campbell married 
Miss Sarah Jones, daughter of Harvey Jones, an old settler of Buchanan 
County, and niece of Robert W. Donnell. The result of this union was 
eight children, seven sons and one daughter. Of these, all but two sons 
are living. Mr. Campbell has been, all his life, an active public spirited 
citizen, and for several years past an influential member of the City 
Council. His effort has ever been to promote the interests of the city 
of his adoption. Among the number of beneficial acts of which he is 
the author, are the ordinances changing the city warrants to what are 
known as ones and twos, creating a circulating medium, which at once 
caused the floating warrants of the city to advance from eighty-five, 
interest bearing, to par, non-interest. As chairman of the Water Works 
Committee, he was influential and active in securing to the city its 
admirable system of Gravitation Water Works. He is also (188 1), as 
chairman of the City Finance Committee, successfully engaged, in con- 
nection with the Mayor and the committee, in exchanging the bonded 
indebtedness of the city, bearing interest from six to ten per cent., into 
twenty-year four per cent, bonds. This was, at one time, deemed 
impracticable, but nearly $1,000,000 have been exchanged, and the mat- 
ter is now pronounced a complete success. . In politics, since the death 
of the old Whig Parly, Mr. Campbell has been, and is now, a staunch 
Democrat, and, as such, is frequently called to preside over its city and 
county conventions and central committees. 



• 700 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

LUCIAN E. CARTER, 

attorney, was born in Jefferson County, New York, April 25, 1836. He 
determined at an early age to acquire a thorough education, and 
embraced every opportunity to study. After becoming sufficiently 
advanced he entered Union College, and after four years of close appli- 
cation, he graduated with honors in 1859. The same year he graduated 
at the Law School in Albany. In i860, he removed to Yazoo, Missis- 
sippi, and taught school and studied law until the war broke out, when 
he came to Montgomery County, Missouri, and was employed in the 
Danville College to teach Latin and Greek. After remaining a few 
months, he returned to Watertown, New York, and entered the law office 
of Hon. M. H. Marvin, who is now a Supreme Judge of the Court at 
Utica. In the spring of 1862, he left the office and raised a company of 
one hundred and fifty men, in Jefferson County, for the Tenth New York 
Artillery, and was appointed Lieutenant. The command was sent to 
Staten Island, where they were thoroughly drilled in all branches of 
artillery service. They remained at this school of drill for one year, and 
were then ordered to the fortifications at Washington, D. C, remaining 
there on duty for nearly a year. Lieutenant Carter was detailed on spe- 
cial duty to accompany detachments of soldiers from New York to duty 
in the field. Early in June, 1864, they were ordered to Cold Harbor, 
where they arrived just in time to participate in a portion of the battle. 
For his heroic conduct at Cold Harbor, he was promoted to a Captaincy. 
They were ordered to Petersburg, in time to participate in the 
five day's battle, June 15th. He also participated in the battles at Ber- 
muda Hundred and in the Shenandoah Valley. In January, 1865, he 
was ordered on detached service as Division Judge Advocate at Bermuda 
Hundred. March 31, 1865, he was ordered to report to his command, 
and was mustered out of service in July, 1865, and returned home. He 
immediately entered the office of Judge Marvin, and studied with him 
until December, when he was admitted in Syracuse to practice. In Jan- 
uary, 1866, he came to St. Joseph, and entered the office of Samuel Ens- 
worth, Esq., with whom he formed apartnership. By his strict attention 
to business, his good legal judgment as an adviser and genial ways, Mr. 
Carter has won the genial esteem of all and built up a very large .practice. 
He married Miss Eliza G. Overall, of St. Charles, Missouri. April 27, 1870. 
Thc\- have three boys— Edwin O., John O. and Marvin G. 

WILLIAM S. CARVER, 

foreman of buildings for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs 
Railroad Company. He was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, 
December 15, 1848, and was there raised to manhood, educated, and 
learned the carpenter's trade. In 1 868. he came West, and from 1871 



ST. JOSEPH. 70 [ 

until 1874, during the season, he was in the employ of the K. N. Line 
Packet Company, as clerk. His father, Mr. J. M. Carver, at present 
resides in Des Moines, Iowa, and is engaged in the manufacture of sash, 
doors and blinds. The subject of this sketch, for a time after comino- to 
St. Joseph, was in the employ of R. K. Allen, and also worked in the 
car department for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Rail- 
road Company. In 1876, he took charge of the building department, a 
position he has retained, discharging the duties creditably to himself and 
to the satisfaction of the company. He was married in 1878, to Miss 
Annie Newell, of St. Joseph. They have one daughter, Lulu Belle. Mr. 
Carver is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

J. W. CAUGHLAN, 

publisher of the Good Way, was born in Cabell County, Virginia, 
August 2, 1832. His father, John, was a teacher, and when J. W. was 
young, removed with his family to St. Louis, where he was raised and 
educated. At an early age our subject manifested a desire for the min- 
istry, and in 1857, took charge of the M. E. Church in St. Joseph, which 
was then in its infancy. In i860, he went to Savannah in the same 
capacity, and, until 1879, was at Macon, Hannibal and Mexico. Durino- 
the rebellion, Mr. C. was First Lieutenant in the Fifth Missouri State 
Militia. In 1879, he established and commenced the publication of the 
Good Way and Temperance Bugle in Savannah, and in 1880, removed 
the office to St. Joseph, discontinuing the Temperance Bugle. The 
Good Way, under his supervision and management, has obtained a wide 
spread reputation and is numbered among the leading non-sectarian 
religious newspapers of the day. Mr. C. has devoted many years to the 
cause of religion and temperance, and has always been found a success- 
ful and stalwart worker. He was married in Savannah, Andrew County, 
in 1858, to Miss Jane Miller, of that place. By this union they have six 
children, Charles W., N. L., Mary D., Fred W., J. W., and Helen V. 

CHAPMAN & CORNELL, 

real estate brokers, negotiators of loans, and collecting agents. M. B. 
Chapman, the senior member of this firm, is a native of Lousiana, where 
he was born October 22d, 1846. He has been all his life a member of 
the M. E. Church South, and is recognized as a preacher of ability. He 
is at present (1881) minister in charge of the church in Weston. ' Durin"- 
the civil war, he served in the Confederate army, enlisting as private in 
the Washington Artillery of New Orleans. In the following year, he was 
promoted to the position of chaplain in his regiment. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Masonic order.. He afterwards moved to Missouri, settling in 
St. Joseph, where he married Miss Maggie Harris. Mr. Chapman was 
the founder and for four years editor of the Evening Chronicle, which 



702 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

was afterwards consolidated with the Gazette, and for some time pub- 
lished as the Gazette-Chronicle. H. N. Cornell was born in the State of 
Vermont, November i6, 1828, and at the age of seven years his parents 
moved West, stopping for a short season in New York and Pennsylvania. 
He served in the United States navy, and was, from 1844, two and one- 
half years on the steamer Michigan. He then learned the saddle and 
harness business. In 1850, he passed through St. Joseph on his way to 
California, in an overland trip, returning to old Fort Kearney, now 
Nebraska City, where he carried on for several years the saddle and har- 
ness business. April 14, 1861, he married Miss Mary H. Deneen, a native 
of Indiana, by whom he has had six children. In 1864, he crossed the 
plains to Idaho, with his own freight train, a venture in which he lost all he 
had. In 1867, he returned to St. Joseph, and the following year, again 
engaged in business. In 1880, the present partnership of Chapman & 
Cornell was formed. 

CHAMBERS, MARNEY & CO., 

wholesale and retail dry goods dealers on Felix, between Fifth and Sixth 
Streets, rank with the eminently successful men of this country. Com- 
mencing in 1866, with exceedingly limited capital, they soon succeeded 
in building up a retail trade second to none in their line in St. Joseph. 
Exclusive of their wholesale trade, they did, in 1880, a retail business of 
$175,000. Their store, in one of the most elegant blocks in the city, is 
one of the most attractively arranged and substantially stocked in St. 
Joseph. Till 1881, the firm was Chambers & Marney. R. H. Chambers, 
the senior member, a native of Canada, was born in 1838; he has resided 
in the United States from early boyhood, and was educated in the dry 
goods business, a calling which he has pursued all his life with unfailing 
success. He was married to Miss Alice C. Wheelock, in Ogdensburg, 
New York. By this marriage he has three children, two boys and a girl. 
E. L. Marney was born in Rouse's Point, New York, in September, 1841; 
here he received his early and subsequent business education. From 
1857 to 1859, when he embarked in his present business,* Mr. Marney 
was actively engaged in railroading. In 1873, he married Mrs. Colum- 
bia Williams, in Atchison, Kansas. There is no more popular business 
man in St. Joseph than E. L. Marney. The Co. of the concern is Mr. C 
G. Sampson, formerly a clerk in the establishment. Previous to his 
becoming a member of the firm in 1881, Mr. Sampson had been engaged 
in mining in Colorado. 

PROF. T. C. CHAPMAN, 

of the St. Joseph Normal Business College, is a native of Ohio, and was 
born in Hiram, Portage County, June 27, 1842. His primary education 
was received in the common schools, and he also attended the Western 



ST. JOSEPH. 703 

Reserve Eclectic Institute, when, the now President of the United States, 
J. A. Garfield, was principal. He completed his classical course at 
Geneva, Ohio, and graduated in penmanship at the Cleveland Business 
College. On the 17th of August, 1862, he tendered his services to the 
Union cause, and enlisted in Company D, 104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 
participated in the Georgia campaign, and many noted engagements of 
the rebellion. He was honorably discharged at Greensboro, North Car- 
olina, in 1865. Returned to Ohio, residing there until 1871, when he 
became a resident of St. Joseph. For about a year, he was instructor in 
Bryant's Business College, and, for a time, was bookkeeper for the St. 
Joseph Building and Loan Association, and three years teacher of pen- 
manship in the public schools. On the 20th of December, 1880, he 
opened the St. Joseph Normal Business Institute. Mr. Chapman has 
established a reputation in St. Joseph as a successful teacher of penman- 
ship, bookkeeping and an instructor on commercial law. He has had a 
varied experience, is a close student, and has received the commenda- 
tions of the press and the people. The Normal Business Institute is in 
its infancy, but with Prof Chapman, as its Faculty, it is destined, in the 
near future, to figure among the leading educational institutes of the 
Northwest. Our subject married December ist, 1880, Miss Cassie 
Brunts, of St. Joseph. 

F. A. CHASE, 

Master Mechanic for the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R., is a native of Ashta- 
bula County, Ohio, and was born August 18, 1836. At an early ao-e he 
removed with his parents to Windsor, Vermont, where he was raised and 
educated. His father, John F., was a native of New Hampshire, and his 
mother, Mary Cummings, was born in Vermont. F. A. commenced to 
learn his trade when thirteen years of age, in the machine shops of Rob- 
bins & Lawrence, his wages being forty cents per day. He remained in 
this establishment eight years, and became thoroughly proficient with all 
the details of machinery. As he advanced in the knowledge of his 
adopted profession, so likewise did his salary increase, and before his 
quitting the place he filled the most responsible pc^sition and commanded 
the largest salary. He eventually drifted West, and for several years 
was in the employ of the Detroit Locomotive Works, at Detroit, Michi- 
gan ; after which, he worked with the C, B. & Q. Co. as machinist ; after- 
wards as fireman, and eventually as engineer, continuing in the latter 
capacity about ten years. As engineer, was for a time on freight, thence 
to passenger, and finally was placed in charge of pay car and specials 
For about three years he had charge of the round house at Aurora, Illi- 
nois, for the same company. In the autumn of 1880, he accepted his 
present position. Mr. Chase has had a broad and varied experience as a 
machinist and railroad man, and is one of the most thoroughly proficient 



704 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

to be found in the United States. He is prompt, methodical, perfectly 
reliable, and resolute in all his undertakings. He married in i86i. Miss 
Fannie B. Cummings, of New Hampshire. They have one daughter — 
Nettie. 

C. B. CHASE, 

builder of engines and general iron worker. Of the proficient and skilled 
machinists in the northwest, Mr. Chase occupies a prominent position. 
He is a native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and was born March 5, 
1848. When 16 years of age, he went to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 
where he learned his trade in the establishment of Nat Colyer, after 
which he migrated to Syracuse, New York. For three years he was in 
the rivet department of Frazier 8c Byrnes, resided in Syracuse seven 
years and then removed to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and after a ten years' 
sojourn came to Ottumwa, Iowa, residing there one year, thence to St. 
Joseph, and for a time was foreman for Burnside, Crowther & Rogers,, 
and afterward was one of the Lincoln Manufacturing Company. In 
August, 1880, he became one of the firm of Chase, Riblet & Co, This 
co-partnership existed until the spring of 188 1, when Mr. Chase embarked 
in trade alone. He is a close observing man and combines the practical 
with the theoretical. In 1864, he enlisted in Company E., First Maine 
Heavy Artillery, passing through the usual routine of warfare, and was 
honorably discharged in 1865. His wife, who was formerly Miss Eliza- 
beth Warner, he married in 1869. By the union they have five children,. 
Inez, Frankie, Charles, William and Leo. 

MAJOR T. J. CHEW 

was born in Columbus, Ohio, in the year 1838; he was the oldest of a 
family of three children, besides a half-sister older than himself. 
Anthony S. Chew, his father, was a native of Connecticut, a distinguished 
o-raduate of Yale College, and a lawyer by profession. In 1836, he 
moved to Ohio and settled in Cincinnati, where he formed a law partner- 
ship with the celebrated Thomas Corwin, who afterwards achieved a 
national reputation. The style of the firm was Corwin & Chew. The 
subject of this sketch received a liberal education, first in Heron's Semi- 
nary, and afterwards in Brooks' Preparatory Classical School, both private 
institutions of high order in Cincinnati. At the age of sixteen he visited 
Iowa. From 1858 to 1861, he was engaged in the insurance business in 
the city of New York. In the latter year he moved his residence to St. 
Joseph, where he permanently located, pursuing, for a brief period, his 
old calling, the insurance business; he then embarked in the wholesale 
grocery trade in partnership with several others, the style of the firm being 
Koch, Chew & Co. In this he continued till 1874, when he embarked in the 



ST. JOSEPH. 705 

brokerage business. In 1861, he married Miss K. M. Forbes, a native of 
New York. The fruit of this marriage was one child, who died in 
infancy. He served during the civil war on the staff of General Hall 
and of twelve other generals; he also served as quartermaster of the 
department of St. Joseph, with the rank of major, from 1862 to 1865. 
He has long been recognized as an enterprising and public-spirited citi- 
zen. During the years 1872 and 1873, he filled, to the entire satisfaction 
of all concerned, the position of President of the Board of Trade of 
St. Joseph, and has been uniformly identified with the best interests of 

the city. 

A. M. CHESMORE, 

dealer in standard farm machinery, wagons and grass seeds, general 
agent for manufacturing company's goods. Buckeye grain drills, Barley's 
reversible tooth harrow, D. M. Osborne's goods, Minnesota Chief thresher, 
Garr, Scott & Go's, threshers, engines, etc. Mr. Chesmore established 
this business in 1878. He is a native of Massachusetts, and emigrated 
to Missouri in 1863. He was raised a farmer, and was married in 1864 
to Miss Lucy E. Brown, a native of New Hampshire. They have six 
children. He is a Mason and a member of the Missionary Baptist 
Church. By a fire, in 1879, he sustained a severe loss. 

CHARLES CHESNUT, 

of the firms of Chesnut & Son, dealers in stoves and tinware, C. & P. E. 
Chesnut, grocers, and.C. & P. E. Chesnut, livery. Few of the represen- 
tative business men of St. Joseph have been more actively engaged in 
various branches of industry than Charles Chesnut. He is a native of 
Laurel County, Kentucky, and was born in 1834. His father Abraham, 
was among the early settlers of that state, and died when Charles was 
young. In 1850, our subject came to Missouri, locating in Chariton 
County, where he was ra'ised to manhood and educated. His boyhood 
days were spent in tilling the soil. In 1863,. he became a resident of 
Buchanan County, farming one year, after which he located in Platte 
County, residing there until 1865, when we find him in St. Joseph, 
engaged in the grocery trade, which he still pursues with a considerable 
degree of success. In 1876, he became the senior member of the firm of 
C. & P. E. Chesnut, liverymen. In 1851, Miss Mary E. Blakely, a native 
of Kentucky, became his wife, and by this union they have one son 
living, William, a promising young gentleman, and the junior member of 
the firm. Mr. Chesnut is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being a 
Master Mason and a member of the Chapter, and also a Forester. 

P. E. CHESNUT, 

of the firm of C. & P. E. Chesnut, livery. Among the popular gentle- 
men of St. Joseph, Pleasant, as he is usually called, occupies a front 



706 4 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

rank. He was born in Laurel County, Kentucky, April 4, 1840, and was 
raised in the agricultural district, his father, Abraham, being a farmer- 
In 1859, he removed to Platte County, Missouri. Here he remained 
until the breaking out of the rebellion, when, his sympathies being with 
the South, he tendered his services in defense of the Confederate cause, 
and enlisted as Second Lieutenant in General Parson's Brigade, Tenth 
Missouri Infantry, participated in many of the notable events of the 
memorable conflict, being honorably discharged at the close. In 1865, 
he engaged in the grocery business, and, in 1876, became the junior 
member in the livery business of C. & P. E. Chesnut. He is a member of 
the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council. His wife, formerly Miss AUie 
Kirby, of St. Joseph, he married in December, 1877. They have one son, 
•Guy. 

JAMES T. CHURCHILL, 

one of the pioneer and first-class artists who for twenty-seven years has 
been catering to the wants of the St. Josephites, is our subject. He was 
born in Shelby County, Kentucky, March 6, 1829, and was there raised 
and learned his trade. He came to St. Joseph in 1853, ^'"1^ has done 
much of the superior sign and ornamental painting here. 

W. B. CHURCHILL. 

A veteran printer and painter in St. Joseph is found in the person of 
W. B. Churchill, who was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, February 
23, 1837. In early life he learned the printer's trade, and came to St. 
Joseph in 1855, arriving on the 19th of May; he commenced to learn the 
trade of painting with his brother, James T., which profession he fol- 
lowed until 1861. When the St. Joseph Herald was established, he took 
the foremanship of the office, and was in that employ at different times 
for over five years. Aside from that he has confined himself to painting. 
He has been twice married. On the 25th of February, 1858, Miss M. 
A. Williamson, of Shelbyville, Kentucky, became his wife ; she died 
August 15, 1857. Mr. C. was again married, in 1875, to Miss Mary J. 
Fulton, of Shelbyville, Kentucky. By his first marriage he had one 
daughter, Lenora. By the latter union he had three children, Fulton, 
Willie and Virginia. 

MILTON M. CLAGGETT 

Avas born October 2, 1827, in Maryland ; was raised a farmer, and 
received his education in the common schools of the count}'. He came 
to Missouri in 1858, and to this county in i860, settling in St. Joseph in 
1864. He bought a farm, partially improving it until 1879, ^vhen he sold 
out and went into the grain business with Mr. Willis, forming the firm of 



ST. JOSEPH. 707 

Willis & Claggett. They had large contracts with the Government in 
furnishing grain, and were also largely engaged for many years in freight- 
ing to Denver, Montana, Salt Lake, etc. They closed the business in 
1867. In 1868, he associated with him Mr. C. Evans, and contracted to 
build one hundred miles of the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad, 
which they built in 1870 and 1871. In 1876, he was elected County Col- 
lector, and served two years. He has been one of the Directors in the 
Merchants' Insurance Company for many years. Mr. Claggett is a descend- 
ant of Bishop Claggett, of Maryland, who was one of the most distinguished 
in the church. In 1879, ^^ ^^^s appointed Coal Oil Inspector by the 
Governor. He married Sarah E. Boteler, in Maryland, in 185 1. They 
have four children living — Clara B., Edith E., Henry M. and Sarah E. 
In 1863-4, Captain Claggett commanded Company D, Eighty-first Regi- 
ment Enrolled Missouri Militia, for thirteen months. 

G. W. CLAYTON, 

of the firm of G. W. Clayton & Co., junk dealers, is a native of Virginia, 
and was born in Petersburg, September 3, 1847. His father was a cousin 
of Henry Clay, and a gentleman favorably known in that country. G. 
W. was educated, and resided in his native state, until the breaking out of 
the rebellion, and then, a mere boy, he shouldered his musket and went 
to the front in defense of the Confederate cause, and served faithfully 
until the close. After the war, he went to Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and for 
seven years was one of the overseers and managers of the State Insane 
Asylum, after which he was connected with the State Insane Asylum, at 
Jacksonville, Illinois, for three and a half years. He then came to St. 
Joseph, and for four years was an employe in Asylum No. 2. Mr. Clayton 
is a man of clear judgment, and has a peculiar adaptability for managing 
the unfortunates — while associated with the different asylums he was 
eminently successful in his management. In the autumn of 1879, he 
engaged in his present business, which has steadily increased. In 1869, 
Miss Lucy A. Sturtevant, of Illinois, became his wife. She is the daugh- 
ter of Colonel C. C. Sturtevant, a prominent citizen of that state. 

JOHN CLARK, 

contractor, is one who has been interested in macadamizing our streets, 
and has done the larger portion of the work in this city. He is a native 
of Liverpool, England, and was born January 27, 1818. He became pro- 
ficient in stone and brick masonry in his native country, and there 
resided until 1849, when he came to America, locating in Hartford, Con- 
necticut. There he pursued his vocation until 1857, when he came West 
and engaged in agricultural pursuits in Dakota County, Nebraska, and 
in 1859, came to St. Joseph, where he has since been actively engaged in 



708 . BIOGRAPHICAL. 

contracting. He married Miss Mary Ann Jennings, on the loth of Feb- 
ruary, 1840. They have had nine children, five of whom are living : 
James, John, Joseph M., George B. and Rose A. The four deceased are : 
William H., Charles, Elizabeth and an infant. 

NEAL CLIFFORD, 

dealer in staple and fancy groceries. Mr. James Clifford took up his 
residence here in 1853; he pursued the vocation of draying, and for 
upwards of twenty years was employed in this capacity by W. R. 
Penick; his demise occurred December 9, 1880. His son, Neal, was born 
in Independence, Missouri, April 4, 1857 ; when two years of age he came 
to St. Joseph, and was here reared and educated. In 1870, he went 
South, locating temporarily at different points, eventually becoming a 
resident of Leadville, Colorado, when that place was in its infancy. For 
a time he was engaged in the restaurant business; also mining, and, in 
the charcoal and wood trade. In 1880, he returned to St. Joseph, and, in 
the spring of 1881, engaged in his present business; he is one of St. 
Joseph's popular young men, and has a fair share of the trade. 

CHARLES H. CLIFF, 

produce and commission merchant, is a native of Missouri, and was 
born in St. Louis County, May 27, 1844; he came to St. Joseph with his 
parents in 1852; his father, Mr. Robert H. Cliff, was closely identified 
with the commercial interests of this city until the breaking out of the 
rebellion. Charles was raised to manhood and educated in Buchanan 
County; he was one of the first riders of the historical pony express, 
being on the division between St. Joseph and Seneca. For fifteen years he 
was engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the spring of 1881, he engaged 
in his present business. Mr. Cliff has seen the growth and development 
of St. Joseph, and has been closely associated with its commercial inter- 
ests. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word, and a business 
man of great ability. Was married, in 1867, to Miss Elizabeth Peltier, 
of St. Joseph. By this union they have had four children, Agnes, John, 
Charles, and an infant. Mr. C. is a member of the Foresters. 

J. H. COLLINS 

was born in Lewis County, New York, December 19, 1847. He was 
raised on a farm until he attained his fifteenth year, and then commenced 
to learn the trade he now pursues in Boonville, of the tlmpire State, 
working in other towns before completing it. In 1868, he came to St. 
Joseph, opened a shop, and has since been spreading white lead, distem- 
per colors, etc., with a considerable degree of success. He is a finished 



ST. JOSEPH. 709 

workman in the artistic line, and in paper hanging he is the 11c phis 
ziltra. In 1873, becoming aware that in order to be successful in any 
calling it was requisite to have a partner, he married Miss M. Mclntyre. 
They have had two children, one of whom is living, Alice, and "William, 

QCCG3.SGQ 

EMILY SIBLEY COLT, M. D., 

wife of C. C. Colt, Esq., of St. Joseph, is a daughter of Elisha Sibley, of 
Henrietta, Monroe County, New York, and here she was born February 
27, 1839. After receiving a fair business education at the common 
schools, she entered the Wesleyan Seminary, of Lima, New York, and 
was in due time graduated from this institution, with honor. In 1864, 
she married in Monroe County, New York, C. C. Colt, Esq. They have 
by this marriage two chilren — Gertrude Agatha and Irving Sibley. In 
1865, they went West, and settled on a farm near Easton, Buchanan 
County, Missouri. In 1872, they moved to St. Joseph. Endowed with 
an excellent education, and inspired with an ardent desire of devoting 
the means afforded by literary and scientific opportunities, to the benefit 
of suffering humanity, Mrs. Colt determined to qualfy herself for the pro- 
fession of medicine. She accordingly devoted the energies of her intel- 
lect and two years of her time to the pursuit of his study, under the 
guidance of a skillful physician of St. Joseph. She afterwards attended 
the lectures of Hahnemann Homoeopathic Medical College, Chicago, from 
which institution she was graduated with high honor and the degree of 
M. D., in February, 1881. 

THOMAS CONRAD, 

an early settler of St. Joseph, was born April 20, 1821, and came to 
Buchanan County in May, 1844, where he remained but a short time. 
The great flood which occurred at that time led many to believe that 
Savannah would be the future metropolis of the northwest. He engaged 
in business at this point with his brother, the relation existing until 
1849. During the year 1848, he was teacher of the public school at this 
place. In 1849, he went to California and remained until 1852, when he 
returned to Savannah and embarked in business with A. G. Clark, who 
was associated with him until his death. In 1858, the firm removed to 
St. Joseph, and A. C. Craig became a member of the firm. In 1863, Mr. 
Conrad went to Montana, where he was interested in business until his 
death, which occurred in September, 1880. He was a man of strong will, 
very presevering and upright in all his actions. His message to his 
children, when dying, was for them to be true to themselves, their 
country, and their God. 

J. B. CONKLIN 

was born in Morgan County, Ohio, November 4, 1840. His father, B. 
W. Conklin, was a Major in the Revolutionary War, under the after- 



710 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

wards notorious Aaron Burr. He participated in the famous Sandy 
Hook engagement in 1812. After the war, he located in Ohio, and for a 
number of years was identified with politics in the Buckeye State, and 
was a member of the legislature. He was the instigator of the Musk- 
ingum River improvement. The Conklin family are of English, Scotch, 
French and German extraction. J. B. spent his boyhood days in his 
native state and Virginia, securing the benefits of the common schools. 
He clerked in a general merchandise store two years, and after- 
wards was employed on the river for a number of seasons. He 
eventually located at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where for four years he 
clerked in the merchandise establishment of Solomon Benjamin. Dur- 
ing this time he acted as fog pilot when required, his familiarity with 
the river, which he obtained during his clerkship, giving him this insight. 
In 1861, the distant West attracted his attention, and for five years he 
devoted his time to mining in California and Arizona. On returning, 
in 1867, he stopped at St. Joseph, engaging as bookkeeper for Bell & 
Lowell, lumber dealers. Subsequently he took charge of the yard, 
remaining in their employ until 1876, when he opened a yard in connec- 
tion with Mr. Wiltz, of Chicago, which partnership continued until 
December, 1880. Mr. D. M. McDonald then becantie a partner. Mr. 
Conklin is well known in Buchanan County, his career during his 
sojourn in this city being that of an active business man. Miss Lucy A* 
Patterson, a native of Fairmount, Virginia, became his wife in 1867. 
They have had four children, two of whom are living, Emma Blanche 
and Estelle. 

M. CONNELLY, 

boot and shoemaker, was born in County Cork, Ireland, November 5, 
1830, and was raised and educated in his native county until he attained 
his twentieth year. Then came to the United States, taking up his abode 
in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he commenced to learn his trade, finishing it 
in St. Louis. In 1853, he removed to Lexington, Missouri, and in the 
autumn of 1854, came to St. Joseph. He pursues the even tenor of his 
way, is unassuming, commands hosts of friends, and he does a thriving 
business. He married January 20, 1856, Miss Catharine Jordan, who died 
January 26, 1872, leaving three children — James, Michael and Annie. 
Himself and family are members of the Catholic Church, and he also 
belong to the St. Patrick's Benevolent Society. 

DANIEL CONWAY 

is a native of Dearborn County, Indiana, and was born October 1 1, 1820; 
his father, William, was also a native of that county, and his grandfather, 
Daniel, was among the first settlers there, coming from Kentucky with 



ST. JOSEPH. 711 

Daniel Boone. In 1840, our subject came to Platte County Mo., with his 
father, where he resided for a time, after which he engaged in trade in 
Gentry County. There continued until 185 1, when he engaged in trade 
at Barry, Clay County, remaining until 1855. Thence to Stewartsville, 
DeKalb County, pursuing merchandising for several years, when he 
returned to Clay County, and engaged in farming. In early life, he 
adopted the legal profession and was admitted to the bar of DeKalb 
County in 1856. While in Gentry County, he was a member of the Leg- 
islature in 1850, and in Clay County was magistrate for four years. In 
1863, he came to St. Joseph and commenced practicing his profession. 
For four years he was clerk for R. L. McDonald, and was with William 
Eckhart for the same length of time ; he was also magistrate for four years. 
Mr. Conway has a well-stored mind and is a m an of quick comprehension. 
He was married, in 1846, to Miss Elizabeth A. Woods, of Clay County. 
They have seven children: Sarah, Helen M. (wife of Mr. F. McCoun), 
John Wilson, Charles Edwin, Lulu, Cora Lee, and James W. The 
latter is generally known as one of St. Joseph's promising young men, 
and has been in the employ of A. N. Schuster for several years. Charles 
E. has been in the employ of different houses as clerk; he embarked in 
the grocery business in the spring of 1881. Mr. Daniel Conway is a 
Master Mason, and James W. is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

ABNER COPELAND, 

farmer, section 35, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in Chatham County, 
North Carolina, August 27, 1818, and when about eleven years of age 
his parents moved to Tennessee, and in 1839 came to Buchanan County, 
Missouri. Mr. C. has made farming his occupation through life. His 
landed estate consists of 252 acres, his home farm containing 212 acres, 
all of which is improved, having a fine house and barn. He came to 
the county in debt, and now is in as commodious circumstances as any 
one could wish. He was married October 9, 1848, to Miss Mary Wright. 
She was born in Surry County, North Carolina, October 10, 1828. They 
have had one child, which died in infancy. They have raised one 
orphan child, Julia Taber (now Mrs. Dr. Woodson). He is a Mason and 
a member of Zeradatha Lodge, No. 189. His father, John, was a native 
of North Carolina, and died in this county in 1874, in his 105th year. 
He was baptised when 100 years of age as a member of the Baptist 
Church. He and wife lived together 65 years; had a family of ten chil- 
dren, and never had a death in the family during their life. 

JOHN CORBY, (deceased), 

the subject of this sketch, for many years one of the representative men 
of North Missouri, was born in Limerick, Ireland, June 24, 1808. At 
the age of twelve years, he left his parental home and came to the shores 



712 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

of America, residing first in Beaver County. Pennsylvania. His educa- 
tion he derived principally in Ireland and by his own exertion on his 
arrival in the Union States. His first experiences in active life were in 
the capacity of railroad contractor. In this pursuit he assisted in build- 
ing many of the great lines east, south and west. In 1843, Mr. Corby 
immigrated to the Platte Purchase, and settled on the site of the present 
city of St. Joseph, and determined to make it his home. His first ven- 
ture in St. Joseph was in general merchandising, and with an abiding 
faith in the growth and ultimate prosperity of the city, he made large 
investments in real estate which resulted in large returns. He subse- 
quently engaged in the banking business, which he continued until his 
death, which occurred May 9, 1870. Absorbed in the pursuit of his per- 
sonal affairs, he took but little active interest in the politics of the day, 
and was never a seeker of office. In 1856, he was elected Mayor, a 
position he filled for two years to the unqualified satisfaction of his con- 
stituents. He was for many years before and after this a leading mem- 
ber of the City Council. Politically he was a Democrat, and in his 
religious preferences a Roman Catholic. He was married May 30, 1852, 
to Miss Amanda Musick, of St. Louis. Mr. Corby died May 9, 1870. 
His vast landed and personal estate he left to his widow, who has erected 
on his burial place, about two miles from the city, a memorial Chapel 
known as St. John the Baptist. It is a stately, gothic structure of stone 
85x50 feet, costing $40,000. 

JUDGE SAMUEL D. COWAN, 

the present Clerk of the Circuit Court of Buchanan County, was born 
near Somerset, Pulaski County, Kentucky, January 25, 1825, his ances- 
tors being among the earliest who emigrated from Virginia. His father's 
name was John W. Cowan, and his mother's maiden name Fannie Dysart. 
He was brought up on his father's farm, where he lived till about twenty 
years of age, when he entered the Circuit Clerk's office of Pulaski County, 
in which he was employed about a year. In 1846, he entered the volun- 
teer service, and became Second Lieutenant of Company H, of the Fourth 
Kentucky Regiment, with which he left for Mexico in October of the 
same year. He served in this command till the close of the war, and 
was in the City of Mexico when the news reached the army that peace 
had been declared. In 1848, he returned home. Two years after, he 
went to California, where he spent four years in the gold mines of the 
Pacific Coast. In 1854, he returned to Kentucky, and the same year 
emigrated to Missouri, settling on a farm in Washington Township, 
Buchanan County. He filled the position of Deputy under Sheriff Mor- 
gan, and afterwards under Ains worth. December 24, i860, he married 
Miss Bettie Langford, by whom he has had a family of four daughters 



ST. JOSEPH. 713 

and three sons, all but one, a son, living. In 1865, he crossed the plains, 
and the following year visited Montana, where he engaged in freighting 
on his own account. Returning to Missouri, he resumed the business of 
farming. In November, 1874, he was elected a member of the County- 
Court of Buchanan County, which position he filled acceptably during 
the period of two terms of two years each. In 1878, he was elected Clerk 
of the Circuit Court of Buchanan County for the term of four years, which 
position he now (1881) holds. 

A. W. COWLES, 

engineer on the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R., was born in Rockford, Illi- 
nois, September 28, 1842, and, when quite young, his father, J. D., went 
with the family to Walworth County, Wisconsin, where they resided 
several years ; thence to LeRoy, Mower County, Minnesota, where the 
subject of this sketch resided until 1861, when he enlisted in the Fourth 
Minnesota Volunteers, and was afterwards transferred to the First Min- 
nesota Rangers, serving eighteen months, when he was honorably dis- 
charged. In 1863, he commenced railroading on the M. &• St. P., as fire- 
man, continuing several months. He was then employed on the Hanni- 
bal and St. Joseph, remaining three years, braking and firing ; thence 
on the K. C, St. J. & C. B. for two years, after which he was in the 
employ of the C. B. & Q. six years. Since then he has been with the 
K. C, St. J. & C. B. Co. He is genial and affable in his demeanor, and 
few railroad men with headquarters in St. Joseph are more popular. He 
married, in 1865, Miss Esther I. Jones, of Minnesota. They have three 
children : Luella, Charles and Georgie. He has been a member of the 
Brotherhood Locomotive Engineers for thirteen years, and is corres- 
ponding secretary. He now runs No. 13, passenger. 

JAMES E. COX, 

Superintendent of the Union Street Railway. Among the early settlers 
of Buchanan County, was Mr. Cyrenus Cox, who took up his abode in 
St. Joseph in 1849, and for a number of years was engaged in the manu- 
facture of brick. His death occurred a few years ago. His son, James 
E., was born in Montgomery County, Missouri, his boyhood days being 
spent in farming near Danville. He came to this city in 1849, with his 
parents and passed on through to California, residing there twelve years, 
four of which were spent in mining. Returning to St. Joseph in 1861, 
he tendered his services to the Confederate cause, receiving a Captain's 
commission, and serving four years. Two years he spent in Texas. 
Among the engagements he participated in were Springfield, Kirksville, 
and Lexington. After the war, he returned to St. Joseph, engaging in 
the manufacture of brick, and for a time was engaged in farming. In 



714 



BIGORAPHICAL. 



1877, he became Superintendent of the Union Street Railway. He was 
married in 1865, to Miss Mary T. Harris, daughter of William Harris, 
one of St. Joseph's pioneers. They have five children : Maggie, Willie, 
James, Nellie and Jennie. 

E. M. CRANDALL, 

foreman machinist of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Rail- 
road shops, is a native of Ashland County, Ohio, and was born March 16, 
1833; was raised to manhood and learned his trade at Mt. Vernon, Knox 
County. His father, Nathaniel, was a tanner by trade, and died when 
E. M. was in his fourth year. At the breaking out of the rebellion our 
subject enlisted in the first three months call in Company H, Fifteenth 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry. For a number of years he was in the employ 
of the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Railroad, and was located at Crestline, 
Ohio, and at Richmond and Indianapolis, Indiana, and other points; he 
came to St. Joseph in 1869, and has since been with the Kansas City, St. 
Joseph & Council Bluffs Company, with the exception of two years, 
when he was engaged as engineer on the construction of the bridge, 
operating the pumps. Mr. C. is numbered among the accomplished 
workmen in the country and stands high in railroad circles. He was 
married, in 1861, to Miss Nattie Biger, who died in 1879. He was again 
married, in 1880, to Mrs. A. E. Myers, of St. Joseph. He is a Master 
Mason and also a member of the chapter and commandery. 

GENERAL JAMES CRAIG, 

was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1817, and 
when only two years of age was taken by his parents to Richland 
County, Ohio, where his father, James Craig, engaged in working at his 
trade, that of a tailor. The subject of this sketch was obliged to work 
hard, never attending school more than ten or twelve months in his life, 
and at the age of twenty-two he entered the office of Harris & Brown, 
to study law in Canton, Ohio. After leaving that city, he settled at New 
Philadelphia, Tuscarawas County, continuing the practice of law, and 
in 1844, moved to Oregon, Missouri. In the summer of 1846, he was 
elected tc the Legislature as a representative from Holt County. At 
about the close of his term, the Mexican War broke out, and, by order 
of the Governor, he organized a company which was ordered to the west 
to protect trains and emigrants. They took part in many exciting 
engagements with the several tribes of Indians. In the spring of 1849, 
Captain Craig crossed the plains to California, and after being success- 
ful in the rich gold mines of that state, he returned to St. Joseph in the 
summer of 1850, and, in company with Mr. Lawrence Archer, he engaged 
in the practice of law. On the first year of his return, in the contest for 



ST. JOSEPH. 715 

District Attorney, Mr. Craig, then, as now, a Democrat, was elected. 
In 1856 he was elected to Congress, and at the expiration of his first 
term was re-elected. He declined a third term. Soon after the break- 
ing out of the war, he was commissioned a Brigadier General, by Presi- 
dent Lincoln. He was ordered, by the Commander-in-Chief, Halleck, 
again among the Indians. He took charge of the troops at Fort 
Kearney, Fort Laramie and all the district lying between the Missouri 
River and Utah, including that territory. In the summer of 1863, he 
resigned his commission in the United States Army and was appointed 
Brigadier General by the Governor of Missouri, which position he 
accepted. He was then placed in command of the troops in Northwest 
Missouri. After a faithful discharge of his duties, late in 1864, he again 
resigned, thus closing his military career. Since 1861, General Craig 
has been extensively engaged in building and operating railroads ; for 
fifteen years he was connected with the Hannibal and St. Joseph Rail- 
road, part of the time as President. In August, 1843, he was married in 
Wayne County, Ohio, to Miss M. Pfouts. The result of this union was 
was five children. One daughter married Captain Wilcox, of the Fourth 
Cavalry ; his oldest daughter is the wife of Major Samuel A. Garth, of 
St. Joseph ; his oldest son, Louis, is a Lieutenant in the United States 
Army. 

A. C. CRAIG, 

retired merchant, was born in Jackson County, Indiana, April 24, 1822, 
and lived in Jeffersonville, Indiana, until his 12th year, and then removed 
to Kentucky, and remained nine years. He made his home in Nashville, 
Tennessee, four years, and then came to this county in 1848. His edu-' 
cation was received mostly in Kentucky, at the common schools. His 
early ambition was for a store, so that he spent several years as clerk. 
When he came West, he went into the general dry goods business with 
his brother, in DeKalb, in which they remained until 1858. He then 
came to this city and commenced in the dry goods business with Messrs. 
Clark & Conard. In 1862, they sold out their business, Messrs Clark & 
Conard going to Montana. In 1864, he went to Montana, and again 
embarked in the same trade, and remained until 1866, when he returned 
to St. Joseph, and entered into the wholesale business with Tootle, Far- 
leigh & Co., and also Tootle, Craig & Co., remaining with them until 1876. 
Since that period his time has been occupied in attending to his private 
interests. He married Miss Ellen I. Christopher, daughter of Major 
Christopher, of Richmond, Kentucky, March 27, 185 1. They have one 
son, living. Dr. William B. Their eldest son, Thomas, died in January, 
1877, in this city, aged twenty-five years. Mr. Craig is one of the many 
successful business men of this city. 



7l6 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

DR. W. BEDFORD CRAIG 

was born in DeKalb, Missouri, September 17, 1855. He graduated at 
the city high school, in 1873, and studied medicine with Dr. J. D. Smith 
for two years. Attended the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New- 
York, for one term, and he was graduated from the St. Louis Medical 
College, and the following year re-entered the Bellevue Hospital Medical 
College, New York, and received an addendum. At the opening of the 
St. Joseph Hospital Medical College, he was appointed Professor and 
Demonstrator of Anatomy, and also of Ophthalmic Surgery, and he has 
been a successful practitioner five years. 

WILLIAM L. CRAIG, 

a sturdy son of Kentucky, was born in Rock Castle County, in that state, 
December 19, 1823. At the age of seventeen he moved to Crab Orchard, 
where he learned the blacksmith's trade. Four years after, he went to 
Madison County, settling near Richmond, where he worked at his trade 
eleven years. In 1855, he moved to St. Joseph, of which city, with the 
exception of an interval of five years spent in farming in Andrew County, 
he has since been a constant resident. An experience of forty years at 
the forge has earned for Mr. Craig a reputation for excellence in every 
detail of his calling which few men enjoy. In 1844, he married in Wash- 
ington County, Kentucky, Miss Elizabeth Shoemaker, a native of that 
part of the state. They have a family of eight children living — Sarah E., 
James Y., William M., (of St. Louis), Robert A., Aggie, Lottie, Fannie 
and Thomas J. Mr. Craig has been a member of the Masonic Order for 
thirty years. He is a Knight Templar, and, in Kentucky, was a 
member of the Grand Lodge of the state. 

ENOS CRAIG. 

City Marshal, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, April 27, 1829, and 
came to St. Joseph in September, 1850. He married Emily M. Barnes. 
in this county, April 4, 1852. They have four children : Corydon F., 
Morton H., Lilia M. and Lulu A. Mr. Craig was a hard working man, 
living in Iowa when work was the order of the day. He operated a 
large breaking team for awhile, but became a victim of the California 
fever in 1852, and, with many others, remained In the land of gold until 
1859, when he returned to this place, and accepted a position in the 
I'ostoffice. Remained there until 1862. when he was elected Sheriff of 
the county, and held the office for the term of two years. In 1865, he 
was appointed mail agent on the Hannibal & St. Joseph R. R. In April, 
i866, he was elected Marshal, etc., of the city. The changing of the 
city charter vacated all officers then acting, so he stepped down and out. 



ST. JOSEPH. 717 

but, in 1870, he was again appointed mail agent, and served faithfully for 
nearly four years ; then ticket agent for the H. & S. J. R. R. one year, 
and, in 1877, was again appointed mail agent on the St. J. & W. and 
again, in 1878, was appointed to a position in the Postoffice as general 
delivery and forwarding clerk. This position he held two years, and 
was for the second time elected City Marshal, etc. 

JAMES Y. CRAIG, 

horseshoer, is a native of Kentucky, and was born November 3, 1849. 
When six months of age, with his parents he removed to Andrew 
County, Missouri, where his father, W. L., resided until the autumn of 
1863, when they located in St. Joseph. James Y, learned the trade from 
his father, who is numbered among the best in the country. He was 
married, in 1869, to Miss M. F. Baxter. By this union they have a family 
of two children, James Arthur, and Helen Francis. 

ENOS J. CROWTHER, 

City Attorney, was born in England, September 24, 1852, and while yet 
a child his father came to this country and settled in St. Joseph in 1865. 
He received a good education at the High School in this city, and grad- 
uated in 1873, at the head of his class. He taught school in Holt 
County for some time, and studied law with the present judge of the 
Circuit Court, W. H. Sherman. He attended the law course at the Uni- 
versity of Michigan, and after receiving his degree he returned home 
and was admitted to practice before Judge Grubb, March 4, 1875. After 
being admitted, he spent a year or more in traveling in Mexico for a 
large mining company. On his return home, he was very soon elected 
to fill a seventeen months vacancy in the City Register's office. At the 
next election he was renominated and elected for the full terrA. After 
faithfully discharging the duties of Register for nearly four years, to the 
entire satisfaction of his constituents, he was nominated by the Republi- 
can party for City attorney, and over his popular competitor, William 
Fitzgerald, was elected by a large vote.' He is one of the rising young 
attorneys of the city. He married Miss Effie G. Barrett in February, 
1880. She was the daughter of Dr. Barrett, late surgeon in the United 
States army. 

GEORGE CROWTHER, 

of the firm of Crowther & Rogers, foundry and machine shop, was born in 
Derbyshire, England, March 16, 1824, and was there educated and raised 
to manhood, and learned the machinist trade. In 1854, he came to 
America, locating temporarily in New York. After a time he became a 



7l8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

resident of Chicago, residing there ten years, then removed to Daven- 
port, Iowa, and, one year later, he migrated to DesMoines, where he 
was engaged in the foundry business for a number of years, and furn- 
ished the material for the old state capitol. After leaving DesMoines, 
he remained for a time in Nebraska, and then came to St. Joseph, where 
he has been closely identified with the manufacturing industry. For 
several years was of the firm of Burnside, Crowther & Rogers, and in 
1880 the firm became Crowthers & Rogers. He is a man of sterling 
merit, and commands the respect of a large circle of acquaintances, is a 
Royal Arch Mason, and a member of the I. O. O. F. He was married, in 
1843, to Miss Harriet Johnson, of England. They have four sons by this 
union : Thomas J., Geo. C, Enos J. and James O. 

THOMAS CULLIGAN, 

the subject of this brief sketch, is a native of Ireland, and was born 
December 21, 1827, and received his education in his native country. 
In 1849, ^^G emigrated to America, arriving in June of that year. In 
September, 1856, he came to this city and entered the employ of the late 
John Corby, one of Buchanan County's early and most respected citizens, 
as well as one of St. Joseph's most prominent business men, and by his 
straightforward, upright course, and sterling business talents, he received 
the confidence of his employer in a high degree. At the death of Mr. 
Corby, his large estate was left to Mrs. Corby, who, sharing the confi- 
dence of her husband in Mr. Culligan, entrusted to him the management 
of the entire property. This trust he has so executed as to commend 
him to the entire business community, and his private character and 
business record is without stain. He is no political aspirant, preferring 
the peace and quiet of his legitimate business. He married Miss Maria 
L. Blake, of this city, in 1853. Their family consists of seven children, 
Mary L.,* Margaret, Henrietta, Eddie, Millie, Joseph and Birdie. 

COLONEL J. H. R. CUNDl'FF 

is a native of Hampshire County^ Virginia, and was born November 11, 
1832. His ancestors were residents of that state from a period previous 
to the Revolutionary War, a contest in which both his maternal and pater- 
nal grandfathers took part. In 1840, his father emigrated to Missouri, 
coming directly to Buchanan County, and settling east of St. Joseph. In 
1846, he returned to Virginia, and while there died. The subject of this 
sketch was about eight years of age when he came to Missouri. At 
sixteen, he began to learn the printing business. He entered the Adven- 
ture newspaper office in St. Joseph in 1848. Working four years on that 
paper, and thoroughly mastering the printing business, he left St. Joseph 
in 1852, and worked in St. Louis, New Orleans, Memphis and Cincin- 



ST. JOSEPH. 719 

nati. He returned to St. Joseph in 1853, and with P. S. Pfouts bought 
the Gazette, conducting the same as a weekly till 1857. The proprietors 
then started the Daily Gazette, the first daily newspaper ever published 
in St. Joseph. The paper remained in the control of Messrs. Pfouts & 
Cundiff until June, 1861, at which time it had become firmly established 
and was in a prosperous condition. Towards the close of the year 1861, 
its publication ceased on account of the opposition it met with on the 
part of the Federal authorities, by reason of its political sentiments. 
From 1861 to 1864, Colonel Cundiff was in the Southern army, serving 
in all ranks, from lieutenant to colonel. For two years and a half after 
the war he was in Mexico, connected with the Vera Cruz & Mexico 
Railroad, of which he for a time had charge. He returned to St. Joseph 
in the fall of 1867, and in June, 1868, re-established the Gazette. He 
managed it successfully, and disposed of the paper in October, 1873. 
In November, 1874, he was elected Circuit Clerk of Buchanan County, 
Subsequently Colonel Cundiff left St. Joseph and removed to St. Louis. 
In 1879, he purchased the St. Louis Times, published it for one year, 
and is now (1881) on the staff of the St. Louis Republican. He was 
married, in 1855, to Cecelia Keedy, the daughter of Dr. D. G. Keedy, 
a leading physician of St. Joseph. 

E. L. CUTLER & BRO., 

dealers in staple and fancy groceries. This reliable house was estab- 
lished in the spring of 1881. Mr. E. L Cutler, the senior member of the 
firm, was born in Delaware (now a portion of Morrow; County, Ohio, 
October 8th, 1842, and when twelve years of age migrated to Michigan, 
his father, S. B., locating with his family in Hillsdale County. There he 
engaged in farming, and the subject of the sketch made it his home 
until 1862, when he tendered his services to the Union cause, enlisting 
in Company F, Eighteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Was in the 
Athens engagement, and other notable engagements of the war; was 
honorably discharged after serving three years and two months. In 
1866, the family removed to Atchison County, Kansas, where the father, 
Mr. S. B. Cutler, resided until 1878, when he took up his abode in St. 
Joseph. In 1870, E. L. engaged in the manufacture of brick, at Troy, 
Kansas, continuing until 1873, when he became an officer in the peniten- 
tiary, at Leavenworth, in which capacity he acted seven years, and dur- 
ing three years he was yard master. He married, in 1866, Miss Mary 
Putnam, of Hillsdale County, Michigan. They have three children : 
Jennie M., Cora E. and Mabel May. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. 
Mr. C. W. Cutler, the junior of the firm, was born in Morrow County, 
Ohio, February, 18, 1854, and when quite young, removed to Hillsdale 
County, Michigan, with his parents, residing there until 1866. Then the 



720 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

family migrated to Atchison County, Kansas, where our subject was 
raised to manhood, and educated. His early days were spent in tilling- 
the soil. In 1874, Mr. Cutler received the appointment in the peniten- 
tiary, at Leavenworth, as an officer, the duties of which he discharged 
until embarking in mercantile pursuits, in St. Joseph. He is a member 
of the I. O. O. F. 

DANCKMEYER & SEBUS, 

dealers in staple and fancy groceries, flour, feed, etc. Charles Danck- 
meyer was born in the Province of Westphalen, Germany, September 24, 
1830, and was there reared and received the benefits of a good latin 
education. For several years he pursued the vocation of school teach- 
ing. In 1859, he came to America, locating temporarily in New Orleans,, 
and soon came to Missouri, and for a considerable length of time was 
clerk in a dry goods and clothing house in St. Louis; for one year clerked 
in a store at Louisiana, Missouri. In i860, he removed to Hannibal, 
Missouri, and engaged in the grocery trade, and was identified with the 
commercial interests of that city until 1865, when he came to St. Joseph. 
For several years he was a member of the firm of Kahn & Danckmeyer, 
broom manufacturers. In the summer of 1879, he engaged in his present 
business with John Sebus. He was married in December, 1869, to Miss 
Mary Thinnes. Mr. D. is a Master Mason, and a member of the Chapter, 
Council and Commandery ; also an Odd Fellow and Encampment member, 
and Knio-ht of Pythias ; also the Foresters and German Benevolent 
Society. 

RANDOLPH TRUCT DAVIS 

was born December 26, 1837. It is claimed that he was the first child 
of white parents born within the limits of what is now Buchanan 
County. His father, Ishmael Davis, was a native of Maryland, who 
emio-rated from home and settled in Louis County, Kentucky, when a 
young man. He there married Miss Nancy McDaniel, a daughter of 
John R. McDaniel, a native of Scotland. Soon after their marriage they 
moved to Missouri, settling first in Hannibal, and, as soon as the Platte 
Purchase was effected moved to that portion included in what is now 
Buchanan County, where he laid claim to a half section of land on Rock 
House Prairie, on which the subject of this sketch was born, as above 
mentioned, he being the fourth child of his parents. The eldest of 
these Robert P., died in infancy. Rev. John C. C. Davis was a minister 
of the M. E. Church South, and a member of the Missouri Conference 
from 1852 to the period of his death, in 1874. No man was more beloved 
in life by those who knew him, and he died regretted by all. The third 
child was P2dney Ann, who died at the age of twelve years ; and the 
fourth, the subject of this sketch ; Wm. Frank Davis, now of Clinton 



ST. JOSEPH. 721 

County, was the fifth ; Ishmael Davis, of St. Joseph, the sixth ; Hum- 
phrey Marshall, who died in infancy, the seventh, and Nannie, the 
eighth and youngest. R. T. Davis received the advantages of a common 
school education, and, at the age of sixteen years, entered the Weston 
High School with the view to taking a regular collegiate course. He 
was, however, forced to forego this opportunity, in consequence of the 
financial embarrassment of his father, who happened to be a bondsman, 
in 1854, of a defaulting sheriff. Young Davis left school to encounter 
the struggle of life, with no resource save industry and determination to 
succeed. He first engaged in farming and live-stock dealing, which bus- 
iness he pursued about five years. He then purchased the Union Mills, 
of Platte County, Missouri, which he operated with such ability and suc- 
cess as to achieve for him the reputation of a first-class mill man. His 
marked success in the enterprise determined him in the choice of a 
calling, and he resolved to make milling the business of his life. Appre- 
ciating the fact that the Union Mills were inadequate to the accomplish- 
ment of his ideas of excellence in the manufacture of flour, he disposed 
of them, and moving to St. Joseph, purchased of William Ridenbaugh a 
half interest in the City Mills there. Engaging in partnership with Isaac 
Van Riley, the mill was soon in successful operation, and the firm of 
Davis & Riley known for the excellence of the flour they manufactured. 
In November, 1869, A. Beattie purchased Mr. Riley's interest. In 1873, 
Mr. Davis bought out Beattie, and since that time has conducted the 
business alone. During all this time he never lost sight of his aim to 
produce a quality of flour not to be surpassed in the United States, and 
his unremitting energy finally accomplished this end, overcoming all 
prejudice and establishing beyond all question the superior character of 
his flour. In compliment to his successful perseverance and energy, the 
citizens of Buchanan County presented Mr. Davis with a magnificent 
gold watch, inscribed with the words : "Presented to R. T. Davis, April 
23, 1877, by the citizens of St. Joseph and Buchanan County, Missouri, in 
appreciation of his fancy brand of flour, St. Joseph No. i, as being the 
best flour ever sold in St. Joseph, Missouri." At the St. Joseph Exposi- 
tion of 1879, Mr. Davis was presented by the ladies of St. Joseph with a 
similar testimonial in the shape of a cane. For the past six years his 
flour has taken the premium wherever exhibited. In November, 1878, 
R. T. Davis was elected on the Democratic ticket Collector of Buchanan 
County. He was re-elected in 1880 by a larger majority than that of 
any other man on the ticket, thus evincing his efficiency and popularity 
as a public officer. February 7, 1859, he was married to Miss Louisa C. 
Boydston. She died March 6, 1861, leaving one child, a daughter, Mattie 
E. June 30, 1863, Mr. Davis married Miss Mary I. Boydston, a sister of 
his former wife, who still survives, and by whom he has had six children : 
Emma L., H. Clay, Middleton Randolph, R. T., Jr., Nannie May and 



722 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Frank B., the youngest. She died November 1 5, 1880, at the age of three 
years. 

WILLIAM W. DAVIS, 

editor of the Catholic Tribune, was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1839, 
and moved with his parents to Chillicothe, Ohio. He studied at the 
Jesuit College of St. Joseph, at Bardstown, seven years, and St. Xavier's, 
at Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1858, he went to Europe and traveled for five 
years in that country. While at school he received the first medal for 
Christian doctrine and penmanship. He entered the service of the 
Unrted States and remained for three years ; was mustered out after a 
hard campaign in Arkansas, being badly used up. He participated in 
five engagements during the war ; was at Wilson's Creek with General 
Lyon, and was by his side when he spoke his last words to his men 
before the battle. Mr. D. went from St. Louis to Kansas City, Missouri, 
in 1878, and with William A. Maynard started the Catholic Tribune. 
After two years' publication, he moved the establishment to St. Joseph, 
where he has built up a good paper. Mr. Davis' connection and success 
with the Tribune shows what energy is necessary and how much it has 
taken in bringing the enterprise to where it now stands. He is a good 
writer and is entitled to success. 

THEODORE WHITEHEAD DAVIS 

was born June 9, 1844, at Pine Plains, Dutchess County, New York, and 
when four years old (1848) his parents removed to Poughkeepsie. His 
early education was received at the Dutchess County Academy and the 
collegiate school of Poughkeepsie. Afterwards he entered the Rensse- 
laer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, taking a course in civil 
engineering. In the year 1862, he entered the United States navy, and 
served in the Mississippi River engagement and in the blockade at 
Mobile, attached to the personal staff of Admiral D. G. Farragut, as Fleet 
Ensign and Senior Aid. In 1864, from partial (at the time considered 
permanent) blindness, the result of injuries received in the service, he 
was discharged. In 1866, he was married to Mary Estelle, eldest daugh- 
ter of John P. H. Tallman, Esq., of Poughkeepsie. In 1867, he com- 
menced the practice of his profession. From 1869 to 1880, was engineer, 
and after the completion of the works, he was superintendent of the 
department of water works and sewers of the City of Poughkeepsie, and 
at the same time City Engineer. The works, in his charge, were recog- 
nized by the profession as the standard on the subject of filtration of 
potash waters, and took rank with the most economically managed 
public works. In November, 1880, Mr. Davis removed to St. Joseph and 
to his present position, as superintendent of the St. Joseph Water Com- 



ST. JOSEPH. 723 

pany. Was one of the charter members of the Poughkeepsie Society 
of Natural Sciences. In military affairs he has occupied the positions of 
Brigade Engineer and Inspector of the Eighth Brigade of the National 
Guard of the State of New York, to which brigade staff the world known 
riflemen Colonels John Bodine, and Henry A. Gildersleeve, and Henry 
F. Clark were formerly attached. He is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, and was Master of Poughkeepsie Lodge, No. 266, in 1874, '75) '7^, 
'yy and '78 ; District Deputy Grand Master of the Ninth Masonic Dis- 
trict, 1878; a member of, and for six consecutive years, P. S. of Pough- 
keepsie Chapter, No. 172, of Royal Arch Masons, and also a member of 
King Solomon's Council of Royal and Select Masters. Mr. and Mrs. 
Davis have three children, Angie W., William T. and Charles G. 

A. J. DAWSON, 

carpenter and builder, a popular and accomplished mechanic, is our sub- 
ject. He is a native of Mahoning County, Ohio, and was born in Fred- 
ericksburg, February i, 1836. His father, Thomas Henry, was a black- 
smith. A. J. was here raised, educated and learned his trade. In 1854, 
he came to Iowa, locating in Moscow, Muscatine County, and pursued 
his trade for four years, when he removed to Clinton County, Illinois. 
In 1862, he enlisted in Company B, Thirtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
and participated in the battles of Vicksburg, Atlanta and Champion's 
Hill ; was with Sherman on his march to the sea ; was honorably dis- 
charged April 17, 1865, at Raleigh, North Carolina. He returned to 
Trenton, Clinton County, Illinois, remaining for a time, when he migrated 
to Kansas, and in 1873, took up his residence in St. Joseph, where he 
has since been closely identified with the building interests of the city. 
In 1867, Miss Nancy E. Sw^eeney became his wife. They have seven 
children, Mary E., Charles A., Matilda M., John H., Joseph A., Peter B., 
and Annie E. Mr. Dawson is a Master Mason. 

JOHN DeCLUE, 

proprietor of the St. Joseph planing mill, and the subject of this brief 
sketch, was born in the city of New York, in 1821, was educated, raised 
to manhood, and learned the carpenter trade in his native city. In 1848, 
he came to Illinois, and after a residence of four years, returned to New 
York, sojourning until 1859, when he drifted westward, and became a 
resident of St. Joseph. Here he engaged in carpenter work and build- 
ing, and has done much in this important branch of industry, In 1868, 
in connection with contracting and building, he established and opened, 
the St. Joseph planing mill. His trade in sash, doors, blinds, etc., has 
been steadily increasing, and extends not only in Missouri, but also in 
Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, and other states. Many fine edi- 



724 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

fices of St. Joseph were constructed under his supervison, among which 
are the Court House, which is conceded by all to be the finest in the 
West, the Christian and Presbyterian churches, W. M. Wyeth's residence, 
and others ; also, throughout the states of Kansas and Nebraska, he is 
well known as a schoolhouse and bank builder. At home there are few 
men who are more respected than John DeClue. Religiously he is a 
Presbyterian. 

FELIX DEFONDS, 

steward, assistant superintendent of the city hospital, and secretary of 
the Board of Health, was born in France, February 28th, 1848. He 
received a good education in his youth. He came to Wheeling, West 
Virginia, in 1866, and to this city in 1870. Was employed by Herman 
Garlichs, and remained with him until appointed by the City Board of 
Health to his present position; he has performed his duties well and 
with universal satisfaction. In 1875, he was appointed clerk of the 
Board of Health. He married Miss Jennie Marsee, in this city, Decem- 
ber 24, 1873. They have two children, Adele and Eddie. 

E. W. DIENGER, 

proprietor of the Charleston House, was born in Germany, December 
17, 1844, and received a good education. Emigrated to America May 
15, 1867, landing in New York, and from thence went to Sandusky City; 
Ohio, where he worked on a farm, remaining ten months. Then located 
in St. Joseph, working in a soap factory for nine months, then clerked 
in a grocery store; he afterwards leased a farm and raised grapes and 
vegetables for eight years, after which he engaged in business for one 
year, then returned to the farm and remained for two a half years; 
then rented the Charleston House for four years, buying all the furniture 
and fixtures belonging to the hotel. He was married August 21, 
1871, to Caroline Beck, a native of Missouri. She was born March 14, 
1848. They had by this union four children: Mary Tracy, born May 31, 
1872; Charles F., born March 25, 1874; Anna E., born December 11, 
1877, and Mary A., born July 20, 1879. 

NEWTON DISHON, 

farmer and dairyman. Section twenty-six, post office St. Joseph, was born 
in Grayson County, Virginia, September 15, 1827. In the fall of 1855, he 
came to Buchanan County, Missouri. He was raised on a farm, and has 
followed the same during life. He came to this county in rather meagre 
circumstances and now has about 285 acres of land, 265 of which are in a 
home farm, and is lately directing his attention toward the raising of 
stock and the dairy business, keeping at the present time twenty to 



ST. JOSEPH. 725 

thirty milch cows. He was married July 9, 1847, to Mis Mary Buckley, 
who was born in Suiry County, North Carolina, April 9, 1831. They 
have had eleven children, ten of whom are now living — John W., 
born December 26, 1849; Sarah, born October 6, 185 1; Francis E., 
born December 24, 1853; Frealen H., born February 10, 1856; Lena 
E., born April 29, 1858; Alexander J., born April 2, 1861 ; Robert, born 
December 25, 1862, and died August 17, 1863 ; Lucy A., born June 12, 
1864; Stephen A., born November 11, 1866 ; Oliver N., born January 28, 
1869, and May E., born June 26, 1879. 

A. DISQUE, 

postmaster, notary public and dealer in general merchandise, Elwood, 
Kansas. Although not a resident of Buchanan County, Mr. Disque has 
been so closely connected and identified with the business men of St. 
Joseph that he is deserving of special mention. He was born on the 
Rhine, in Bavaria, Germany, May 12, 1828, and is of French extraction ; 
his father, George Michael, was a mechanic and farmer ; his grandfather, 
J. Adam Disque, furnished the French army with provisions, under the 
Old Napoleon, during the war with Germany ; the grandfather of J. 
Adam was among the Hugenots who were obliged to flee from France- 
over three hundred years ago, on account of their religious views. The 
subject of this sketch was always a strong advocate of a republican form 
of government, and in 1848, came to the United States, locating tempo- 
rarily in Cincinnati, Ohio, and other points, eventually taking up his 
abode in Louisville, Kentucky. There he resided until 1857, when he 
came to St. Joseph, and a month after his arrival, located in Elwood. 
He is a man well read and his comprehensive faculties well developed, 
and has held all the important offices in the town, discharging the duties 
satisfactorily to his constituents. During the war Mr. Disque was a 
strong Union man, and advocated the principles openly and defiantly. 
He was notified at different times by the pro-slaveryites to leave. To 
this he paid no attention. Was in the militia, and went to Kansas City 
in the expedition after General Price. He owns considerable land in the 
vicinity of Elwood, the most of which was above the high water-mark of 
1881. He married in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1855, Miss Ann M.Schmidt. 
They have one son, G. A. He was formerly a student at the high school 
in St. Joseph, and is now a prosperous merchant in Chillicothe, Ohio. 
Mr. Disque was made a Master Mason in Louisville, Kentucky, and is a 
member of Wathena Lodge and St. Joseph Chapter. 

JOHN A. DOLMAN, 

notary public, conveyancer and real estate agent, is a native of Ohio, 
and was born in Zanesville, February i, 1822. His father, Samuel F., 



726 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

was a native of New Jersey, and was among the early settlers of the 
Buckeye State. John A. was educated and resided in his native place 
until 1844, when he located in St. Louis, Missouri, and was engaged in 
the real estate business until 1854, when he became a resident of St. 
Joseph and has pursued the same vocation principally since. He laid off 
and sold the greater portion of the southern part of this city. As an 
official he has figured conspicuously hereabouts. Has been City Assessor; 
for three years, was City Recorder; for two years. City Register; and has 
been a member of the Council several years from the Third Ward, and 
for six years has been a member of the School Board. Was Coroner of 
the county for two years. In 1862, he was appointed Captain of the 
old 25th, 3d Provincial Missouri State Militia. A greater portion of the 
time was mustering in for Northwestern Missouri, and recruiting officer 
for Buchanan County. He served until the close of the war, when he 
was honorably discharged. During the Legislative session of 1881, 
Captain Dolman was docket clerk. He has a wide and popular acquaint- 
anceship. He has been twice married, first in 1845, to Miss Susan Mur- 
dock, of Zanesville, Ohio; she died in 1857. He again married 1858, 
Mrs. D. H. Banes, of Zanesville, Ohio. By the first union he had one 
son, James C, now in the insurance business in Chicago. By the latter 
union there are three sons, John A., Jr., Samuel Russell and Willie A. He 
is a member of the Masonic order. Blue Lodge, Chapter Council and 
Commandery. In 1880, was Grand Illustrious Master of the Grand 
Council for the State of Missouri. 

DR. GEORGE K. DONNELLY 

was born March 31, 1821, in the City of New York. His primary edu- 
cation was received in New York City, Canajoharie, Montgomery 
County, New York, and Detroit, Michigan ; and his medical education 
he obtained at Toluca, Mexico, and Chicago, Illinois. On account of 
ill health he was sent to Toluca, Mexico, in 1841, to be treated and to 
pursue the study of medicine. He was cured of his catarrh in less than 
two years and continued his studies until the end of four years, and 
graduated, receiving the diploma of the " Colcgio de Medicos y Cirnjanos 
de Toluca, Mexico'' (College of Physicians and Surgeons of Toluca, 
Mexico) on the 20th day of February, 1845. He commenced the 
practice of medicine, as an allopathist, May i, 1845, in the City of 
Mexico, and continued there until war was declared by the United 
States against Mexico, in 1846, when he made his way to the Texan 
frontier and joined the American United States Army, as a private, at 
Fort Defiance, afterwards known as Fort Brown. After the close of the 
Mexican War, he returned to the United States. In 1852, he met a 
friend who had graduated in the allopathic school, but had become a 



ST. JOSEPH. 727 

homceopathist. Through his influence he was led to investigate its 
merits, and was so well satisfied with the results of the system that he 
decided to adopt it, and he has since been a disciple of Hahnemann. 
Sometime after this he went to California and remained there four years* 
and then returned to Detroit, Michigan. In i860, he went to Kiddef, 
Caldwell County, Missouri, at the solicitation of the late George S. 
Harris, to be physician for the great New England Colony to be estab- 
lished there. The spring of 1861, found the people around Kidder tak- 
ing sides for and against the government of the Union. As his heart 
beat for his own country entire, and as he had received a number of 
leaden receipts for the dear old stars and stripes in Mexico, he could not 
see it trailed in the dust without striking one blow to redeem it from the 
dishonor intended to be heaped upon it by its enemies. He raised a 
company of Union men in Daviess County, Missouri, and joined Colonel 
Everett Peabody's regiment at St. Joseph, Missouri, in July, 1861. He 
was in the Platte River disaster September 3, 1861, where he was so 
badly mangled that he was taken to St. Joseph for dead and laid out in 
the old depot. He was reported killed by the disaster to his regiment, 
and was buried by proxy, with military honors at Lexington, Missouri, 
just before the battle at that place, September 20, 1861. He was in the 
battle of Shiloh, near Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee ; was Acting 
Assistant Adjutant General of the First Brigade of General Prentiss' 
Division of the Army of the Tennessee. He resigned July 2, 1862, at 
Corinth, Mississippi, on account of reopening of wounds received in the 
Mexican War, and returned to Kidder, Missouri, where he remained 
until 1874. He then went to Chicago, Illinois, and attended the winter 
course of lectures at the Hahnemann Medical College, and graduated in 
the spring of 1875. He then located at Quincy, Illinois, and remained 
there until the fall of 1879. He then came to St. Joseph. He is a 
member of I. O. O. F and M. E. Church North. 

COLONEL JOHN DONIPHAN 

is descended from a Scotch family who emigrated to Virginia soon after 
the battle of Cullodon, His grandfather, Joseph Doniphan, at the age 
of eighteen was with Boone, at Boonesborough, and taught the first 
school in Kentucky at that fort, in the summer of 1778, and was a vol- 
unteer at the siege of Yorktown, in 178 1. In 1783, he married Ann 
Smith, a descendent of Captain John Smith, who settled Jamestown. In 
1790, he moved to Kentucky, and resided, until his death, in Mason 
County. He left three sons, Dr. Thomas S. Doniphan, surgeon of the 
Third Kentucky Volunteers, commanded by Colonel Payne, during the 
war of 18 1 2, and the father of John; George Doniphan, and General A, 
W. Doniphan, of the Mexican War and a distinguished lawyer of Mis- 



728 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

souri. In i8i8, Dr. Thomas S. Doniphan married Rebecca Frazee, the 
daughter of Samuel Frazee, who was a companion of Simon Kenton in 
Northern Kentucky, at Washington, in Mason County, in the year 1775. 
He removed to Brown County, Ohio, where John was born in 1826, and 
educated at the Franklin Academy, in Kentucky. After the death of his 
father, in 1843, he entered a printing office at Maysville, Kentucky. In 
1844, through the kindness of Colonel Marshall, of Kentucky, he got a 
position in the clerk's office in Mason County. He came to Clay County, 
Missouri, in 1846. In 1848, he took a degree at the University of Louis- 
ville, and returned to Missouri. In February. 1849, he commenced to 
practice law in Platte County, where he continued to practice law until 
1872, when he removed to St. Joseph. He had, however, practiced law 
in Buchanan County since 1849, and was engaged in some of the most 
sensational trials in this county, among others the State vs. Doy, for 
stealing slaves; the State vs. Hardin, and the State vs. Jenkins, each 
for murder. In 1854, he was elected to the Legislature from Platte County, 
as a Whig, against a Democratic majority of over 600, where he was 
instrumental in passing a bill to remove the Branch of the State Bank 
from Fayette to Weston, which Governor Price refused to sign; and in 
chartering, with one and a half millions of state aid, the Weston & Ran- 
dolph County Railroad, vetoed by Governor Price. This was the revis- 
ing session, and likewise memorable for the triangular contest for Sen- 
ator between Benton, Atchison and Doniphan. In 1862, Colonel Doni- 
phan was elected to the Senate from the Platte District, and served as 
an active Conservative Democrat during the next four years. He was 
a bold opponent of the Drake constitution and the registration laws, 
which disfranceised so large a portion of the best citizens. In 1866, he 
canvassed the Tenth district, denouncing these iniquities at great per- 
sonal hazard, and wrote the Democratic address for the state committee 
in 1866, setting forth the enormities of such legislation, and which did 
much to aid the revolution of popular feeling in 1870. While in the Sen- 
ate, he was a member of the Judiciary and Internal Improvement Com- 
mittees, and aided largely in shaping the revision of 1866, and exam- 
ined and passed upon, by section, the statutes of that year. His is the 
only solitary vote against the act authorizing the Governor to sell the 
Iron Mountain & Southwest Branch of the Pacific Railroad. He declared 
the act was a fraud on the state, to whom the properties were indebted 
several millions, and that they were worth every dollar of it. but the bill 
would jeopardize it. His words were prophetic, as the state got prac- 
tically nothing for the road, while the properties are now worth more 
than five times that sum, and the state is paying the debt by taxation. 
In 1 861, being a Union man, he was offered the command of a regi- 
ment by General Lyon, which was declined, as well as several other posi- 
in the army, but in 1862, from the necessities of the times, he was com- 



ST. JOSEPH. 729 

pelled to join the militia to prevent Platte County from being destroyed 
between the bushwhackers and Redlegs, who were alternately swarming 
around her, ready to swoop down upon the non-combatants. After 
serving two months as a private, Governor Gamble appointed him Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of the Thirty-ninth Missouri militia, and afterwards Gov- 
ernor Hall appointed him to a like position in the Eighty-first Missouri, 
"where he served, when on duty, until after the Price invasion in 1864, 
when he resigned. It was through his personal intercession with Gen- 
•eral Rosecrans, who was a friend, that Jennison's Regiment was taken 
from Liberty Landing, to Fort Leavenworth, by steamboat, and thus 
saved Clay County from being pillaged and burned. In 1867, he was 
again elected to the Legislature, without opposition, and afterwards 
was elected Judge of the Weston Court of Common Pleas, during his 
absence, and without being a candidate. These facts show the estima- 
tion in which he was held by those who knew him well. He has always 
been prompt to serve the public without pay or reward, and has devoted 
much time to advance the cause of education and benevolence in the 
state. In 1848, he joined Phoenix Lodge, I. O. O. F., at Weston, and 
still remains a member of the lodge and Encampment there, having 
devoted much time to advancing the order, and has been honored as 
Grand Master and Grand Representative, has instituted lodges, traveled 
over the state instructing in the work, lecturing and giving his personal 
aid to the cause, and invariably refused to accept of compensation in 
any form for these services. In 1852, he married Miss Fanny Thornton, 
of Clay County, a daughter of the late Colonel John Thornton, and a sis- 
ter to Mrs. General A. W. Doniphan, Mrs. Captain O. P. Moss, Mrs. Wil- 
liam Morton, Mrs. R. W. Donnell, Mrs. James H. Baldwin, and Mrs. L. M. 
Lawson. In 1872, he was appointed attorney of the St. Joseph and Den- 
ver City Railroad Company, which position he has continued to fill since 
to the satisfaction of the company and its patrons. In 1859, iri connec- 
tion with Judge James N. Burnes, he organized the Weston and Atchi- 
son Railway Company, and together paid out of their means the expen- 
ses of surveys, plats, etc., and having been elected the first President of 
the company. Colonel Doniphan gave a year in hard work to make a 
success of the project. In i860, he assisted in the organization of the 
Missouri Valley Railroad Company, from Weston to Moberly, and was 
elected attorney of it, and had surveys and estimates made largely at his 
own expense, all of which were lost by reason of the war. Colonel Don- 
iphan has never been a seeker for position or place outside of his pro- 
fession, and those he has held have been more the result of solicitation 
than from any desire on his part to secure them. He is domestic in his 
habits and tastes, and has often said he would rather receive the "Well 
done," of his wife, than the plaudits of the multitude. As a practicing 
lawyer for more than thirty years, a member of the Legislature for seven 



730 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

sessions, and an active hard worker of great practical common sense, 
he has done much to shape the law and political economy of his county 
and state, and takes a great interest in public enterprises calculated to 
ameliorate and elevate his fellow citizens; he is a trustee of the Lunatic 
Asylum No. 2, having been appointed by Governor Phelps, without his 
solicitation or knowledge ; also the professor of medical jurisprudence 
in the St. Joseph Hospital Medical College, and several other positions 
of trust for the public good. Colonel Doniphan was attorney of the 
Weston and St. Joseph Railroad, and its successor, the Missouri Valley,, 
for ten years, and obtained the right of way and assisted in 
the construction from Kansas City to Hopkins and Forest City,, 
resigning in 1870. He built from Atchison to Edgerton, thus making 
the Atchison bridge and Winthrop necessities, and additions to the 
wealth of Buchanan County. In 1879, as agent of Jay Gould, he built 
the Hastings and Grand Island and Blue Valley Railroads, as tributaries 
to St. Joseph. As a lawyer he has been successful in defending over one 
hundred and sixty cases of felony; he has never had but three clients 
ultimately convicted, and these were a part of those where he was 
defending under opposition from the court, and out of over thirty mur- 
der cases he has never had a client convicted capitally. Colonel 
Doniphan is an eloquent and forcible speaker, a compact and close 
reasoner, but seems to use pathos and logic only as a means of 
conviction. Perhaps the best illustration of his reserved powers as a 
public speaker was given in opposition to the sell-out bill introduced 
into the State Senate by Hon. David Wagner, afterwards Chief Justice, 
in January, 1864, by which the State sold the Missouri Pacific Railroad 
to John C. Fremont for seven millions State bonds, then worth twenty- 
five cents on the dollar. Fremont was then in the zenith of his fame, 
a favorite of the Missouri Republicans as against Mr. Lincoln for the 
Presidential nomination of 1864. He was in Jefferson City with a large 
hotel and restaurant run full, with many talented followers and lobyists, 
to aid in passing this bill. He had secured the promise from a majority 
of the Senate to favor it, and had it presented suddenly by one of the 
ablest members in a forcible and clear speech. Immediately upon 
Judge Wagner being seated. Col. Doniphan arose, and, in a speech of 
half an hour in length, dealt the proposition such fearful blows, and 
denounced the measure as one so fraught with peril to the State, that 
the Senate refused to receive the proposition. The Missouri Republi- 
can of the next day, says of the speech: "Thanks to John Doniphan 
when Wagner, of Lewis County, yesterday, introduced a bill to sell out 
the Pacific Railroad to John C. Fremont and others at seven millions of 
State bonds, the first installment of one million to be paid in 1864, 
John Doniphan, in the right way and on the instant, hit it just in the 
bull's eye, and Wagner may be thankful to our friend Bush that the 



ST. JOSEPH. 731 

fraudulent thing ever kicked afterwards. The Senate refused to receive 
the bill, but the good nature of Mr. Bush had it so far reconsidered as to 
refer to a committee. We have seldom seen remarks more pertinent 
and killing to any measure than those submitted by Mr. Doniphan. He 
exposed with an effect which must have been electric upon the Senate, 
the infamous character of the proposition. Introduced at an unexpected 
moment, for it had been understood that the House was first to be 
favored with the bill, he seems to have comprehended at a glance the 
enormity of the provisions of the bill, the sacrifice of State, county, city 
and individual interests, and the disregard of State honor and State 
independence, and to have denounced it with a vehemence and a sense 
of the injustice even in entertaining such a proposition, which com- 
mands our admiration. We have no fear of the adoption of a sell out 
proposition while he stands ready to expose it, and we are quite sure he 
will." Col. Doniphan seems contented in the devotion of one of the 
noblest of women, and in humbly aiding in the development and 
advancement of the country. 

COLONEL JOHN DONOVAN, 

of the firm of Donovan & Saxton, real estate agents, was born in Dor- 
chester County, Maryland, February 28, 1828. He is the son of Captain 
John Donovan, a native of West Virginia. His mother's maiden name 
was Pattison. She was a native of Dorchester County, Maryland. 
Young John Donovan was one of a numerous family of children. He 
received the advantages of the best schools and academies of that 
country. His first business experience was in the capacity of Deputy 
Circuit Clerk in his own county. In 1857, he was elected Register of 
Wills for Talbot County, Maryland. In this capacity he served six 
years. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1867. He after- 
wards engaged in the real estate business and in farming. In 1868, he left 
Virginia for the west, and, arriving in St. Joseph, settled there in the 
practice of his profession and in the real estate business, in which he has 
since continued. December i, 185 1, Colonel Donovan was married to 
Miss Evalina M. Robinson, daughter of Thomas Robinson, Esq., a farmer 
of Talbot County, Maryland. He has, by this marriage, five children, 
three of whom are sons. He is a member of Christ (Episcopal) Church, 
and of Zeredatha Lodge, A. F. and A. M., in St. Joseph, and is regarded 
as a representative citizen. • 

GEORGE DONALDSON, 

conductor on the St. Joseph and Des Moines Railroad. This genial gen- 
tleman is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Allegheny County. 
Mis father, Hugh Donaldson, was an agriculturist, and George spent his 



732 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

youthful days in tilling the soil. In 1863, he tendered his services to the 
Union cause, enlisting in Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-sixth 
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and served fourteen months. In 1873, 
he came West, and made his debut in railroading on the C, R. I. & P. 
R. R. in Iowa, and was in the employ of that company about six years. 
During three years he acted as conductor. He next became an employe 
of the K. C, St. J. & C. B. for a time, and in the autumn of 1879, became 
connected with the St. J. & D. M. Co. He is thoroughly proficient in 
railroading, and commands the confidence of his employers. In 1873, at 
Stuart, Iowa, Miss Clara Warner became his wife, and they have had 
three children — Pearl, Laura and Birda. 

DR. EDMUND A. DONPXAN, 

was born in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York, April 5, 
1824, and is of Irish parentage. He obtained a common school educa- 
tion, and in 1839, removed to Wayne County, Indiana. For two years 
he was a student in the Beach Grove Academy, and then taught school 
for two terms. In 1844, he commenced the study of medicine at Liberty, 
Union County, and subsequently attended a course of lectures at 
the Ohio Medical College in 1847 and in 1848. Dr. Donelan first 
began practicing at Abington, but after six months he removed 
to Missouri, locating at Amazonia, and removed to Savannah in 
1850. Returning to college in 1851, he graduated in the winter of 
185 1-2. In the fall of 1852, he was first elected to represent his county 
in the State Legislature, and was re-elected in 1854, and served two full 
terms. In 1857, ^^ removed from Andrew County, and located in Platts- 
mouth, Cass County, Nebraska. In 1858, he was elected a member of 
the Nebraska Legislature, and the succeeding year (1859) ^^''^s elected 
to the Territorial Council, a body corresponding to the present State 
Senate. During the session of 1859 and i860 he served as presiding 
officer. In the spring of i860. Dr. Donelan removed to St. Joseph, and at 
once entered on a successful practice of his profession. During the 
winter of 1870-71, he visited New York, and attended Bellevue Medical 
College and the various hospitals of New York cit}'. He has filled sev- 
eral public positions, among them those of county physician of Buchanan 
County and city physician of St. Joseph. He was elected Treasurer of 
the Missouri State Medical Association in 1873, and served as President 
of the St. Joseph Medical Socict)-. In November, 1876, he was chosen 
Representative in the Twent)--ninth General Assembl)-, and was 
re-elected to the Thirty-first General Assembly from St. Joseph. He 
was one of the founders of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of 
this city, and was one of its lecturers. He has filled the chair of Materia 
Medica and Therapeutics for two years. In 1881, he was elected Pro- 



ST. JOSEPH. 733 

fessor of Diseases of Women and Children. Dr. Donelan is now devot- 
ing his time wholly to his profession. 

ALEXANDER M. DOUGHERTY, 

of the firm of Dougherty, Ray & Co., lumber dealers, was born in 
Kentucky, October 17, 1833. In 1834, he immigrated to St. Joseph, 
Missouri. He was raised a farmer, but afterwards learned and worked 
at the carpenter trade. In 1858, he engaged in the livery business, con- 
tinuing in the same till the breaking out of the civil war. Inspired by 
a conviction of right, he united his fortunes with the South, and enlisted 
in Company A, of John Morgan's regiment of Confederate cavalry. By 
the fortune of war, he was captured at Buffington Island, near New 
Lisbon, Ohio, in July, 1863, and was incarcerated in a Chicago prison 
during the remaining days of the war, at the close of which he returned 
to St. Joseph and engaged in the lumber business. Three years after 
this, the present company was formed, of which he became the head. 
In common with many others, he sustained severe loss during the civil 
war, his own amounting to not less than eight thousand dollars. By 
energetic action and well directed enterprise, he succeeded in recovering 
his losses and now ranks with the successful business men of St. Joseph. 
March 17, 1867, he married Miss Celia Pullens, a native of Kentucky, 
born January, 1845, and a daughter of Judge Pullens, a prominent citi- 
zen of Buchanan County. The result of this union was three children, 
William, born February 14, 1868; Sarah, born August 17, 1870; and 
John, born January 5, 1872. Mr. Dougherty is a member of the 
Christian Church and an energetic and public spirited citizen. 

DR. THOMAS H. DOYLE 

was born in Doylestown, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, November 5, 
1840, and received his literary education at the St. Francis Brothers' Col- 
lege. His taste led him to make choice of the practice of medicine as a 
profession, and he at once commenced reading with a prominent physi- 
cian and attended lectures at the University of the City of New York, 
from which he was graduated in March, 1865, and it was the last class 
taught by the famous Prof. Mott. He afterward had the benefit afforded 
by practice in the Bellevue Medical Hospital, of New York. In March, 
1869, he came to Missouri, and settled in St. Joseph, and at once took a 
front rank as an able and skillful practitioner. He is Professor of Prin- 
ciples and Practice of Medicine in the St. Joseph Medical College. He 
is a prominent member of the American Medical Association, also a 
member of the Northwestern District Medical Association.' He was 
Health officer of St. Joseph for the years of 1877 and 1878. He married 
Miss Margaret G. Sheehan, of this city, October 12, 1871. They have 



734 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

two children living — Agnes and John M. In his religious preferences 
the Doctor is a Catholic, believing that the principles of the Bible applied 
to the hearts of men is the essential doctrine, rather than the sectarian 
idea — that I am right and you are wrong. As a citizen he is highly 
respected ; as a practitioner he is very able and skillful ; as a lecturer 
practical and progressive. 

JOSEPH DREIS, 

who devoted the best part of his life to the education of the children of 
the first German settlers of St. Joseph, and to whom many citizens are 
indebted for their knowledge, deserves specially to be mentioned. He 
was born April ii, 1828, at Bremen, on the Mosel, Prussia. When 
eio"hteen years of age, after having had his primary education, he went 
to Trier, where he visited higher schools and studied to prepare himself 
for the duties of a teacher. From 1850, he served three years as a 
soldier in the King's Body Guard of the Prussian Army. In 1853, he 
was honorably discharged, and immediately emigrated to America, 
arriving at New York City, which place he left after a short rest and 
went to Jefferson City, Missouri, where he was employed for three 
months. In 1854, he came to St. Joseph and immediately opened a 
German school. He was successful and soon had thirty pupils, a large 
number for that time. In 1855, he married, and in 1856, left St. Joseph, 
but returned in i860, when he again opened a private German school, 
and as his great merits as a teacher were known and acknowledged by 
the Germans, he soon had more than one hundred pupils. By the 
request of the directors of the German school, who had erected a school 
building, he accepted the position of teacher of the Deutsche Verein 
Schule. By his high qualities as a teacher, and his energy, he was so 
successful that in 1868, the old school house became too small, and a 
new and larger one was erected, which soon after was visited by one 
hundred and fifty pupils. 'In 1869, he resigned his position as teacher 
and opened a hotel opposite the narrow gauge railroad depot. In 1871, 
he added to the hotel a grocery business, which he carries on with great 
success. He was married August 22, 1855, to Miss Magdalene Eliza- 
beth Bode. They have had eleven children, of whom four are living, 
Carl August, born August 5, 1863 ; George France, born January i, 1866; 
Johanna Sophia, born February 23, 1871 ; Johann Philip, born Octo- 
ber 9, 1877. 

DUFFY BROTHERS, 

grocers. One of the prominent business houses of the eastern part of 
of the city is the establishment of Duffy Brothers. Mr. Daniel Duffy was 
born in County Donegal, Ireland, September 10, 1837, and was there raised 
to manhood and educated. In 1863, he came to America, living tempora- 



ST. JOSEPH. 735 

rily in different parts of the country until 1865, when he took up his 
abode in St. Joseph. For a time he was in the employ of J. D. McNeely, 
In 1869, he engaged in trade and in the spring of 1880, he commenced 
the manufacture of brick, in connection with their business. In this 
branch of industry they do a flourishing trade. During the year of 1880, 
their entire business footed up $20,000, and the year 1881 promises to 
far excel this. Bernard Duffy, the junior member of the firm is a native 
of Ireland, and was born in County Donegal, May 15, 1850. He became 
a resident of St. Joseph in 1869. He is numbered among the sterling 
and live young business men of the city. 

REV. E. S. DULIN, D. D. LL.D., 

was born near the banks of the Potomac, about five miles from Mt. Ver- 
non, in Fairfax County, Virginia, January 18, 182 1. On his father's side 
he is descended from the Huguenot family of Dulon, which in the latter 
part ot the seventeenth century, settled in Maryland. His mother 
belonged to the English Quaker family of Shelton, which settled in 
Loudon County, Virginia. In 1823, his father moved to Washington, D. 
C, where he died when the subject of this sketch was nine years old, 
leaving his family in limited circumstances. Thus early the battle of life 
began. Hard work during the day, diligent study far into the night and 
at all leisure hours, was the rule and practice of his early days. He 
enjoyed the blessing of a Christian mother, and in 1839 united with 
the Calvert St. Baptist Church, Baltimore, and soon after determined to go 
as a missionary to Burmah. He entered Richmond College in 1841, 
where he remained four years, earning each vacation the money to pay 
the expenses of the following term. Upon his graduation, he was recom- 
mended by Dr. Ryland, and elected principal of St. Bride's Academy. 
Here, from overwork, etc., his health gave Vay, and he accepted the 
professorship of ancient languages in the H611in's Institute. A year in 
this institute found his health improved, but his hope of going to Bur- 
mah was abandoned. He spent the next year in taking a special course 
at the University of Virginia. He was ordained as a minister in Balti- 
more, in August, 1848, and came to Missouri in the following October, 
settling as pastor of the Baptist Church in Lexington, March, 1849. 
August 28, 1849, he married Miss Sarah R. Gilkey. He was a member 
of the convention at Booneville, which, in 1849, located William Jewell 
College at Liberty; was elected its president the following October, 
and January i, 1850, he organized the college. In the spring of 1856, 
he was recalled to the pastorate of the Lexington church. Two months 
later, the Baptists of Lexington bought the Female College property, 
and in the following September he became its president. The previous 
session had closed with about thirty pupils. At the expiration of the 



736 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

second year Dr. Dulin had two hundred and eighty-six, but the labor 
was too great for his health and he resigned his position. He became 
pastor of the Baptist Church in Kansas City in 1858, and, in 1859, was 
called to the First Baptist Church in St. Joseph. He remained here for 
six years, and again accepted the management of the Female College at 
Lexington. The college building had been destroyed during the war and 
the school closed. He soon restored the college to its former prosperity. 
In 1870, he founded Stephens College at Columbia, which flourished with 
increasing patronage during his six years' management. Dr. Dulim 
removed to St. Joseph in 1876, and became the founder of St. Joseph' 
Female College, intending to make this the crowning effort of his life 
work. Dr. Dulin ranks among the ablest preachers in the state. His 
sermons are carefully prepared, with sufficient rhetorical ornament to 
interest and please, and delivered with impassioned earnestness. He 
makes everything subserve in enforcing the sweet truths of the Gospel, 
as they affect the hearts and lives of men. These truths he enforces 
with keenest logic, and a fervid and fearless eloquence that makes no 
compromise with error. His literary and theological abilities have been 
fittingly acknowledged by the proper scholastic institutions, conferring 
upon him the degrees of A. M., D. D., and LL. D. 

E. J. DUNFORD, 

proprietor of hotel, Contrary Lake, was born in Burke County, Georgia' 
February 15, 1827. He had limited educational advantages in Georgia 
and Florida. He moved to Alabama, and clerked in a dry goods store 
for three years. In 1852, he emigrated to Missouri, and settled in 
Buchanan County, and followed farming for nineteen years. He mar- 
ried Miss Phebe Ogle, in 1855. Mrs. Dunford died in 1869, leaving four 
children : A. Josephine, Edward, Ida and Lizzie. He was again married 
in 1870, to Mary Shields, a, native of Indiana. By this marriage there 
are two children, Willie and George. Mr. D. is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and a School Director. In 1871, he built the Lake 
Shore House, a large frame structure, with ample stabling in connection. 
He also keeps boats, fishing tackle, minnows, and all the paraphernalia 
necessary for pleasure seekers, and at reasonable prices. He has made 
his house a popular place of resort by his genial and affable disposition, 
and in always anticipating the wants of his guests. During the flood of 
1881, he lost 150 tons of ice, and sustained other damages, in all amount- 
ing to at least fifteen hundred dollars. Water stood one foot deep on 
the lower floor ; had to move everything up stairs. The door yard and 
fields were one broad sheet of water, all around looking like an angry river. 

HENRY DUNN, 
engineer on the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. 
Of the old stand-bys of this company Mr. Dunn occupies a prominent 



ST. JOSEPH. 737 

place. He was born in Genesee County, New York, February 22, 1839, 
and when sixteen years of age came to Missouri, locating in St. Joseph. 
In 1864, he commenced railroading, for the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
Railroad Company, in the. capacity of fireman, continuing for a time, 
when he retired and engaged in other pursuits. He was in the employ 
of the Western Stage Company, and for two years with the famous Ben 
Halliday. His next departure was in the capacity of fireman on the old 
Council Bluffs and St. Joseph Railroad, and one of the oldest employes 
with the present Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad 
Company, and was one year in the employ of the Burlington and Mis- 
souri. He is a skilled and careful engineer, and is favorably known to 
the traveling public, and patrons of this popular line feel perfectly secure 
when Henry is at the throttle. 

H. W. DUNN, 

Street Commissioner, was born in Lee County, Virginia, April 9th, 183?. 
His early days, until he attained his nineteenth year, were spent in til- 
ling the soil, his father, John Dunn, being an agriculturist. In 1857, 
the family migrated to Buchanan County, locating near Agency, where 
his father died, October 20th, 1859. In 1859, the subject of this sketch 
removed to Kansas, residing there until 1861, when he returned to 
Agency, remaining until 1865, thence to Page County, Iowa, sojourning 
one year, when he became a resident of St. Joseph. For twelve years 
he was engaged in street sprinkling, after which, for a number-of years,. 
he was Deputy Street Commissioner. In the spring of 188 1, he received 
the appointment to the position he now occupies. His wife, Miss 
Malinda Reese, of Agency, he married July 4th, 1861. The union has 
been blessed by nine children, eight of whom are living : Franklin P., 
Mattie D., Charles H., Bertha E., Otie M., Fr^ d. A., Nannie L., Jacob P. 
John L., the third eldest son, met his death on the 24th of May, 1877,. 
by being drowned in the Missouri River. Mr. Dunn is a member of the 
A. O. U. W.— Select Knights— and the I. O. O. F. He is known 
throughout the city from the smallest urchin to the oldest inhabitant as- 
"Commissioner" Dunn. ^ 

E. DURAND, 

President of the Durand Organ Company, and manager of sales in the 
Chicago Temple of Music, was born in the state of New York, March 
8th, 1833. At an early age he removed from that state, locating in 
Boston, a city famous for producing the finest musical talent in this 
land. Mr. Durand was designed to figure conspicuously in the musical 
world, and at an early age manifested a strong interest in that direction. 
In Boston, he learned the piano building trade and became proficient in 



738 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

the art of tuning, and all the essential features connected with the busi- 
ness. After operating successfully in Boston, Worcester and other 
eastern cities for a number of years he traveled through the western 
states, engaged in piano tuning and selling musical instruments, eventu- 
ally locating in St. Joseph, in 1874. He embarked in the musical mer- 
chandise business, which has been steadily on the increase. An estimate 
of his business may be inferred from the fact that in six years time his 
sales in organs amounted to over fourteen hundred. In 1880, his sagac- 
ity and live business qualifications came to the view of Mr. W. W. Kim- 
ball, of Chicago, who saw in Mr. Durand the right man to manage 
successfully a branch of his extensive industry, and as a result, in 1880, 
he entered the employ of W. W. Kimball, of Chicago, as manager of 
sales and placed in St. Joseph a stock of pianos and organs. Mr. J. L. 
Reeder presides as business manager, and Prof. Frank Glazier, who, as a 
manipulator of the ivories, is a success in showing the merits of the 
instruments to the visitors and patrons. Miss Hattie Thorp, a lady of 
culture, and an accomplished pianist and teacher, is a member of the 
corps of ushers in the Chicago Temple. The Durand Organ Company 
was organized and incorporated under the State Laws of Missouri, in 
1879, with E. Durand as President ; John A. Read, Secretary, and John 
F. Tyler, Treasurer and Attorney. The Western Cottage Organ Com- 
pany, of Mendota, Illinois, manufacture their organs, and, although in 
existence but a short time, it has attained a wide reputation and prom- 
ises a bright future. The salesroom of the Temple of Music is the first 
floor, where a large supply of the Durand organs, Chickering, Emerson 
& Hale and Kimball pianos, and all the standard makes of instruments, 
.and also a full line of the latest popular sheet music of the day is kept. 
The third floor is used as the store room, where is kept a large surplus 
stock. The second floor, or music hall, is where ye refined St. Josephite 
delights to linger and hear discoursed instrumental and vocal music. 
Mr. D. has attained considerable celebrity as a vocalist, and to meet a 
long-felt want in St. Joseph had the music hall fitted up appropriately 
and seated, where the lovers of select music can enjoy a pleasureable 
feast. Regular levees are held here by the best musical talent in the city. 
In conclusion we would say, revising the immortal Shakespeare some- 
what, he that hath no music in his soul had better attend one of them, 
and if his adamantine heart is not softened he is a fit subject for any 
office his enemies see fit to inflict. 

MISS CARRIE A. DUTZSCHKY, 

a native of St. Joseph, and the youngest of a family of four children, is a 
•daughter of the late Charles E. Dutzschky, Esq., who died April 9, 1854, 
while Postmaster of St. Joseph, of which city he had been for many years 



ST. JOSEPH. 739 

a representative citizen. He had, previous to his appointment as post- 
master, held various positions of honor and trust under the national and 
state government, and served in the commissary department of the 
army during the entire period of the Mexican War. He was a native of 
Dresden, and son of an officer who served with distinction in the armies 
of the first Napoleon. He was an active and prominent member of the 
Masonic order, and at the period of his death, an officer of St. Joseph 
Lodge, A. F. and A. M. He was also a member of the Baptist church. 
He married his wife (then Miss Eliza Greason), in Michigan. In 1850, 
they moved to St. Joseph, where the subject of this sketch was after- 
wards born, as above stated. Miss Carrie was graduated in the class of 
1871, in the St. Joseph High School. She early determined to embrace 
the profession of teaching. Some time after her first experience in Iowa 
as a teacher, she accepted, in 1874, the appointment as principal of the 
Avenue Primary School, the duties of which position she has ever since 
continued to discharge acceptably. She has long been a member of the 
Baptist Church, in St. Joseph, the religion of both her parents. 

N. EGLY 

was born Oct. 18, 1825, at Ober Mossan, Grossherzogthum Hessen, South 
Germany, where he was raised and learned the trade of cooper, with his 
father, Leonhard Egly, working at it until 1846. Then he left his home 
and went to Colmar, France, and, in 1847, went to Fredburg, Switzer- 
land. After being employed there four months, a religious war broke 
out. Egly and his countrymen were ordered by the government to 
leave Switzerland, when he returned to his home, where he remained 
until 1849. At the outbreak of the German revolution, he went to 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, and worked there without interruption until 
1852, when he emigrated to America. He landed at New York, and 
worked as cooper up to 1857. Becoming ill, he returned to Germany, to 
recover his health, and again came to New York, in May, 1858. After a 
short stay there, he got a situation at Detroit, Michigan, where he worked 
four months. Thence to St. Louis, and afterwards to Leavenworth, Kan- 
sas, working in each place a short time. Attracted by the favorable news 
which he had heard of St. Joseph, he came here May 29, 1859, and opened 
his own cooper business, which he carried on successfully; but becoming 
sick in i860, he went to Colorado by team. After four months, he was 
able to return to St. Joseph, and again opened his business. At the out- 
break of the civil war he joined the militia, called out to protect the 
city of St. Joseph, and did his duty as long as his services were required. 
In 1875, he paid a visit to his fatherland, where he remained one year 
and returned, in 1876, to St. Joseph, when he sold out and retired from 
business. 



740 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

J. P. EMMERT, 

dealer in live stock, is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1844. 
He emigrated to Illinois in 185 i, and remained there until 1861, whenhe 
enlisted in the Thirth-seventh Regiment, Illinois Infantry, and was in 
the service three years, under General Herron Totten, entering as a pri- 
vate and returning as Sergeant. He was raised on a farm, and engaged 
in the stock business in 1868. He came to St. Joseph in 1873, and took 
charge of the stock yards until 1877, and since then has been in the com- 
mission and forwarding business. He is a Mason and a member of the 
Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

SAMUEL ENSWORTH, 

who for the past twenty years has been closely identified with the city 
of St. Joseph, was born in Canterbury, Connecticut, in February, 18 16. 
He had good educational advantages in youth, and at the age of sixteen 
he taught a school near Providence, Rhode Island. The following year 
he followed a cherished plan of visiting the South and West, and traveled 
for some time in Kentucky, selling clocks. He formed the acquaintance 
of J. S. Henderson, a prominent attorney of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, 
who induced him to enter his office and study law. After reading with 
Mr. Henderson, he attended the Pennsylvania Law School, and was 
graduated in 1840. He at once commenced the active practice of his 
profession, and remained in Kentucky for seventeen years, doing a large 
business. In 1857, he became impressed that St. Joseph offered a wider 
field for his talents, and he came to Buchanan County, and formed a 
partnership with Governor Woodson. The firm did a large legal busi- 
ness, and dealt to some extent in real estate. This relation existed 
until Governor Woodson was elected Circuit Judge. Mr. Ensworth con- 
tinued his practice until 1873, when his private business demanded his 
entire attention, and he abandoned active practice. He has large landed 
interests outside of the city and county, in Holt, Atchison, and Andrew 
Counties. His time is mostly spent at his farm in Andrew County. 

FREDERICK C. ERNST, 

of the firm of Ernst & Brill, booksellers, was born in Wurtemburg, Ger- 
many, December 5, 1843, and came to this country in 1843, and, with his 
father's family, settled in West Virginia. He came to St. Joseph in 
1862, obtained a situation in the Postoffice, where he remained for twelve 
years, in the meantime starting a news stand in the Postoffice on a small 
scale. In 1870, he formed a partnership with Henry Brill, and since that 
time the firm of Ernst & Brill have been doing a very large share of the 
book and stationery business of the city. Their stock is large, choice 



ST. JOSEPH. 741 

and attractive, and the firm richly merits the success which has attended 
their career. He married Caroline E. Decker, of this city, May 12th, 
1867. They have four children : Mary M., Frank R., Eda May and 
Emma L. 

FRED. ERB, Jr., 

was born in Lafayette, Indiana, November 25, 1859, and came to St. 
Joseph in 1874. He married Miss Addie Schaufert, of this city, May 18, 
1880. They have one son, Freddie. He early developed a natural taste 
for hunting, and is an expert with a gun. In 1880, in St. Joseph, in a 
trial with the celebrated Bogardus, he beat him 93 to 83. In June of the 
same year, at Easton, Pennsylvania, he won the shot of Bogardus, by 50 
to 47. These games were for large sums of money. At St. Louis, May 
28, 1881, he shot with W. T. Mitchell, for $200, 100 birds each, English 
rules, killing 93 to Mitchell's 85, which is the best score on record by 
seven birds, using a Purdy Gun, English make. He has had trials with 
many of the professionals, and almost always was the victor. 

Dr. O. BURNETT ESTES, 

magnetic physician, is a native of Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri, 
and was born April 28, 1854. His father, Woodson S., was among the 
first settlers in the Platte Purchase ; his grandfather, Joel, was a native 
of Kentucky, and his great grandfather, Peter, was one of the pioneers 
of that state. Mr. Woodson S. Estes was also an early settler in Oregon, 
Holt County, and in 1847, was engaged in the hardware trade in St. 
Joseph. In 1861, the family removed to Illinois, and in 1862, located in 
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, and that same year the senior Estes oraganized a 
company for the Union army and went in the service as its captain. O. 
B., in early life, conceived the idea of choosing the medical profession, 
and adopted the magnetic theory. He received the benefits of a good 
education, at Mt. Pleasant, and commenced the study of magnetism in 
Chicago, and in a short time became very proficient. He commenced 
and practiced several years at Riverton, Iowa, and in September, 1876, 
established in St. Joseph. His success in curing acute diseases of an}' 
description has been wonderful. His operating rooms contain one of 
the finest vitalizing electro-therapeutic cabinets for giving electric baths 
that is in use. The doctor has built up a good reputation in St. Joseph. 
Many of his patients are from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Texas 
.and other states. Since coming to St. Joseph he took up the regular 
study of medicine and is a graduate of the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons. His wife, Mrs. Allie Estes, is an accomplished electrician. 
Her maiden name was Hutton, and in December, 1878, married Dr. 
Estes. They have one daughter by this union — Pearl. The}- are mem- 
bers of the First Baptist church. 



742 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JAMES FAHEY, 

one of our pioneer contractors, was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, 
in 1829; was raised to manhood and educated in his native country, and 
in 1853 came to America. For two years he resided in New York; then 
went to Chicago, remaining a few years, and in 1858 came to St. Joseph. 
He engaged in working at his trade, that of a mason, on the Patee 
House, and has since been identified with the building interests of the 
city. His specialty has been basement work, and in this branch he has 
built the foundations of a large number of fine structures; was also fore- 
man on the construction of the Cathedral. For a time Mr. F. was in 
partnership with Judge Patton, and at an early day was associated with 
C. Arnhold. He has been interested to a considerable. extent in railroad 
contracting during his sojourn in St. Joseph. Mr. Fahey has a well stored 
mind, and when once made up it takes pointed and reasonable argu- 
ments to change it. In 1861, Miss Jane Burns, a native of Indiana, 
became his wife. They have seven children, Bernard, James, Mary. 
Annistasia, Susan, Belle and Jane. 

WILLIAM G. FAIRLEIGH, 

one of St. Joseph's most successful merchants, was born in Elizabeth- 
town, Hardin County, Kentucky, February 9, 1830. In 1843, he removed 
to Weston, Platte County, Missouri. In the spring following, he made 
his first attempt at merchandising by selling apples on the streets, and 
to the numerous passengers who, in those days, arrived and departed on 
the steamboats frequenting that port. In the spring of 1845, he went to 
Savannah, in Andrew County, and entered a hotel as clerk. He soon 
after assisted Felix Robidoux in his store. The latter may be termed 
the initial point of his business experience. In the spring of 1846, then 
a lad of sixteen, he went in quest of a fortune, to St. Joseph. His first 
experience there was in cleaning out a new store for Smith & Donnell, 
by whom he was afterwards employed as clerk. In 1848, Mr. Donnell 
sold his interest to Milton Tootle, the new firm being Smith, Bedford & 
Tootle, and continuing so till July, 1849, when Mr. Smith died. The 
succeeding firm was Tootle & Fairleigh. This continued to exist till 
January i, 1873. In 1853, this firm was the first west of St. Louis to 
start an exclusive jobbing trade. They continued in the business some 
twenty-five years. In the meantime, in view of declining health, Mr. 
Fairleigh determined to temporarily suspend business, and engage in 
traveling. In 1873, he sailed for Europe, visiting England and the Con- 
tinent. Returning to the New World, he visited California, Colorado 
and Canada. His travels occupied six years of his life. In 1879, he was 
again in St. Joseph, when he entered into partnership with Bailey & 
Weil, in the wholesale dry goods business, constituting what is now the 



ST. JOSEPH. 743 

firm of Bailey, Fairleigh & Weil. Mr. Fairleigh married, October, 1867, 
Miss Alice O'Neill, daughter of James O'Neill, deceased, and a sister of 
Mrs. Milton Tootle. They have four children : J. O'Neill, Jennie, Mary 
and William G. 

J. P. FAIRCHILD, 

inventor of the Boss Water Sprinkler, was born in Illinois in 1837, and 
received a good education and learned the trade of stone cutting. In 
1866, he went to St. Louis and engaged in the street sprinkling business 
with the Shureman Bros., with forty-five wagons. Mr. F., after experi- 
encing the inconvenience of using the common sprinkler, set about the 
improvement of it. In 1880, he matured his plans, made a working 
machine, got it patented, and now has a carriage and tank which is not 
only admired by all, but its work is perfection itself It has been adopted 
here, and in Keokuk, Iowa, Oskaloosa, Atchison, and some other cities, 
giving great satisfaction. He expects by another season to be able to 
supply the large increasing demand. He is now running five of his 
wagons in this city, which are not only in appearance a credit to the city, 
but their work is more natural than a shower itself Such improvements 
reflect great credit upon our inventor, and gives character to a city and 
the whole country. Mr. F. has chosen this city for his future home. He 
is a man of energy and enterprise, and is a worthy acquisition to the 
business enterprises of this growing city. He married Miss Matilda 
Mooney, daughter of Jonathan Mooney, a merchant of St. Louis. They 
have, by this happy union, seven children: Ida May, Florence Belle, 
Mary Louisa, Laura Emma, John Arthur, Louis Charles and Herbert 
Davis. 

R. P. FALLS, 

blacksmith, is among the early settlers of St. Joseph, coming here in 
1855. He was born in Perry, Allen County, Indiana, in 1844, and settled 
in this county with his father, Shepperd Fales, in the above year. His 
father was well and favorably known in the county for a number of years, 
and now lives in Ft. Pierre. Dick was raised to manhood and learned 
his trade in this city and has a large acquaintance. As a blacksmith he 
ranks among the finst. He was married, in 1865, to Miss Mary F. E. 
Striblen. By this union they have five children : Eva, Charlie, Alfred, 
Nora and Gus. 

PATRICK FARRELL, 

carpenter and builder, was born in County Meath, Ireland, where he was 
reared and educated. In 1848, he came to America, locating in Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, where he resided for a number of years. After spending some 
time in the southern states, in the fall of 1859, ^^^ became a resident of 



744 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

St. Joseph, where he has since been actively engaged in working at the 
carpenter trade. He married, in 1855, Miss Mary A. Lonergan. They 
have ten children living : Edward, Kate, Richard, Annie, Nellie, Mary, 
Joseph, Thomas, Frank and Agnes. 

H. C. PARIS, 

son of Dr. Wm. Paris, ex-Deputy Sheriff, was born in Martinsburg, 
Berkley County, Virginia, March 25th, 1825. He came to this city in 
October, 1856, and was engaged in contracting and building for years. 
In 1861, with Mr. G. M. Venable, he bought a saw mill, which they oper- 
ated until 1874, He then sold out, and the same year was appointed 
Deputy Sheriff by Col. Gates, the Sherift, and served under him and also 
through the term of James L. Spencer, his successor. He was married 
to Miss Rachel J. Darling in Berkley County, Virginia, December 24th, 
1845. They have six children living, John W., Robert M., Alexander 
N., Catharine R., Virginia Berkley and Mary Thompson. 

G. W. PINN, 

machinist, with Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad, is 
a native of New York, and was born in Port Jervis, July 4, 1853; his 
father, M. J. Pinn, was one of the first conductors on the Erie Railroad, 
and was killed a number of years ago in a collision. G. W. spent his 
youthful days in the place of his birth, receiving the benefits of a good 
education. He is a graduate of the Port Jervis public school. His 
trade he learned in the shop of the Erie Railroad, serving four years, 
after which he worked as journeyman one year. He next went to 
Oneonta, Otsego County, New York, and worked in the shops of 
the Albany and Susquehanna Railroad, remaining three and a half 
years. In 1877, he drifted West, taking up his abode in St. Joseph, and 
has since been in the employ of the K. C, St. J. & C. B. Co. As a 
machinist Mr. Pinn has but few equals in the West. As a citizen he has 
a large acquaintanceship, and is always found genial and companionable. 
He is among the leaders in society with the younger class of St. Joseph 
elite. 

JOSEPH PISHER. 

In an humble, low roofed cabin, near the spot where the Blacksnakc 
Creek empties its bluish waters in the Missouri, resides the subject of 
this sketch. Mr. Pisher was born in a small village in Germany, and 
emigrated to America in 1830, landing at the Crescent Cit}% which was 
at the time sorely stricken with the Asiatic Cholera. Taking a boat, he 
ascended the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and disembarked at Evans- 



-<^^'^f 





PROPRIETOR Crrr MILLS 



ST. JOSEPH. 745 

ville, Indiana. After remaining here for several years, he removed to 
Vincennes, Indiana, where he married Cerilda Brown, having by this 
union one daughter. He shortly afterwards settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
and finally moved to St. Louis, Missouri, from which place he came to 
St. Joseph, Missouri, in March, 1843. Here he has lived for thirty-eight 
years, being one of the earliest pioneers of St. Joseph. He has lead a 
quiet, unobtrusive life, at all times,, earning his bread by the sweat of 
his brow. He is respected by all who know him, as a kind neighbor, and 
as an industrious and honest man. 

CHARLES FITZNER, 

carpenter, architect and builder, an able representative of St. Joseph's 
mechanics, is our subject. He was born in Prussia, Germany, November 
4th, 1850, and when a year and a-half old was taken to Canada, where 
he was educated, raised and learned his trade. In 1870, he took up his 
abode in St. Joseph, and has since been a resident, with the exception of 
eighteen months spent in the Black Hills. He has been a contractor for 
three years, and has designed and erected many attractive and solid busi- 
houses and residences. He was married in 1873 to Miss Dortha Kachle, 
a native of Hanover, Germany. They have three children, Charlie, John 
and Willie. Mr. Fitzner is a member of Enterprise Lodge, I. O. O. F. 
He is numbered among the best workmen in the city, and as a draughts- 
man has attained considerable celebrity. 

E. N. FLAISIG, 

one of St. Joseph's railroad men, who is deserving of special mention, 
was born in Sydney, Ohio, February i6th, 1841. When quite young he 
removed, with his parents, to Sandusky, where he was raised to man- 
hood and educated. His father, William Flaisig, was a merchant. In 
1861, he commenced railroading, on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, 
continuing with that company, as freight conductor, for twelve years, 
after which, for five years, he was with the Missouri Pacific Railroad, in 
the same capacity. For three years he has had charge of the Hannibal 
& St. Joseph yard. He has served a long and continuous time at the 
business, and is one of the most efficient hereabouts. May 2nd, 1865, 
Miss Jennie Stevenson, of Xenia, Ohio, became his wife. They have two 
children : Nannie O. and William R. Mr. Flaisig is a member of the A. 
O. U. W., Select Knight. 

LEWIS V. FLEMING, 

well known in St. Joseph, is a native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and 
was born April 13, 18 17. His father, Benjamin, and his grandfather, 

46 



746 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Benjamin, were natives of that state. His mother was Raphel Bowman, 
and her father, Henry Bowman, was an officer in the revolutionary war. 
Lewis was raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania. His father was a ship 
carpenter and died when our subject was quite young. After receiving 
the benefit of a limited common school education he went to Philadel- 
phia and learned the coach finishing trade, and in 1838, went to Cincin- 
nati and worked as journeyman, after which he took up his abode in 
Madison, Indiana, and there fitted up the first coach that ran on the 
Madison and Indianapolis Railroad. He was engaged for a time in con- 
ducting a shop at Georgetown, Kentucky, after which he located in 
Worthsville, Kentucky, where for nine years he was engaged in mer- 
chandising. In 1855, he came to Missouri, locating in DeKalb County, 
and was engaged in stock raising, until 1866, when he became a resident 
of this city. He first commenced steamboating, purchasing the ferry, 
and acted in that role until after the completion of the bridge. There 
were but few residents in Buchanan County, and in Doniphan County, 
Kansas, but what became acquainted with Captain Fleming. He was 
married at Madison, Indiana, in 1840, to Miss Amelia, daughter of James 
H. Wallace, an official on the Madison and Indiana Railroad. By this 
union they have had eight children, Ben W., Louis F., James W., Henry 
B., George, Edward and Charles S.; lost one, Robert. Mr. Fleming is a 
member of the I. O. O. F., and was a charter member of Washington 
Lodge, No. II, of Madison, Indiana. During the nine years stay at 
Worthsville, Kentucky, in connection with his business, he held the 
position of Postmaster. He was one of the prime movers and directors 
of the St. Joseph and Denver Railroad. His sons, Ben W., and George 
B., the hatters; are among the sterling business men of St. Joseph. 

S. L. FLEMING, 

the popular representative of the new American sewing machine, is a 
native of Canada, and was born February 23, 1845. When twelve years 
of age, he removed to. Chillicothe, Ohio, where he was raised and 
educated, commencing the sewing machine trade when young. He was 
a resident of the Buckeye State until 1880, when he took up his abode 
in St. Joseph. Although but a short time in the city, he has made hosts 
of friends, by his affability, and business qualifications. He married in 
1876, Miss N. F. Bond, of Ohio. They have two children by this union, 
John B., and Annie A. Mr. F. is a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight of 
Honor. 

M. K. FLEMING, 

freight agent, of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad 
Company, is a native of Ohio, and was born in 1841. In 1861, he was 
married to Miss Mary Northup. Mr. Fleming was for four years in the 



ST. JOSEPH. 747 

army, serving in four different Ohio and Indiana regiments. In i87i,he 
emigrated to Nebraska, and in 1875, was transferred to Missouri, being 
all the time in the employ of railroads. He is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, 
and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 

JAMES FLEMING, 

farmer and stock raiser, Section 34, Washington Township, postoffice 
St. Joseph, was born February 2d, 1830, in County Tipperary, Ireland, 
and was there reared and received a common school education. On the 
8th of March, 1848, he emigrated to America, and landed at Quebec on 
the 20th of May. From there he went to Franklin County, New York, 
thence to Fleming County, Kentucky, in the spring of 1849 and from there 
to St. Louis, arriving in St. Joseph in the spring of 1850. He worked at 
odd jobs until 1857, and on the 22d of June of that year he married Miss 
Lydia Miller, a native of Athens CSunty, Ohio. They settled in St. 
Joseph and remained for 12 years. He was in the employ of Nave, Mc- 
Cord & Co. for some time, also with Andrew L. Kerr & Co. and others. 
He went West in i860, and spent 7 years among the territories. He pur- 
chased the farm he now resides on in the spring of 1868, commenced 
improving it, and is now the owner of 114 acres of well improved land. 
He has a handsome residence, and a fish lake on the farm. He has filled 
the office of school director several terms. Mr. and Mrs. Fleming have 
five children, Mary, Margaret, (now Mrs. John Smith,) Agnes, Elizabeth 
and John D. Himself and family are members of the Catholic church. 

HON. NICHOLAS FORD, 

member of Congress, was born in Ireland, in July, 1830, and came to the 
United States in 1848, and to Saint Joseph in 1859. He has been a mer- 
chant for twenty years. As a business man, he has always won the con- 
fidence and support of the community. 

CAPTAIN WILLIAM FOWLER 

was born in the State of Delaware, in 1798. At an early age he removed 
to Indiana, where he was married to Miss Comfort L. Alley, who sur- 
vives him (1881). In the early history of Indiana, his name occupies a 
bright page, he having served six years in the Legislature of that State, 
five in the House and one in the Senate, only retiring with his removal 
to Missouri. He came with his family to Missouri in 1836, settling in 
Crawford Township, Buchanan County, on the quarter section of land 
now occupied by the town of Wallace. In 1839, ^^ was elected Circuit 
and County Clerk of Buchanan County, which position he occupied till 
1852. In 1846, when the county seat was changed from Sparta to St. 



748 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Joseph, he removed to this city, where he continued to reside up to the 
period of his death, which occurred at a few moments past two o'clock, 
on Tuesday, November 23d, 1880. At the breaking out of the civil war, 
Captain Fowler was commissioned and assigned to the Quartermaster- 
ship of General William R. Penick's regiment, and, at Mr. Lincoln's 
second election, was made Postmaster of St. Joseph. In all the positions 
of trust, filled by Captain Fowler, he invariably acquitted himself with 
credit, and honor to the state and government. He left, at his death, 
an aged wife and four children : Mrs. Benj. F. Loan, of St. Joseph ; Mrs. 
W. W. Guthrie, of Atchison ; Theodore A. and Miss Louisa Fowler. 
Captain Fowler was a man of great force of character, and during the 
period of his long and useful life achieved the reputation of an emi- 
nently honest man. loved by many and respected by all. 

HENRY C. FOX, 

foreman for J. W. Ambrose & Co., is a native of Missouri, and was born 
in St. Louis, July 15, 1841. Was there raised and educated, and learned 
the machinist trade in the shop of Gatey & McCune, after which, for 
three }'ears, he was foreman in McCoard's foundry, and, for eight years, 
was steamboat engineer on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. In 
1870, he came to St. Joseph, and, for eight years, held the responsible 
position of pattern maker in the shops of the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R, 
He then went to Terra Haute, Ind., and held the same position in the 
car works in that city, until his return to St. Joseph, in September, 1880, 
with the exception of a temporary sojourn in Chicago. He has been 
with Ambrose & Co. since the autumn of 1880, and occupies a promi- 
nent place in the mechanical world. He was married in 1862 to Miss 
Lettia Newell. They have two children, Charles and Ada. Mr. Fox is 
a member of St. Joseph Lodge No. 78, A. F. & A. M., and has been 
Master of the lodge. 

B. B. FRAZER, 

of the firm of Smith, Fra/xr & Co., manufacturers and jobbers of boots 
and shoes, was born in Pennsylvania, March 15th, 1826, and emigrated 
to Clark County, Ohio, February 15, 1845. In April, 1846, he came to 
Missouri in the employ of Wm. Sloan for the purpose of selling goods at 
St. Joseph. After investigating the situation, and not being pleased, he 
decided to locate at Weston. At that time, and for many years, Weston 
was the leading town on the river of Northwestern Missouri. Continu- 
ing business there for two }'ears, he exchanged his goods for cattle and 
drove them to Philadelphia, which, at this time, seems impossible. After 
his return, through the kindness of Mr. A. P. Goff, who was then clerk- 
ing at I'\)rt Lea\'enworth in the commissary department, a situation was 



ST. JOSEPH. 749 

obtained, where he remained four or five months, after which he was 
employed by Young & Belt, of Weston, remaining with them until they 
sold out, and was retained by the new firm, C. A. & E. Perry. In 1854 
and '55, great excitement prevailed over Kansas and Nebraska lands. 
Mr. Frazer and R. Brown bought land and laid out the town of Browns- 
ville, Nebraska. Mr. Frazer remained there for two years, improving and 
selling lots and at the same time managed a small stock of goods, which 
was the first in the town. Returning to Oregon, Holt County, Missouri, 
in 1856, he was elected mayor of the city, and afterward he was elected 
County Commissioner. The war then breaking out, and demoralizing 
business, in the fall of 1861, he, with R. E. Turner, loaded ten or twelve 
ox and mule teams with goods, which they took to Denver, Colorado, 
and remained until the following February. In the fall, Mr. Frazer vis- 
ited his old home in Pennsylvania, and while there, in January, 1863, he 
married Miss Annie E. Sterrell, daughter of Hon. Robert C. Sterrell, of 
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. By this union they have 
had seven children, five of whom are living. In March, 1864, he returned 
to Missouri, and a partnership was formed by R. E. Turner, H. L. Wil- 
liams, J. M. Frazer and B. B. Frazer. He and Mr. Williams took charge 
of the business at Forest City, Holt County, Missouri, and R. E. Turner 
and J. M. Frazer established a wholesale grocery trade at St. Joseph, the 
firm name being Turner, Frazer & Williams. The business at St. Joseph 
increased so rapidly that it was decided for the best interests of all, for 
Frazer & Williams to move to St. Joseph, which was done, and the busi- 
ness continued for two years, at which time Messrs. Williams & Frazer 
sold their interest to Turner, Frazer & Co., which firm still exists. The 
subject of this sketch has always been interested in Holt County, and is 
now a partner in retail business in Craig, and is President of the Frazer 
& McDonald Bank, at Forest City, which was established in 1873. He 
has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church since 1864 and an 
elder in the same, and has always contributed liberally to churches and 
educational institutions, and every good cause receives his hearty support. 

J. M. D. FRANCE, M. D., 

was born in the District of Columbia, in 1841, and there received his lit- 
erary as well as his professional education, and was graduated at the 
Georgetown Medical University. In 1873, he moved westward, and set- 
tled in the practice of medicine and surgery in St. Joseph, where he soon 
achieved a reputation which ranked him with the first men of the profes- 
sion in that city. He has held, at different periods, the positions of City 
and County Physician. The latter office he has held uninterruptedly 
since 1877. He is (1881) a member of the State Medical Society, and of 
the District Medical Society, of Northwest Missouri. He also is a mem- 



750 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ber of the faculty of St. Joseph Hospital Medical College, filling the chair 
of materia medica, therapeutics, and medical and surgical clinics in that 
institution. He is also secretary of the faculty of the college. Dr. 
France was married to Miss Lida Sheed, a native of New York. She 
died .in 1873, leaving one child, a son, Duncan Eugene. 

L. W. D. FRERKING, 

fruit grower, section 25, post-office, Saxton, was born March 6th, 1855, 
and is a native of St. Joseph. He was educated in the German and pub- 
lic schools of this city, and was principally engaged in the grocery busi- 
ness till the spring of 1876, when he moved to his present location. His 
farm contains over forty-eight acres. He was married September 21st, 
1876, to Miss Eliza Sholl, a native of New York, but of German ancestry. 
They have two children, Clara L. and George L. 

JOHN ADAM FREDRICK, 

upholsterer, was born March 28, 1824, at Wertheim, Baden, South Ger- 
many, where he was raised and learned the trade of upholsterer. Hav- 
ing always nourished liberal ideas, he took an active part in the move- 
ments of the republican party in South Germany, against the govern- 
ment. He was president of a working men's association, and did active 
service. When the revolution was suppressed he was condemned to 
imprisonment, but was successful in making his escape. He left his 
fatherland in 1849, ^^^ emigrated to America, settling in Chicago, Illi- 
nois, where he worked as a carriage trimmer for four years. There he 
opened his own upholstering business, which he carried on for five years. 
In 1858, he moved to Davenport, Iowa, where he was employed as trim- 
mer for three years, and thence removed, in 1861, to Muscatine, Iowa, 
where he remained two years. In 1863, he came to St. Joseph and com- 
menced his upholstery business, which he has carried on successfully. 
His experience in this line enables him to turn out some of the best work 
done, and is securing for him a large patronage. He married, in 1849, 
Miss Susanna Kapper, who died three months after their marriage. He 
married again October 11, 1850, Mrs. Anna Kebekop, widow of Mr. 
Funk, who had two children, George Funk, born October 4, 1848, and 
Friedrich Funk, born September 28, 1850. The fruits of the present 
marriage are eight children, of whom four are living, Christine, born 
March 13, 1852, died November 1 1, 1854; Marie, born November 4, 1853, 
died December 14, 1856; Anna, born Noverhber 15, 1855, died April 25, 
1856; Emilie, born April 29, 1857, died August 20, 1859. Those alive 
are Edward, born December 22, 1858 ; Charles, born September 12, i860; 
Margaretta, born January 14, 1866; Ottilie, born June 2, 1871. 



ST. JOSEPH. 751 

W. C. FREDERIGKS, 

of the firm of Fredericks & Morrison, contractors and builders, was born 
in Spain, March ist, 1833 ; was raised, educated and learned the brick- 
layers trade in Carroll County, Maryland. The first work he did after 
his apprenticeship was on the Capitol, at Washington, and the Armory, 
at Harper's Ferry. In 1854, came to Dayton, Ohio, sojourning for a 
time. In 1856, took up his abode in St. Joseph. The first work he did 
was on the Dr. Martin School Building, on Fifth Street, in May, 1856, 
after which he built the residences of A. Vories and Major Burrows. In 
1863, went to Denver, Colorado, and was interested in erecting the first 
first-class work at that place. A large number of the finest buildings in 
the city have been built under his supervision. He also has had con- 
tracts in Iowa, Nebraska, and other states, building schools, court houses 
and private buildings. Among these is a female seminary, at Malvern, 
Iowa, and a banking house, at Creston, Iowa. Mr. Fredericks has 
worked at his trade in twenty-two states and five territories. He is one 
of the most efficient workmen of the day. Is a member of Zered- 
atha Lodge 189, A. F. & A. M. ; St. Joseph Chapter No. 14, R. A. M. ; 
St. Joseph Council No. 9, R. & S. M.; and St. Joseph Commandery No. 4, 
K. T. 

E. H. FUDGE, • 

attorney at law, is a native of Missouri, and was born in 1850, received a 
good education and graduated at Missouri University. He read law 
under General William Skeen, of Virginia, and was admitted to the bar 
in September, 1874; married June 30th, 1880, to Miss Katie Stone, a 
native of Missouri. He is at present associated with L. R. Lancaster, 
the firm being Lancaster & Fudge, and they are securing a remuner- 
ative practice. 

H. M. GARLICHS, 

druggist, has been prominently connected with the commercial interests 
of St. Joseph. He was born in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, October 
9th, 1839, and was there raised and educated. His father, Dr. F. A. H., 
was a practitioner in Clay County for thirty years, and was also of the 
firm of Garlichs & Hail, druggists, at Liberty, where H. M. learned the 
business. In 1857, he removed to St. Louis, where his father engaged in 
the foundry business, under the style of Garlichs, Beck & Fisher, known 
.as the Monroe Iron Works. This enterprise proved very disastrous to 
Mr. G. financially, and in i860, he came to St. Joseph with his family, 
where he was well known. His death occurred in 1865. The drug 
house of H. M. Garlichs was established twenty-one years ago, and is one 
-of the substantial institutions of the city. The proprietor understands 



752 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

his profession and under his careful supervision it has attained more 
than local notoriety. He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow. In 1864, Miss 
Emma Minturn, a native of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, became his 
wife. They have three children : Frederick, Ellis and Hartley M. 

JOHN GOSTINE, 

engineer, with R. T. Davis, was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1832,. 
and was there raised to manhood, and educated. He came to America 
in 1859, locating at Madison, Indiana, where he made his home for four- 
teen years. In 1863, he enlisted in Company C, i88th Ohio Volunteer 
Infantry, passing through the usual ordeal of warfare. At Wartress, 
Tennessee, he assisted in constructing and operating a saw mill, for 
making bridge timbers. Was honorably discharged in 1865, and returned 
to Madison, Indiana, where, for a number of years, he was engaged in a 
starch factory. He came to St. Joseph in 1873, as an employe in the 
starch factory that was there established, and continued in that work 
during its existence. He is an accomplished engineer and a worthy, 
unassuming' man. He married in Ireland, in 1855. Miss Susan Gil- 
Ian, daughter of Aleck Gillan, a prominent millwright in that coun- 
try. They have had twelve children, eight of whom are living : Jane,. 
John, James, Nellie, MolHe, Charlie, Aleck and Eddie ; lost four ; James,. 
Elizabeth, Annie and Charlie. 

JOHN G. GEIWITZ, 

is a native of Germany and was born in Wurtemberg, October 3, 1827, 
was there reared to manhood, educated and learned the miller's trade, 
and also became proficient in the mechanical department of mill build- 
ing, wood, iron, stone work, etc. In 185 1, he came to the United States, 
locating in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was engaged at steamboat 
building. In 1858, he came to St. Joseph and engaged in working at his 
trade. He worked on the line of the overland stage route in building 
the stations between Fort Kearney and Julesburgh, and for a number of 
years was engaged in contracting and building many substantial and 
attractive buildings in this city. He has but few equals in the general 
branches of mechanism. The position he has filled with the St. Joseph 
and Western Railroad for several years — that of having under his con- 
trol the wood work of the machine department — requires great care and 
is a responsible charge. He was married in 1853, to Miss Barbara 
Weymiller. They have by this union nine children, William, Emma, 
Charles, John G., Rosa, Henry, Edward, Clara and Oscar. He is a mem- 
ber of the Druids, Wallhalla Grove. 



ST. JOSEPH. 753 

DR. JACOB GEIGER. 

Jacob Geiger was born in Obernarie Province of Wurtemberg, Ger- 
many, July 25, 1848, and is the son of Anton and Mary Geiger, both 
natives of the same place. His father died May 2, 1851, leaving a 
widow and five children, of which the subject of our sketch is the young- 
est. In 1857, in company with his mother, his sister and her husband 
and brother, he emigrated to America, and on the 2d of May of that 
year landed at. New York. They first settled in Champaign County, 
Illinois. During his stay in Illinois, Jacob attended the country schools, 
and soon learned the English language perfectly. In 1858, they 
removed to Brown County, Kansas, where they purchased a farm. On the 
loth of November of the same year, Mrs. Geiger died, and the subject 
of our sketch, with an older brother, came to St. Joseph. In i860, his 
brother and family having returned to Illinois, Jacob followed them, and 
during the summer months assisted his brother in order that he might 
go to the Homer Seminary in the winter. In 1865, he returned to St. 
Joseph, where he took a course in Bryant's Business College. While 
pursuing his studies he became acquainted with Dr. Bishop. At this 
time Mr. Geiger had a very delicate operation performed on his foot by 
Dr. Bishop, requiring much time and the greatest skill. This required 
him to be away from his studies much of the time, and after a year's 
continuance at the college he left and entered his brother's store. He 
early formed a desire to study medicine, and soon commenced the study 
with Dr. Bishop as preceptor, but being unable, both financially and 
physically, to devote his entire time to that study, he entered the drug 
store of Penick & Loving, where he remained nine months. During 
this time he did not cease his study of medicine, his only opportunity 
being the latter part of the evening, two o'clock in the morning often 
finding him at his books. After leaving the drug store, he resumed 
reading with Dr. Bishop, and at the same time getting considerable 
practice. He had by this time accumulated sufficient means to enable 
him to attend lectures at the Medical University at Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, where he went in 1871. Here he passed a successful examina- 
tion and received a diploma. He then returned to St. Joseph and 
opened an office, and has succeeded in building up a large, successful 
and profitable practice. In the fall of 1879, the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons was organized, and Dr. Geiger was chosen to fill the chair 
of Professor of the Principle -and Practice of Surgery and Clinical Sur- 
gery, which he still holds. The Doctor possesses a talent for surgery, 
and has turned his attention almost exclusively to that branch. He has 
performed nearly all of the major operations in surgery, and the profes- 
sion and people are a unit in giving to him the honor of being the lead- 
ing surgeon in the Northwest. He has figured prominently in all of the 



754 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

medical organizations of the state; was one of the founders, and, for five 
years, the Secretary of the District Medical Society of Northwest Mis- 
souri; was Vice President of the State Medical Society of Missouri, and 
Secretary of the St. Joseph Medical Society, and is a member of the 
American Medical Association. The Doctor has been very successful, 
and has accumulated a large amount of city property, and has an elegant 
residence and office. Dr. Geiger has been favored in obtaining every- 
thing to make life happy, with the exception of a wife, he being yet 
unmarried. 

STEPHEN GEIGER 

was born in the Province of Wurtemberg, Germany, December 25th, 
1838, and came to this country in 1852, settling in Delaware County, 
Pennsylvania. He came to this city June i6th, 1858, and immediately 
commenced the dairy business and continued in it for five years, when 
he engaged in the dry goods and grocery business and this he has since 
followed. In 1862, he was awarded a contract to furnish the army hos- 
pital with milk and other articles, which he continued for two years, to 
the great satisfaction of the government. He has always been a true 
Union man and a Republican, but was so reasonable in his views that 
he has always maintained an honorable position with those who differ 
from him in their political views. Mr. G. began business very poor, but 
by great energy, enterprise and economy he has accumulated a fine 
property and enjoys the respect and confidence of the entire community. 
His education was very limited, but he has closely applied himself and 
is a scholarly business man. He was elected councilman from the First 
Ward in 1880, and a better and safer officer for the proper care of a city 
could not be found. He is a self-made man and his life has been a suc- 
cess. He married Nannie A. Carroll, in this city, January loth, i860. 
They have five children : Delia, Wm. H., Emma, Veta and Ole. 

WILLIAM GERNANDT, 

wholesale dealer in hides, leather and wool, was born June 18, 1833, at 
Gundersblum, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, and, after being educated, 
he learned the trade of barber. In 1852, he went to Liverpool, and 
thence came to the United States, and landed at New York City. After 
having been employed there for nine months, he left for Auburn, New 
York, to work with his brother, Jacob. After a time, he felt desirous to 
work for himself, and made his desire a reality by going to Binghampton, 
New York, and carrying on his own business for one year there, and, 
afterwards, three years in Indianapolis, Indiana. Then he kept a barber 
shop at Syracuse, New York, for one year, and at Leavenworth, Kansas, 
for three months. He came to St. Joseph in March, 1858, where he at 



ST. JOSEPH. 755 

once opened and carried on for years a barber shop. In 1862, he paid a 
visit to his native home. There, at Gundersblum, he married Miss 
Charlotte Loos, and returned with her on the Great Eastern, and 
arrived at New York City, July 13, 1862, coming directly to St. Joseph, 
Missouri, and to carry on his old business. In 1869, he discontinued this, 
and went into the tanning business. One year later, he connected with 
this a wholesale hide, leather and wool business, which enlarged every 
year. By his energy and integrity, he has gained a high standing in 
commercial circles. Mr. and Mrs. G. have two children : Wilhelm 
Frederick, born September 24, 1863 ; George Otto, born October 18, 1865. 

H. E. GIBSON 

was born September 30, 1842, and was among the first born in the county. 
He was educated in the schools of St. Joseph, and until 1874 was a farmer. 
In that year he came to this city, and engaged in merchandising, and 
continued it for five years, when he entered the employ of S. H. Rice & 
Co., and there has since continued. For many years Mr. G. has been 
interested in the fire department, and in 1878 was appointed Assistant 
Chief, and in 1880 was elected Chief. His judgment and prompt action 
at fires and command over men has won for him hosts of friends. He 
married Miss Mary L. Cross, of this city, December 24, 1868. They have 
three children — Annie Estella, Edward R. and Jessie May. 

THOMAS J. GIBSON, 

farmer and gardener, section 15, post-office St. Joseph, was born in Clay 
County, Kentucky, November 13, 1828, and when about eleven years of 
age his parents moved to Grundy County, Missouri, and came to 
Buchanan County in the spring of 1840. He was educated in the com- 
mon schools and Maj. Ramey's College and the Academy of St. Joseph. 
From 1846 until 1847, lie acted as assistant wagon master, his father 
being general wagon master. In 1850, he went to California and 
remained till 1858, and was there engaged in mining, farming and 
freighting. His landed estate consists of fifty acres, containing a fine 
orchard and a small vineyard. He was married November 4th, 1858, to 
Miss Sarah J. Payne. She was born in Spencer County, Kentucky, June 
nth, 1839, and died March 2nd, 1881. They have had ten children, 
seven of whom are living : Wm. D., Mollie, Eliza O., Frank, Henry T., 
Katie T. and Josie. 

MARTIN GILL, 

of the firm of Gill & Son, dealers in staple and fancy groceries, is a 
native of Ireland, and was born in the County Galway, November 8th, 
1831 ; was there reared and educated, and in 1852 came to America, 



756 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

residing in different places, until 1858, when he became a citizen of St. 
Joseph. For a time he was in the employ of the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph Railroad, and for a number of years was car inspector of the 
Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad. In 1877, he 
engaged in his present business. His trade, which is large and increas- 
ing, is a sufficient testimonial of his popularity. He married, March 4th, 
1854, Miss Maria Winston. By this union they have five children : 
John T., Martin J., Michael F., Charles P. and James H. 

ELISHA GLADDEN, 

was born in Franklin, Howard County, Missouri, October 3, 18 18. He 
came to this city in 1834, when there was no other man here but J. Robi- 
doux. Young Gladden went into Mr. Robidoux' small store as clerk, all 
their customers then being Indians. He remained with him until Janu- 
ary 1838. He made a claim and sold it to Mr. Highly, and was helping 
Mr. Robidoux more or less until the county organization. He has been 
in various kinds of business, speculating in anything he could make pay. 
He is and will always be known and remembered as " Lish Gladden." 
His recollection of events connected with early life are fresh in his mem- 
ory, and we are indebted to him for many early reminiscences. He mar- 
ried Miss Eliza Jane Bailey, of Ohio, January 27, 1848. They have two 
children, Corinne, who married W. L. Pappan, of this city and Mabel, 
wife of J. L. Haggett. He lost one son, Elijah, who died in August, 
1850. 

MICHAEL GLEASON, 

City Weigh Master, was born in County Galway, Ireland, in November, 
1843, ^"d came to this country and city in July, 1863. He engaged in 
the grocery business, and then commenced running an express and hack 
line, and for six years has been Weighmaster at the city scales. By his 
faithful and upright course he has won the confidence of the public. 
From an injury received on one of his limbs at eleven years of age, in 
1877 he was obliged to suffer its amputation. He married Bridget Ryan 
in June, 1869. They have five children, Mary, John, Patrick, Michael 
and Agnes. 

J. GOODLIVE, Jr., 

jeweler, was born in Morgan County, Ohio, July 26, 1838, and there was 
raised and learned the jeweler's trade. His father, J. Goodlive, Sr., was 
a hotel keeper in McConnellsville and other points. In 1858, he came 
to St. Joseph, engaging in the wholesale grocery trade, which he con- 
tinued until 1861. The subject of our sketch was engaged in business 
at various localities until 1871, when he purchased his present site. 



ST. JOSEPH. 757 

His store is conveniently situated and very complete in all its appoint- 
ments. He was married in i860, to Miss S. E. Miller, a native of Mis- 
souri. She is a daughter of Isaac Miller, one of the first settlers of 
Buchanan County. 

H. G. GORDON, Sr., 

farmer, Section 25, Postoffice Saxton, was born in Surry County, North 
Carolina, August 10, 1820, and when eighteen years of age he went to 
Shelby County, Kentucky. In 1842, he came to Buchanan County. Was 
raised on a farm, and when twenty-two years of age he learned the car- 
penter's trade, and has worked at it more or less during life. He has 
also dealt quite extensively in stock, and he now owns one hundred acres 
of land. But a few years ago he was a heavy landholder in this county. 
Was married May 9, 1861, to Miss Violet Jackson. She was born in the 
same county as himself, in 1833. They have four children — Lucy J., 
Andrew L., Harden G., Jr., and Murray. 

JOSHUA ALLEN GORE, M. D., 

was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, November 27, 1823, and moved 
to Paris, Monroe County, Missouri, and practiced for nine years, and 
then to Gentry County and practiced seven years. In April, 1861, he 
came to this city, where he has since been in the active practice of his 
profession. He married Elizabeth E. Davis, of Bloomfield, Kentucky, 
in January, 1846, She died twenty-two months after her marriage. In 
October, 1848, he married for his second wife, Zuelda Vaughn, of Ken- 
tucky. They have three children living: Thomas A., Annie E. and 
Walter Ogden. He received a good education at the St. Joseph College, 
Beardstown, and studied medicine with Drs. Merrifield and Beemis, of 
Bloomfield, Kentucky, and attended the medical course at Louisville, 
Kentucky. He was appointed Health Officer of this city in 1870, and 
again in 1878-9. He is a man of good judgment and of great experi- 
ence in his profession. He is a member of the State Medical Society. 
Dr. Beemis, his honored preceptor, is now a Professor in the Medical 
College in New Orleans, and a member of the National Board of Health. 

SAMUEL GOSNELL, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Vigo County, Indiana, June 3, 1831, 
and was there raised and educated. In early life his vocation was that 
of a farmer. His father, Jehu, was an early settler in the Hoosier State, 
locating four and one-half miles northwest of Terra Haute. He was a» 
carpenter by trade and Samuel adopted that profession. He there 
resided until 1856, and then came to Worth County^ Missouri, engaging 
in agricultural pursuits. In 1859, he came to St. Joseph, and during the 



758 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

summer season he has principally followed his profession. During the 
winter season, for thirty-four years, has worked in pork packing houses, 
and is very proficient in this important branch. During his residence 
here he has worked in all the leading houses, and as a carpenter and 
builder is a success. October i, 1857, he was married in Indiana to 
Miss Rhoda Ransdell. They have four children, Isabelle, David, Eddie 
and Frank. 

WILLIAM GOULDING, 

carpenter and builder. A typical mechanic and a skilled workman is 
our subject. He was born in Manchester, England, August 14, 1837, 
and was raised, educated, and learned his trade in his native city. In 
1861, he came to the United States, and for one year resided in Buffalo, 
New York, after which he returned to his native country, sojourning 
there for eight years. He again came to this country, and for a number 
of years worked in Chicago, Illinois, and Manistee, Michigan, when he 
again visited England, remaining a short time. After returning, he 
located in Kansas and worked at his trade, and during the winter of 
1879 came to St. Joseph. He was married in England to Miss Mary 
Harrold. 

D. B. GRAY, 

architect, contractor and builder, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, 
April 7, 1837, and in 1848, removed to Iowa, his father, Samuel, locating 
with his family at Des Moines. He is still a resident of Polk County. 
D. B. was there raised and learned his trade. For a time he pursued his 
vocation at Leavenworth, Kansas, and for two years was in the employ 
of the Rock Island road as bridge builder. In the spring of 1877, he 
took up his permanent abode in St. Joseph, and has since been recog- 
nized among its prominent builders. Samuel Gray was identified with 
the early history of Polk County, Iowa, and in 1849 ^^Id the office of 
county judge, and was well known in political circles. Our subject was 
married, in 1861, to Miss Sarah A. Brown, of Des Moines. By this union 
they have four children, Clara, William, Florence and Robert. 

W. S. GRANT, 

lessee of Contrary Lake Club House, was born in Connecticut, February 
3, 1842, and received a good common school education. Emigrated to 
Indiana in 1871. Was married to Mary A. Bruder, a native of Indiana. 
♦She was born March 3, 1854. By this union they had one child, which 
died when four years old. Mr. G. removed to Chicago in 1877, and 
thence to St. Joseph May 24, 1881. He has been connected with hotels, 
etc., for twenty-five years. Mr. J. W. Bailey owns the above described 



ST. JOSEPH. 759 

property, and Mr. Grant devotes his time and talent to the enterprise. 
He has a large and attractive house, refurnished throughout. The Club 
House has two ten-pin alleys, billiards, croquet, lawn tenis, archery, 
lawnette, grace hooks, DeSoto, rolette, and all new games suitable for 
ladies and gentlemen. Bath houses and ample stabling in connection 
with the hotel. He has fifteen fine boats, and one twenty-five feet cedar 
boat, upholstered in gorgeous style, suitable for the most fastidious. 

R. F. GREER, 

dealer in general merchandise, was born in Edgar County, Illinois, Sep- 
tember 23, 1830, and when quite young, removed with his parents to 
Vigo County, Indiana. He remained in that state until August, 1862, 
when he tendered his services to the Union cause, enlisting in Company 

E, Seventy-first Indiana, and served two years and ten months, when he 
was honorably discharged. In 1865, he came to Missouri, and engaged 
in trade six miles east of St. Joseph, continuing there for several years. 
After this he was in the employ of A. A. Mclninch, for five years. Mr. 
Greer carries a very complete stock of goods, and being favorably 
known throughout the city and county for square dealing, does a lucra- 
tive business. 

A. S. GREENE, 

grocer, is a native of New York, and was born in Berlin, Rensselaer County, 
November 10, 1839. His father, Nicholas, was a son of John Green, a gen- 
eral of note in the Revolutionary War. The former died when A. S. was 
in his ninth year, and his educational advantages were limited, his early 
days being spent in tilling the soil. When he attained his nineteenth 
year he went on the road with a notion wagon, in the interests of D. B. 
Darrow, of Syracuse, New York, continuing one year, after which he 
entered the employ of Bordwell & Hopkins, of New York City, and was 
their representative for eight years. He was engaged in different pur- 
suits in New York, New Jersey and other eastern states, and a large por- 
tion of the time was in the patent right business. In 1870, he came 
West, and located in St. Joseph, on the 4th of July, of that year, and 
soon after engaged in trade at his present location. Mr. Green com- 
menced life in very meagre circumstances. He is of a liberal and sym- 
pathetic nature, and has had some heavy losses financially, by accom- 
modating other people. He has been twice married, first at Watertown, 
New York, in 1867, to Miss Azelman Van Pelt, her death occurred in St. 
Joseph, in 1871. In 1878, he married Miss Mattie Nelson, of Platte City, 
Missouri. Mr. Greene is a Master Mason, and a member of the I. O. O. 

F. Encampment. 



76o BIOGRAPHICAL. 

A. D. GREEN, 

attorney-at-la\v, was born in Andrew County, Missouri, in 1855, and 
was raised on a farm. He was educated in the schools of St. Joseph 
and the State University at Columbia, Missouri. He made choice of 
the practice of law as a profession, and graduated from the Law Depart- 
ment of the State University in 1876. Since that time he has been 
actively engaged in the duties of his chosen occupation. 

WILLIAM GRILL, 

musician, was born July 12, 1828, at Grossen Rhueden, Hanover, Ger- 
many, and when only one year old his mother died, and his father was 
shot by accident and died when W. was twelve years old. His uncle then 
took charge of him and sent him to school. After his education, having 
shown much talent for music, his uncle gave him permission to join a 
musical combination, which went to Russia. He was with them for one 
year, and returned to his birth-place to secure a thorough musical educa- 
tion. In 1843, he was sent to Salzgitter, and became a pupil of Otto 
Schmidt, the leader of the city musicians, where he served his appren- 
ticeship for five years. Then went to Hanover and joined the citizen's 
military band for one year and a half. Returning to his first teacher, he 
played with his orchestra at different \vatering places for several seasons. 
In 1853, he was a member of the First German Marine Band of the man- 
of-war, Ernst August, which made a concert tour for two years through 
Northern Germany. Having had the desire to see America, he formed 
in 1855 a musical band and came to New York. He performed there and 
at Baltimore. In 1855, they dissolved, and Mr. Grill enlisted as a musi- 
cian in the United States marines, on the man-of-war, Merrimac, which 
was dispatched on a long trip. They visited England, France, Spain and 
the West Indies, and returned, after a stoppage at all the principal com- 
mercial points there, to Boston, Massachusetts, where the musicians 
were transferred to the frigate, Roanoke, which made a trip to Key West, 
Havana and Aspinwall. As the ship was damaged in a storm, they 
returned to Boston, and Mr. Grill was discharged. He went to New 
Orleans, where he stayed one year, and from there to St. Louis. In i860, 
he enlisted as musician in the Third Infantry Regiment for three months, 
and August 17, 1861, he became leader of the music band of the First 
Regiment Missouri Volunteers, which position he retained until March, 
1862, when he returned to St. Louis. To recover his health and to take 
advantage of the good prospects St. Joseph offered to a musician, he 
came to this place in 1865, and joined the St. Joseph Band. By his fine 
qualities as a musician and his great experience, he succeeded in bring- 
ing his band to a high standing, and found his troubles well paid by the 
acknowledgement of the public. He has been twice married — in 1858, 



ST. JOSEPH. 761 

to Miss Emilie Grill, who died in 1867. In 1868, he married Miss Eliza- 
beth Knoth. They have five children — Mina Emilie and Elise, twins, 
born March 29, 1869, of whom Elise died when fourteen months old; 
Johann Fleinrich, born October 28, 1870; Henrietta Ottilie, born May 
17, 1873 ; and Elise Wilhelmina, born October 25, 1879. 

HEINRICH GRONEWEG. 

dealer in cigars and tobacco. Mr. G. is the pioneer in this line in St. 
Joseph, and was born April 24th, 1821, at Lemfoerde, Hanover, Ger- 
many, where he was raised. After having received his education he was 
employed as clerk in the revenue collector's office at Lemfoerde, which 
position he filled until 1848, with the exception of a year and six months, 
which he served as soldier. In this year he emigrated to America and 
went from New York city to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained two 
years, then removed to St. Louis and was employed until 1852, when he 
came to St. Joseph and engaged in the cigar business. One year after 
his arrival he opened his own cigar manufacturing and tobacco business, 
which he carries on very successfully. He was married April 26th, 1857, 
to Miss Catharine Becker. They have six children : Heinrich, Carolina, 
Charles, William, Emma and George. 

AUGUST GROSS, 

cooper. This enterprising workman was born in New York city, March 
27th, i8S4, and when ten years of age came to Missouri with his parents, 
his father and the family locating in Weston, Platte County. There our 
subject was raised, educated and partially learned his trade. He worked 
as journeyman at various points, eventually locating in St. Joseph in 
1874. He is well up in the business in all its branches and does a large 
amount of work. In 1880, Miss Lizzie Veosteen became his wife. 

C. L. GROSSCUP, 

engineer on the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, is a 
native of New York, and w^s born in Canajoharie, Montgomery County 
August II, 1842. His father, Henry, was a stone mason by trade, 
but followed farming. The family emigrated to Illinois when our sub- 
ject was quite young, and after a short sojourn removed to Galesburg, 
Illinois. In 1865, he commenced railroading on the Chicago, Burlington 
& Quincy as fireman, and in 1867, took charge of an engine, continuing 
with this company until 1870., when he came on what is now the Kansas 
City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, and has since been in their 
employ. During the war he was a soldier in the One Hundred and Sec- 
ond Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company D, and participated in sixteen 



762 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

hard battles and numerous skirmishes; served until the close of the war 
when he was honorably discharg^ed at Washington, D. C. Mr. C. has a 
versatile and inventive mind, and has recently invented a packing for 
locomotives, which promises to revolutionize the old system, being a 
great improvement. It is highly indorsed by all railroad men and will 
no doubt come into general use. Was married, March 17, 1861, to Miss 
Mary M. Keller. By this union they have five children, Ida L., Mary L., 
Ellen A., Hattie and Charles K. He is a Master Mason, Knight Tem- 
plar, and a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers- 

PETER HABIG, 

manufacturer of stoneware and terra cotta goods. An important industry, 
is operated by this gentleman. He is a native of Germany and was 
born on the 24th of May, 1836, and was there raised until he attained 
his 19th year, when he came to America, locating in St. Louis. In 1866, 
he removed to St. Joseph, engaging in the manufacture of terra cotta in 
a small way, and has been gaining until now he has one of the largest 
institutions in Northwestern Missouri. In sewer and drain pipes he has 
a very extensive trade. On the i8th of March, 1866, Miss M. A. Miller 
became his wife. She is the daughter of D. and Mary Miller, pioneers 
of Andrew County. Her grandfather Miller, in his time, was a promi- 
nent politician of Virginia, and a personal friend of Cabe Jackson. The 
Millers are among the leading families of Virginia. 

T. H. HAIL. 

commercial job printer, was born in Pulaski County, Kentucky, May 18, 
1838. His father, Micajah, and mother, Elizabeth, nee Vaughan, were 
natives of Virginia. T. H. spent his youthful days in farming, receiving 
the benefits of common schools. In his fifteenth year he entered the 
Somerset Gazette office, where he received his primary knowledge of 
the printing business. He eventually came to Muscatine, Iowa, worked 
at his trade about a year and then came to Savannah, Andrew County, 
Missouri, and became the editor and publisher of the Democrat, which 
he published until 1861. The strong prejudices which were existing at 
that time in this section culminated, and Mr. Hail found his sanctum, 
one morning, minus the requisite paraphernalia for operating a first-class 
newspaper^ After this serious loss he tendered his services to the Con- 
federate army and fought for the cause he advocated with his pen. 
After returning from the army he went into the employ of the St. Joseph 
Herald. He spent one year in Montana, and after returning became 
foreman on the Herald, which position he held until he engaged in the 
job printing business. In 1868, he was one of the members of a new job 
printing company, which is now the Steam Printing Company, and after- 



ST. JOSEPH. 763 

wards was associated with C. P. Kingsbury in the book and job printing 
business. During A. Beattie's administration as Mayor, Mr. Hail was 
President of the City Council, and to him the city is partly indebted for 
cheap gas, for through his instrumentality the second gas company 
secured the privilege of layy;ig pipe. 

W. G. HALL, M. D., 

a representative physician of the City of St. Joseph, was born in the 
State. of Pennsylvania, whence he emigrated to Ohio, in 1858. He read 
medicine three years, under the direction of Dr. W. R. Cowden, and, 
during the winter of 1853 and 1854, attended medical lectures in Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania. He also attend lectures at the Cleveland Med- 
ical College, under Professor Weber, in the winter of 1857. He subse- 
quently took a complete course in the Homeopathic School of St. Louis, 
Missouri. He was graduated in both these institutions. After careful 
investigation of the respective merits of the two systems, he adopted 
the Homeopathic, which he continues to practice to-day. In August, 
1864, he left Ohio, and moved to Quincy, Illinois. In February, 1865, 
he again moved, settling permanently in St. Joseph, Missouri. During 
the civil war, Dr. Hall served in the Army of the Cumberland as sur- 
geon of the Tenth Ohio Cavalry. He is a prominent member of the 
Masonic Order, and at present (1881) Grand Commander of the Knights 
Templar of the State of Missouri. He is also a member of the thirty- 
second degree of A. A. S. R. In recognition of his valuable official 
services, the members of St. Joseph Commandery presented the Doctor 
an elegant gold badge. His professional visits are confined to the city, 
only visiting points beyond its limits which may be reached by rail. He 
has strong faith in the virtue of electricity, the application of which he 
considers indispensable in the treatment of certain diseases. His labor- 
atory and dispensary are amply supplied with every appliance of modern 
excellence, and his library is one of the most complete to be found in a 
Western city. Dr. Hall and his wife are both members of the M. E, 
Church South. 

J. HANNAN, 

bridge superintendent on the St. Joseph and Western Railroad, the 
subject of this sketch, is a native of Canada West, and was born Febru- 
ary 28, 1841. He was partly raised in that country and learned his trade 
in Saginaw, Michigan, where he resided several years. In 1864, he 
enlisted in the Second Michigan Artillery ; was taken prisoner near 
Nashville, Tennessee, but effected an escape soon after, and served until 
the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. He returned 
to Michigan, thence to Pennsylvania, and in the spring of 1866, came 



764 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

to St. Joseph and commenced bridge work with the Hannibal and St. 
Joseph Railroad, after which, for four years, he was in the employ of the 
Missouri Valley Company, and has since been on the St. Joseph and 
Western Railroad. To Mr. H. much credit is due for the excellent con- 
dition which the bridges on this road are in. He married February 8, 

1868, Miss Mary McEvoy, of this city. By this union they have five chil- 
dren, Frank J., Eugene Elizabeth, George, Maud and James Mark. 

ERNEST HANSEN. 

foreman of car and building department for the St. Joseph and Western 
Railroad, is a native of Germany, and was born in Prussia, April 29, 1846. 
He came to America with his parents when young. His father, Henry, 
was a cabinet-maker, and located with his family in Chenango County, New 
York, where our subject was raised, educated and learned his trade. In"* 

1869, he came West and located at Netawaka, Kansas, and was in the 
employ of the Central Branch of the Union Pacific until 1872, when he 
came to this city, and has since been with the St. Joseph and Western 
Railway. He is among the excellent mechanics of the country, and well 
up in car building and general railroad work. In 1870, Miss Beatrice E. 
Bibb, of Nemaha County, Kansas, became his wife. They have three 
children — Joseph, Arthur and Victor. Mr. H. is a Master Mason of 
Polar Star Lodge, No. 31, of Netawaka, and a member of the Druids. 

JOSEPH HANSEN, 

Assistant General Freight and Passenger Agent of the St. Joseph and 
Western Railroad, was born in the City of Cologne, on the River Rhine, 
in Prussia, April 19th, 1840, and emigrated to America September 13th, 
1853, landing at New York, where he remained but a short time and 
then settled in Chenango County, where he attended school for one 
year and then entered as an apprentice in the establishment of Hays, 
Lattin & Co., manufacturers of pianos, and remained until the outbreak 
of the war. He enlisted as a private, April 19th, 1861, in Company H, 
Seventeenth New York State Volunteers, Colonel Lansing commanding. 
May lOth, 1861, he was appointed sergeant major, and in 1862 was 
transferred to Company G, Fourteenth United States Infantry, and 
served through the Peninsular campaign, and participated in the battles 
of Yorktown, Williamsburg, Hanover Court House, Mechanicsville, 
Malvern Hills and others. He was wounded at the latter place, and 
being disabled, he learned the art of telegraphy, and after his recover)' 
was ordered to report to the United States Military Telegraph Corps at 
St. Louis, and served until the close of the war, very efficiently, in this 
branch of the service, in Missouri and Arkansas. At the close of the 
war he remained at Weston, Missouri, as agent and telegraph operator 



ST. JOSEPH. 765 

of the Missouri Valley Railroad. In 1870, he left the employ of this 
company and was in the employ of the Central Branch of the Union 
Pacific Railroad in different positions, at various stations, until 1873, and 
then came to St. Joseph, where he has been connected with the St. Joseph 
and Denver, now St. Joseph and Western, first as General Agent, then 
Master of Transportation and Superintendent of Telegraph. In 1878, 
he was appointed General Freight and Ticket Agent, and also has charge 
of the telegraph department. He now holds the position of Assistant 
General Freight and Passenger Agent and Master of Transportation and 
Superintendent of Telegraphs. In 1879, he raised a company of State 
Militia called the St. Joseph Light Infantry, and was soon after elected 
Major of the Second Battalion National Guard of Missouri. Mr. Hansen 
married Miss Rebecca Thompson, of Van Buren, Arkansas, August 
15 th, 1864. 

W. P. HARTMAN, 

painter, is a native of Missouri, and was born January 6, 1854. His 
father, Michael, was an agriculturist, and W. P., until he was thirteen 
years old, spent his days in farming. He then went to Kansas City and 
learned his trade and resided there until 1874, when he became a resi- 
dent of St. Joseph, and has since applied himself diligently to his trade, 
in which art he stands among the foremost. He was married August 
26, 1877, to Miss Nettie Dennison. By this union they have one son, 
William Arthur. 

J. M. HARRISON, 

merchant tailor, stands among the popular cutters and fitters of St. 
Joseph. Was born in Springfield, Ohio, January 14, 1842. His father 
J. M., was one of the pioneers of that city, and well known in commer- 
cial circles. For a number of years he was in partnership with James 
Leffel, of turbine water wheel fame. The subject of this sketch, in 
1 861, enlisted in Company B, Eighty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for 
the three months call, after which he enlisted in the One Hundred and 
Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving until the close. After 
the war he went to Muscatine, Iowa, and assumed the management of 
a tailoring establishment, a business he had become familiarized with in 
his native state. In 1869, he came to this city, and has since been 
recognized among its most enterprising business men. He is one of the 
patentees of Harrison's kitchen safe, an article of furniture that has won 
a well merited reputation. Was married, in 1872, to Miss Abby Sander- 
son, a native of Springfield, Illinois. They have two children, Francis 
and Charles. 



^(^ BIOGRAPHICAL. 

C. F. HARRAL, 

foreman of the paint shops of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council 
Bluffs Railroad Company, was born in Leeds, England, December 24, 
1845, and when young, came to the United States, with his parents, his 
father, B. F., locating in Aurora, Illinois, where the subject of this sketch 
was principally raised. He learned his trade in Aurora and Galesburg, 
and in the latter place was a resident for eleven years, being in the 
employ of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company. On 
the 15th of August, 1878, he took charge of the Kansas City, St. Joseph 
and Council Bluffs shops. His long experience has made him proficient 
in the various details of railway painting, and few in the profession haVe 
a more enviable reputation. He was married in 1869, to Miss Mary 
Stockdale, of Ohio. They have four children, Frank, Minnie, Lillie and 
Edith. Is a member of Blue Lodge of Masons. 

JOHN S. HARKEY, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Montgomery County, Illinois, Decem- 
ber 30, 1850, and when sixteen years of age, his father, Daniel V., who 
was a carpenter, removed to Gentry County, Missouri. John S. was 
raised and learned his trade in Missouri, and resided in various places 
till he finally located in St. Joseph in the spring of 1881. He married 
May 22, 1869, Miss S. R. Shaffer, and by this union, they have five 
children, Dora S., John D., Mary E., Thomas E. and Lillie M. 

MAJOR HENRY R. W. HARTWIG, 

of the firm of H. R. W. Hartwig & Co., was born at Niedermoellrich, 
near Cassel, Province Hessen, Germany, April 11, 1837. Here he 
received his education. At the age of seventeen years, actuated by a 
restless spirit of enterprise, he determined to leave the home of his 
fathers and try his fortune in the New World. Embarking at Bremen, 
he, in due time, landed in the city of New York. After a short stay, he 
proceeded to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained till the fall of 1856. 
Eager to see the West, he visited the states of Iowa, Nebraska and 
Kansas, and, in the fall of 1857, landed in St. Joseph, where, one year 
later, he engaged in active mercantile business. His first experience 
was in the retail grocery business, in which he met with highly encour- 
aging success. In 1863, he engaged in the grain and produce trade, 
shipping largely up to 1864, when he embarked in the wholesale grocery 
and liquor business. In 1870, he abandoned the grocery trade, and con- 
fined his attention exclusively to the sale of wine and liquor, engaging 
largely in importing. In 1869, his brother, Ernst F., engaged in part- 
nership with him, creating the present firm, which by well directed 



ST. JOSEPH. -J^jJ 

energy and scrupulous integrity, has achieved merited success. Mr. 
Hartwig has always taken an active part in public affairs, and has at dif- 
ferent periods, held several important positions, both civil and military. 
At the outbreak of the civil war, he enlisted in Captain Harbine's com- 
pany of Missouri militia, and August 21, 1862, was promoted by Governor 
Gamble to the grade of First Lieutenant. October 7, 1864, he was com- 
missioned by Governor Hall Captain of Hartwig's Independent Artillery 
Company. June 29, 1865, he received from Governor Fletcher a com- 
mission as Major in the First Regiment of Buchanan County militia. 
His merits as an upright and competent business man were fully recog- 
nized by his fellow-citizens, who elected him in April, 1870, to the Col- 
lectorship of the City of St. Joseph, a position the duties of which he 
•discharged acceptably to the close of his two years' term. He is now 
(1881) First Vice President of the Board of Trade. He is also a Director 
and First Vice President of the St. Joseph Exposition Company. He is 
also a Director of the St. Joseph and Northwestern Missouri Immigra- 
tion Society, of which association he holds the office of Treasurer. In 
1867, Governor Fletcher showed his personal regard for Mr. Hartwig by 
appointing him one of the Commissioners to represent the State of Mis- 
souri at the Paris Exposition, an honor which, however, in view of the 
sudden illness and subsequent death of his child, he was prevented from 
accepting. Mr. Hartwig married March i, i860, Miss Carolina Kuechler. 
He has had two children — George Henry, born in i860, and Ernst 
Charles, born January i, 1864. The former died in 1867. 

E. F. HARTWIG, 

of the firm of H. R. W. Hartwig & Co., was born February 20, 1844, at 
Niedermoellrich, near Cassel, Province Hessen, Germany, where he was 
reared and employed in the grocery business. In 1862, he followed his 
brother and emigrated to America, arrived in New York City, and came 
to St. Joseph in April, 1862. There he was employed as clerk and book- 
keeper in the dry goods house of Stix & Eckhart for seven years. In 
1869, he joined partnership with his brother, and opened a wholesale 
business under the firm of H. R. W. Hartwig & Co., and helped, by 
industry and energy, to bring the business to the high standing it now 
•occupies. He married March 18, 1868, Miss Emma Friedrich, of St. 
Eouis. They have four children, Henry Oswald, Emma, Metta and 
Katharina. 

PHILIP HAUCK, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Germany. His father, Theo., was a 
cooper, and before Philip attained his majority came to America, locat- 
ing in Buffalo, New York, where he learned the carpenter trade, and 



768 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

became proficient in architecture. During the war, he was a soldier in 
Company A, lOOth New York, and during his term participated in; 
twenty-four engagements, among which were Nashville, Lookout Mount- 
ain and Pittsburg Landing, where he was severely wounded. Was honor- 
ably mustered out as Orderly. After his discharge, he traveled through 
Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and other portions of the West. His party 
consisted of eighteen, Mr. Hauck owning several teams and a large 
amount of provisions. They were captured by the Sioux Indians, and 
detained eight months. He received an ugly arrow wound on the hand, 
and a severe scalp wound from a tomahawk. His weight at the time 
of capture was 165 pounds, and when released was 105 pounds. For 
days his sustenance was a small portion of raw buffalo meat. In 1870, 
he came to St. Joseph, where he has since been engaged in working at 
his trade. He married Miss Carrie Christensen, by whom he has four 
children : John, Christena, Charles, A. S. He is a Druid, and member 
of the A. O. U. W. 

JACOB HAUCK, 

of the firm of Hauck & Bro., millers, is a native of Germany, born June^ 
10, 1820, in South Germany. When eleven years old he came with his 
parents to America, and landed at New York. After a short rest they 
went to Cincinnati, where his family settled. Jacob assisted his father 
in the butcher and lard oil manufacturing business until 1844. Hearing 
of the prospects offered at the growing city of St. Joseph^ he came to. 
this place in 1852, and formed a partnership with his brother-in-law in 
the business of manufacturing soap, candles and lard oil. Two years 
later, in connection with this business, engaged in packing, which they 
continued with great success until 1865. In this year he went into the 
milling business with his brother, George M. Hauck, by opening the 
Excelsior Mills, first working on a small scale. With great industry, and 
giving all their attention to the business, they had an increase every 
year. Now having four runs, they are able to turn out one hundred 
barrels of flour per day. They ship to St. Louis and the States of 
Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. He married June 23, 1846, Miss Christine 
Pinger, at Cincinnati, Ohio. They had eight children, George William, 
born April 2, 1847; Mary, born August 28, 1849; Lydia, born March 8, 
1853, died in January, 1873; Emilia, born June 4, 1855; John P., born 
April 6, 1859; Charles and Wesley, twins, born February 10, 1862, 
Wesley died when six months old), and Emma, born July 12, 1864. 

S. R. HAWLEY. 

St. Joseph is not deficient in having inventors who have contributed tO' 
the world's machinery implements to facilitate labor, and one who ranks. 



ST. JOSEPH. 769 

among the first in this class is S. R. Hawley. In the invention of the 
check rower and corn planter, he has placed before the agriculturists a 
want long felt. It is simple and durable in its construction, can be 
operated by one person and it checks and drops the corn with rapid- 
ity and uniformity. It is adapted for rough ground and triangular fields, 
a feature that has always been a drawback to other implements in this 
line. The testimonials Mr. Hawley has received from prominent farm- 
ers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and other states, is prima facie evidence 
of the satisfaction it gives. Mr. H. was formerly a resident of Illinois,, 
where he patented the check rower and planter, November 19, 1878. 

DAVID J. HEATON, 

was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December i6th, 1808, and with 
his parents moved to Butler County, Ohio. When ten years of age he 
lost his mother by death, and was then apprenticed to learn the cabinet 
trade in Maysville, Kentucky, and served seven years. After working 
for five years in different places, he located in J^ipley, Ohio, and 
remained three years. He married Emily Donovan, of Augusta, Ken- 
tucky, July 31, 1832. They had seven children, three of whom are living: 
Mary Ann, Augusta C, and Elizabeth H. In the fall of 1834, Mr. H. 
went to Mississippi, and remained there until the spring of 1845, dt 
which time he came to this city, and started a cabinet shop. St. Joseph 
at that time contained about three hundred inhabitants. He com- 
menced here very poor, but immediately started a good business, but by 
the signing of a sheriff's bond had $3,000 to pay. In 1857, he lost a. 
warehouse by fire, losing $6,000. He kept at work enlarging his busi- 
ness and was very successful. He was the first undertaker in the city,, 
and continued in the business until 1881, when he sold out to his son, 
David E. He was the first City Marshal, and in 1858 and 1859 was 
elected City Councilman from the Third Ward, and was chairman of 
that body. In 1876, he commenced keeping a boarding-house, and in 
1877 he built additions to his house, and opened the Heaton House, on 
Sixth Street, now the St. James. Mr. Heaton has always been a Demo- 
crat, but when the rebellion broke out he was a strong Union man and 
assisted in every way to do his duty as a loyal citizen. He has been a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since 1839. In 1849, his 
wife died, and in 185 1 he married Miss Lucinda King, of Boone County, 
Missouri. They had five children, four of whom are living: Laura, David 
E., Bell and Melsonia. 

EDWIN HEDENBER, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, July 5, 1840,, 
and was reared, educated and learned his trade in that city, there resid- 



770 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ing until 1870. In September, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, One 
Hundred and First Illinois infantry, and participated at the sieges 
of Vicksburg and Atlanta, and many other stirring events. He was 
honorably discharged May 25, 1865. In 1870, emigrated to Salina, Kan- 
sas, and engaged in building until 1880, when he became a resident of 
St. Joseph. As a mechanic he has few competitors. He was married 
December 24, 1869, to Miss Annie T. Underwood, of Ohio. They have 
a family of six children living, Walter E., Annie C, Mary L., Reuben C, ' 
Ellen E. and Milton D. Lost one, Charles U. 

J. C. HEDENBERG, 

attorney at law and abstractor, is a native of Illinois, and was born in 
1843 ; received limited school advantages up to the age of fourteen, and 
then commenced working on a farm, where he resided until 1863, at 
which time he went into the army. He was Orderly Sergeant, and was 
detailed in the Commissary Department for two years. Came to St. 
Joseph in January, 1866, and read law under Parker & Strong, and was 
admitted to the bar in December, 1869, and has been a successful prac- 
titioner for many years. He is a member of the I. O. O. F, and was mar- 
ried, in 1871, to Miss Mary S. Reeves, a native of Pennsylvania. By this 
union they had two children. Mr. Hedenberg has been in the abstract 
business since 1869. He has a complete and thorough abstract of titles 
for the County of Buchanan, and is the oldest abstractor in the county 
now in business. He is a thorough going, active, energetic man, having 
secured his present condition in life by industry, economy and strict 
attention to business. 

WILLIAM I. HEDDENS, M. D., 

-was born in Preble County, Ohio, February 14, 1828. His father was a 
Pennsylvanian, and his mother from South Carolina. He received his lite- 
rary education in Cincinnati, Ohio, after which he prepared himself for 
the profession of medicine at Jefferson Medical College, in Philadelphia. 
Immediately after receiving his diploma, Dr. Heddens began the practice 
of medicine and surgery in Barboursville, Kentucky, where he remained 
three years, but desirous of securing a wider field of usefulness, he 
iremoved to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he has since continued to practice 
with satisfactory success, both professionally and financially. He is a 
member of the Royal Arch Masons and of the I. O. O. F.; also, a member 
>of the International Medical Congress, a permanent member of the 
American Medical Association ; also, a member of the Medical Associa- 
tion of the State of Missouri, and has served as Vice President and was 
President of the Medical Association of Northwest Missouri in 1875 and 
J 877, and in 1877 President of the St. Joseph Medical Society. His whole 



ST. JOSEPH. 771 

time is given to his professional studies and practice, and as a citizen 
and physician is held in high esteem by those who know him best. He 
has been twice married — first to Miss Katherine Adams, of Barboursville, 
Kentucky. She died June 6, 1874, leaving six children. He married for 
his second wife Miss Mattie D. Offutt, of Shelbyville, Kentucky. 

THOMAS HEENAHEN, 

policeman, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, September 22, 1839, ^^^ 
was there brought up, making it his home until he attained his nine- 
teenth year, when he came to the United States. In 1859, he came to 
St. Joseph, and during his sojourn here, has been in numerous pursuits, 
for a number of years was engaged in boating on the river, and since 
1878, he has been on the police force, and ranks as one of the best 
guardians of the peace in the city. He was married in Ireland to Miss 
Bridget Knight. They have had eight children, four of whom are living, 
Margaret, Bridget, Catherine and Thomas. Lost four, Mary Ann, Mary, 
John and Thomas. 

J. B. HEIN 

was born September 7th, 1820, at Girzhagen,' Prussia, where he was 
reared. In 1832, his father moved to Oettershagen and bought a farm, 
J. B. assisting him with its cultivation. May 9th, 1849, he emigrated to 
America, landing at New Orleans, and from there went to St. Louis, 
where, for nine years he was engaged at different occupations. In 1858, 
he came to Jefferson City, Missouri, and for three years he and his wife 
had charge of the residence of Governor Robert M. Stewart. Hearing 
of the favorable reports of the good prospects of St. Joseph, he came 
here in May, 1861, and commenced work as a carpenter. In 1862, he 
'enlisted in the Missouri militia and was detailed for hospital duty ; first, 
at the military hospital, in the Allen House, on Fourth Street, St. Joseph, 
and afterwards transferred to the general hospital at Jefferson City. In 
1865, he returned to this city and was employed for over ten years on 
the Missouri Valley Railroad, now known as the Kansas City, St. Joseph 
and Council Bluff's. He was married at St. Louis, August 24th, 1856, to 
Miss Anna Geek. 

JAMES HERSON, 

of the St. James Hotel, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, March 31st, 1852, 
and came to Daviess County, Missouri, in 1855, and to St. Joseph in 1864. 
He received a good education in Dr. Huffaker's seminary, in Gallatin, 
Missouri, and commenced his eventful career as a hotel keeper while 
very young, occupying every position, from a waiter boy to an accom- 
plished landlord. He became a favorite of the railroad officials and the 



772 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

traveling public as the keeper of the Kansas Pacific dining hall at Law- 
rence, Kansas, and at Hago, Colorado, where he remained for several 
years. He also was the popular clerk at the Otis House, at Atchison, 
Kansas. In all these positions he gained hosts of friends by his kind 
and affable manners and uniform courtesy to all. He conducted a res- 
taurant in this city for two years. At the Exposition of 1880, in this 
city, he managed the main dining hall, which he conducted with marked 
success, giving general satisfaction. In October, 1880, he leased the 
old Heaton House, on Sixth Street and changed its name to the St. 
James, and has opened a house which is a credit to St. Joseph and its 
worthy proprietor. He married Miss Mary E. Fuller, in Atchison, Kan- 
sas, Nov. 28th, 1877. They have two children : Maud and James. 

LOUIS HERWIG 

was born in Germany in 1850, and emigrated to America in 1867, land- 
ing at New York. He came direct to St. Joseph. Had a good common 
school education ; was married, June 6, 1868, to Miss Rosa Zillas, a 
native of Germany, and by this union they have two children. He is a 
member of the Mannaerchor, and German benevolent societies. 

M. E. HERBERT, 

of the firm of M. E. Herbert & Co., was born in Chicago, Illinois,, 
August 15, 185 1, and there was educated, raised to manhood and learned 
the trade of plumbing and gas fitting. He came to St. Joseph in Jan- 
uary, 1880, engaging in trade on Market Square. His business soon 
increased to such an extent that he was obliged to remove to the com- 
modious store he now occupies, which is well filled with a line of gas 
fixtures, lamps, etc., that will compare favorably with any in this vicin- 
ity. Hi§ trade extends into Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. He is one of 
the most thoroughly skilled gas fitters and plumbers in the West. 

IGNATIUS HERBERT, 

carriage trimmer, was born November 11, 1841, at Fladungen, Bavaria, 
South Germany, where he was raised. In the spring of 1854, his family 
emigrated to America, and settled in Utica, New York, where they 
resided six months. September i, 1854, they came to St. Joseph and 
located. Here Herbert served his apprenticeship with Alexander Doeff. 
In 1861, upon the outbreak of the war, he enlisted in the First Nebraska 
Infantry, and served three years. In 1864, after being honorably dis- 
charged, he returned to St. Joseph and followed his trade, and in 1876,. 
he opened the Herbert House, which he carried on successfully, and 
rented it in order to give his whole attention to his business as carriage 



ST. JOSEPH. 773 

trimmer. Was married, June ii, 1865, to Miss Clara P.Walter. She 
died August 19, 1880, leaving one child, Flora Matilda, born September 
I, 1866. 

GEORGE HERBST, 

contractor and builder, was born in Baden, Germany, September 6, 1825, 
and was there raised and learned his trade. He came to the United 
States in 1853, his father, Matthias, locating with the family in St. Jos- 
eph, where he was a constant resident. Our subject engaged in working 
at his trade, and to-day in St. Joseph there are many specimens of his 
skill, among which are the St. Joseph and New Ulm breweries, the can- 
ning factory, and others. In 1873, he met with a severe loss. He con- 
structed the Exposition building, and as it neared completion, a cyclone 
demolished the entire structure. It crippled his finances to an alarming 
extent, but with an energy characteristic of a German, soon recovered 
his losses. He was married in Dubuque, Iowa, to Miss Tris Walden- 
spul. They have two children, Anson and Herman, a promising young 
man, and a carpenter. 

JOSEPH HERMANN. 

brick manufacturer, was born in Baden, Germany, March 10, 1842, and 
in 1857, came to America with his parents, the family taking up their 
abode in St. Joseph, where our subject has since been a constant resident, 
with the exception of a few years spent in the far West. He here learned 
the brick making trade, which he has given his entire attention. He has 
been closely identified with the building interests of the city, furnishing 
the brick for many of its substantial structures. In this important 
branch of industry, he is numbered among the largest manufacturers in 
the northwest. He was married in 1867, to Mary Weidberger. By this 
union they have three children, Emma, Phena and Eliza. He is a 
member of the German Benevolent Society. 

J. F. HESCHONG, 

book binder and paper hanger, has been a resident of Buchanan County 
for twenty-four years, and was born- June 4, 1825, at Zweibrucken, Rhein- 
flake, South Germany. There he was raised, and learned the trade of 
book binding. In 1847, he opened his business, which he carried on suc- 
cessfully until 1849, when the revolution broke out. Having nourished 
for a long time liberal ideas, he joined the Republican party and took an 
active part in their fights and struggles. When his party was conquered, 
his property was confiscated, and he had to leave his birth-place. He 
went to Strasburg, France, where he was employed for about one year ; 
then emigrated to America, and arrived in 1850 at New Orleans, and 



774 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

after a short time went to Cincinnati, Ohio. There he remained for two 
years ; and having accumulated a fair fortune, came to Hannibal, Mis- 
souri, where he opened his business, and continued it for five years. In 
1857, he came to St. Joseph and opened immediately after his arrival a 
book bindery and paper hanging establishment, which he carried on, 
aided by his two sons, with great success. He was married in 185 1, to 
Miss Katharina Kiefer, who died six months after. In 1852, he married 
Miss Augusta Sauppe. They have four children — John Friedrich, born 
August 2, 1856; was married to Miss Ottilie Neuendorfer, and settled in 
Peoria, Illinois; Gustav Adolph, born October 6, i860; Emma Louise, 
born November 23, 1862 ; Wilhelm August, born December 6, 1864. 

HESSE & WICKENHCEFER, 

manufacturers of carriages, buggies and spring wagons. This firm 
established their trade in the spring of 1881. They are both accom- 
plished workmen, and in first-class work and general repairing, promise 
in the future to rival the older establishments. Fred. Hesse is a native 
of Saxony, Germany, and was born October 30, 1840 ; was reared and 
learned his trade in his native country, and came to the United States in 
1868, locating in St. Joseph. For a number of years he was in the 
employ of Conrad Tanner. In 1877, erected the shop now occuped by 
John Haflinger. His wife was formerly Miss Mary Brombecker. They 
have two children, Minna and Herrman. He is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. Encampment, and Foresters. Jacob Wickenhoefer was born in 
Hessen, Germany, March 25, 1855, and came to the United States in 
1871, locating in Farmington, Iowa, where he learned the wagon making 
trade. After this he worked in different points in Iowa, Illinois and 
Missouri, coming to St. Joseph in the spring of 1877. Until 1881 he was 
in the employ of William Pape. Mr. W. is one of the accomplished 
workmen and popular young men of this city ; is a member of the Turner 

Rifles. 

JOHN HILL, 

of the firm of W. W. Scott & Co., roofers, was born in DeKalb, Buchanan 
County, Missouri, August 25, 1852. His father, Thomas Hill, was a 
farmer, and in 1865 went to Montana, engaging in stock raising. John 
accompanied him, and returned during the autumn of 1867. In 1874, 
he again went there, remaining three years, and later visited the western 
country, spending a few years in Texas and the Cherokee country. In 
the spring of 1881 he formed a partnership with Mr. Scott. He is a 
Mason and an Odd Fellow. 

F. HENSHAW. 

of Henshaw & Co.'s carriage repository, is an early settler of Buchanan 
County, and has contributed much to St. Joseph's enterprises. Is a 



ST. JOSEPH. 775 

native of Prussia, Germany, and was born March 25, 1826. In 1845, he 
came to the United States. After a short sojourn in New Orleans he 
removed to St. Louis, where he resided for a time, engaged in the jew- 
elry trade, and in 1849, came to St. Joseph. For a number of years he 
worked on the river between St. Joseph and Omaha, in the capacity of 
steward, after which, for seventeen years, he was employed in keeping 
the eating house at the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railway depot. Was at 
Cameron in the same capacity for some time. Few men of St. Joseph 
were more closely identified with the early steamboat trade than Mr. 
Henshaw, or of latter years as a business man. In 1880, he engaged in 
his present business. Is a member of the Masonic fraternity and a 
Knight Templar. 

. WILLIAM HINDENNACH. 

the premium boot and shoe man, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
September 3rd, 1840, and received instructions in his trade at London 
and Paris. In 1872, he came to the United States and located at once 
in St. Joseph, in a short time establishing himself in his trade, which has 
been very successful. In 1877, he married Rosa Craps. They have one 
daughter, Hellaman. Mr. H. well merits the title of the "Premium," as 
can be shown by the number of diplomas and silver medals which he has 
received for the finest workmanship on boots, shoes, etc. Such work- 
men as he are few and far between. 

GEORGE T. HOAGLAND, 

retired banker, etc., is a native of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and was 
born February, 7, 18 14. His father, Cornelius H. Hoagland, was an old 
resident of that state, and died in 1832. His mother, formerly Catharine 
Brown, died in 1880. The subject of this sketch came West in 1837. 
In 1838, he located in Boonville, Missouri, and opened the first lumber 
yard at that point, remaining until 1852, when he located in St. Joseph, 
opening a yard on the corner of Fourth and Edmond Streets. He also 
opened the first regular yards in pine and domestic lumber, at Council 
Bluffs and Omaha, the latter, his son, G. A., now operates. He also 
opened a yard at Hannibal, and afterwards became one of the organizers 
and is now President of the Badger State Lumber Company, their whole- 
sale point being Hannibal, and their mills are located on the Chippewa 
River, Wisconsin. In that state they own extensive tracts of pine lands. 
For a number of years Mr. H. was President of the Buchanan County 
Bank, and he has been a member of the City Council, and has been 
closely identified in all matters pertaining to the city's interest. Owing 
to failing health, of late years, he has been obliged to retire from active 
business. Religiously Mr. Hoagland's sympathies are with the Metho- 



776 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

dists, and in that cause has been an active worker, and also a local min- 
ister of that denomination. He was originally a Presbyterian, having 
been united to that faith in 1832. To him much credit is due for estab- 
lishing the Presbyterian Church at Boonville, of which he was an elder 
for several years. He was married in February, 1842, at Elizabethtown, 
New Jersey, to Miss Nannie Gale, of Haverhill, Massachusetts. She is 
^an estimable lady. They have had three children, George A., Theodore 
B., and Emeline B., wife of Benjamin R. Vineyard, one of St. Joseph's 
attorneys. 

JOHN A. HORN, 

was born in Germany, November 25, 1808, and emigrated to America in 
1835, locating at Baltimore, Maryland, thence to Wheeling, Virginia, 
•Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1847, located permanently 
at St. Joseph, where he has resided ever since. He was married to 
Louisa Hornung in 1841. She was born August 18, 1826, in Germany. 
They had five children, Louis, born November 26, 1843 ; John, born 
March 23, 1845; August, born September 18, 1853; Bettie, born June 
15, 1856; and Charles, born August 20, 1864. All the children are living. 
In early life Mr. Horn learned the trade of a baker, and afterwards 
"became a farmer. In 1856, he was shot through the head by a colored 
■man, but fortunately nothing serious resulted therefrom. The bullet 
■entered in front of the left ear, ranging upward, passing out between 
the upper portion of the right ear and temple. The assassin, whether 
a colored man in reality or imitation, was in pursuit of money, but 
-owing to the report, became frightened and made a hasty retreat with- 
out securing anything of value. Mr. Horn lost considerable property 
by the late war. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church. 

WILLIAM E. HOSEA. 

of the firm of Tootle, Hosea & Co., St. Joseph, one of the largest dry 
goods jobbing houses in the West, was born in Sussex County, Dela- 
ware, April 26, 1846. He was the youngest of a family of ten children. 
His father, John Hosea, was a farmer. He died in 1852. His mother's 
maiden name was Nancy T. Jefferson. Young William was raised on 
his father's farm, from which he attended school in the winter season. 
In 1862, he determined to seek a wider field for the development of his 
energies, and starting West, he settled in St. Joseph, Missouri. He first 
secured a position as porter in the house of Tootle & Fairleigh at a 
small salary, which was increased from year to year till, by the year 
1867, he had rendered his services of sufficient value to secure an inter- 
est in the business. He was the first salesman from St. Joseph to go out 
upon the road with samples of dry goods. He continued, for five years, 



ST. JOSEPH. 'J'J'J 

to fill the position of traveling salesman, meeting during that period 
with excellent success. January i, 1877, the firm name was changed to 
Tootle, Hosea & Co. Since that time he has devoted his attention 
entirely to the management of the business and making purchases for 
the house. In 1873, he married Miss Jennie Smith, daughter of the late 
George Smith, one of St. Joseph's early, as well as most reputable mer- 
chants. They have a family of five children living, Jeannie N., William 
Edwin, George Smith, Lenora and Katie B. One daughter, Edna May, 
died in infancy. Mr. Hosea, in his success in life, is a living evidence of 
what pluck and perseverance, coupled with sterling integrity, may 
accomplish. 

J, B. HOWEL, 

grocer, among the first settlers of the Platte Purchase, and a man who 
has figured conspicuously in the pioneer days in Northwestern Missouri, 
is our subject. He is a native of Washington County, Kentucky, and 
was born December ist, 1816. At an early age he removed to Indiana 
with his parents, and afterwards to Illinois. His father, Benjamin, died 
when J. B. was quite young. The latter subsequently returned to Indi- 
ana, and in 1839, came to Missouri, locating in what was known as Jim- 
town, Andrew County, five miles northeast of the present site of St. 
Joseph. Here he engaged in the furniture trade, continuing until the 
autumn of 1841, when he removed to Savannah, where he was interested 
in trade for a number of years, and at times was engaged in agricultural 
pursuits. In September, 1867, he established himself in trade in St. 
Joseph. For forty-two years Mr. Howel watched the development of 
the Platte Purchase, and to that development he has contributed amply, 
and few residents at the present day are more widely known. He is a 
gentleman, unassuming in his demeanor, and popular with the masses. 
In 1850, he went to California by the overland route, and was gone 
about a year. Was married in 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Carroll, of Ken- 
tucky. They had two children, one of whom is living, Benson A. 
Prince Edward is deceased. 

Dr. JOHN BLACK HOWARD 

was born in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky, on the i6th day 
of December, 18 19. His parents, John H. Howard and Sarah Marrifield, 
were most excellent persons, but very poor. His father died when he 
was but eight years old, leaving his family, consisting of a wife and 
eight children in very destitute circumstances. He was fortunate enough 
to be able to attend a seminary for a short time, and became so well 
versed in the rudiments of English that he afterwards taught schools, 
successfully, in the same neighborhood and also in Washington County. 



778 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

When twenty-three years of age he began the study of medicine in 
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and continued his studies four years and nine 
months before he commenced the practice. He was wholly without 
means and had to struggle hard to make a living for himself and his 
mother's family. A young friend of his, Mr. E. H. Haycraft, a young 
apothecary, having determined to come to the then promising town of 
St. Joseph, he concluded to accompany him. His business flourished 
and he prospered. His advice and prescriptions became so popular that 
he was compelled to resort to the practice of his profession, and very 
soon he had a large and lucrative practice, and, in 185 1, notwithstand- 
ing his immersion in the mysteries and labors of his profession, he felt a 
restlessness and disquietude which he could not cast off, and for which 
he could not account. A fair girl, a Miss Herndon, had recently come 
to St. Joseph, and the Doctor was accidentally thrown into her associa- 
tion. He found her image constantly rising upon his mental vision 
wherever he might be, and he could only be satisfied when in her pres- 
ence. He had been so platonic and reserved in ladies' society thereto- 
fore that no one suspected that he could ever have awakened in his 
bosom a tender sentiment, but that cunning little god, who takes delight 
in discharging his arrows everywhere, saw fit to shoot one straight into 
the Doctor's heart, and, like all others who receive the fatal shaft, he had 
to succumb, and the consequence was he married Miss Sarah Herndon, 
of Richmond, Kentucky, April lOth, 1851. They have five children liv- 
ing: Kate R., Martha, Ann M., Dixie and Leo P. 

JAMES HOY, 

of the firm of James Hoy & Son, ice dealers, was born in County Louth, 
Ireland, and came to America with his parents when seven years of age, 
locating in Maryland, and was there raised to manhood, and educated, 
and came west in 1855, locating at Sioux City, Iowa, where he resided a 
few years. He owned one-half the land, and assisted in laying out the 
town of Covington, Nebraska, and in 1858 came to St. Joseph. For a 
number of years he was engaged in trade, and for two years has con- 
fined his attention to the ice business. In 1861, he was married to Miss 
Ann Shea. By this union they have had eleven children, five of whom 
are living : James H, John, Annie, Will and Kate ; lost six : Ellen, Peter, 
Michael, Rose, Richard and Joseph. 

CHRISTIAN A. HUBACHER, 

manager of the Eagle Milling Company, was born in 1843, at Fraubran- 
nen, Canton Bern, Switzerland, and when six years old, came with his 
mother to the United States. They arrived at New Orleans, and went 
to St. Louis, remaining for six months. From there Christian came to St. 



ST. JOSEPH. 779 

Joseph, in 1849, where, after having received his education, he was 
employed in a bakery and grocery until 1863. Having had the desire 
to see the Far West, he went to Montana, where he opened a store, 
which he kept with great success for three years and a half In 1866, he 
returned to St. Joseph, and was in the employ of Hartwig & Brother 
until 1873, when a partnership was formed with C. N. Mayer, in the boot 
and shoe business. From this Mr. H. retired in October, 1873. In June, 
1874, he became business manager of the Eagle Milling Company, which 
responsible position he still holds. The company are able to turn out 
one hundred barrels of flour daily. Was married May 3, 1869, to Miss 
Hannah L. Schmidt. They have five children — Theodore Rudolph, born 
May 5, 1870; Charles Edwin, born July 6, 1872; Albert Wilhelm, born 
November 14, 1875; Eda Fredericka, born January 6, 1878; Clara, born 
April 19, 1880. 

DR. CLARENCE G. HUBBELL 

was born in Clay County, Missouri, December 13, 1845, and was raised 
a farmer, receiving a common school education in youth, which he sup- 
plemented by a three years' course at Bethany College, Virginia, mak- 
ing choice of the practice of medicine as a profession, and attended 
lectures at the St. Louis Medical College, from which he was graduated. 
At Columbus, Boone County, Missouri, in 1868, he commenced the active 
duties of his profession, and continued his residence there until 1877, 
when he came to St. Joseph. For several years he has given a great deal 
of attention to the study of the eye and ear, and he has become very 
successful in their treatment. The Doctor is connected with the College 
of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Professor of Chemistry, and also lec- 
turer on the eye and ear; is a member of the Northwestern Medical Soci- 
ety, and while living in Boone County was one of the organizers of the 
Boone County Medical Society. Miss Marian Russell, daughter of Col. 
F. T. Russell, an able attorney of Columbia, is his wife. They have one 
daughter, Carrie. 

DANIEL J. HUBBARD, 

farmer. Section 27, post ofifice St. Joseph, was born in Virginia, Novem- 
ber 7, 1822, and had a very limited education. He emigrated to Mis- 
souri, in 1847, locating in Buchanan County, and has followed farming 
all his life. Was married December 5, 1861, to Miss Mary E. Adams. 
She was born in Caldwell County, Missouri, March 8, 1844. By this 
union, they had four children. Smith, born October 16, 1863, died August 
I, 1865; William, born 'July 17, 1865; Katie, born November 17, 1868, 
and Mattie, born April 4, 1871. By his own assiduity, he has saved 160 
acres of land, mostly under fence, with a good house and barn, and in a 



78o BIOGRAPHICAL. 

good state of cultivation, with ten acres of orchard, and three and one 
half acres of vineyard. He also has valuable property in St. Joseph. 
He has been school director for several years. 

LOUIS HUGGINS. 

of F. L. Sommer & Co., is a native of Kentuck}-, and was born February 
I, 1843, and is the son of James and Mary Huggins, pioneers of that state. 
When Louis was in his fifteenth year, the family removed to St. Joseph, 
where he was raised to manhood and educated. It may be said that 
since he came to this city, he has been constantly identified with the 
business circles, as for a number of years he clerked in different houses, 
and was also engaged in the notion trade. In 1874, he embarked in the 
soap manufacturing business, in which he continued until 1877, when he 
became one of the firm of F. L. Sommer & Co., cracker manufacturers. 

W. A. HUNTER, 

of the Vulcan Iron Works, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
June 6, 1837, and was raised to manhood, educated and learned his trade 
in that city. Upon immigrating west, he located at Jacksonville, 
Illinois, pursuing his trade for five years. In 1880, he came to St. Joseph. 
His specialty is in making steam boilers, oil and water tanks, bank and 
jail vaults, etc. He is an accommodating gentleman, and is doing a 
lucrative business. 

H. H. HUGHES, 

General Agent for the St. Joseph and DesMoines Railroad, one of the 
popular railroad agents in St. Joseph, and one who is deserving of more 
than a passing notice, is the subject of this sketch. He was born in 
Plymouth, Devonshire, England, January 7, 1841, and there received his 
education and spent his boyhood days. At the age of eighteen, he 
became cashier in the Law and Fire Insurance Company of London. 
The duties of this important position he discharged creditably to him- 
self and the satisfaction of his employers for ten years. At the same 
desk worked Mr. Charles Cushman, brother of Charlotte Cushman, 
America's favorite actress. The lineage of the Hughes family is traced 
back to the Norman conquest, as per De Brito Baronetage. His father, 
William, was a barrister, and a son of the Rev. Sir Robert Hughes, bar- 
onet. In the spring of 1869, Mr. Hughes came to the United States, tak- 
ing up his abode in St. Joseph, and for five years was with George Olds, 
the General Freight Agent for the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council 
Bluffs Railroad. On the ist of November, 1878, he accepted his present 
position. Few men in railroad circles stand higher or have a larger 
circle of appreciative acquaintances than Mr. Hughes. He has been 



ST. JOSEPH. 781 

twice married. First to Miss Elizabeth Howell, daughter of Rev, H. 
Howell, an Episcopalian minister of Hampshire, England. By this 
union he had one daughter, Beatrice. Mrs. Hughes died in her native 
country. His present wife was formerly Miss P, H. Wilson, of London, 
England, whom he married in 1869. 

A. L. HUNT, 

the Market Square painter, is a native of Platte County, Missouri, and 
was bom February 19, 1847; was there raised and educated, learning 
his trade principally in Kansas City. In 1875, he took up his abode in 
St. Joseph, and worked as journeyman until 1878. For a time he con- 
ducted business in Platte City. In 1878, he engaged in trade. He mar- 
ried, in 1871, Miss Clara Wardtfager, They have a family of five child- 
ren : Minnie, James, Emma, Jennie and an infant. He is a member of 
the I. O. O. F. and the Foresters. 

JAMES HUNTER 

is a native of New York and an old bachelor, consequently never tells 
his age. He had a fair education, and emigrated to St. Joseph in 1857. 
In early life was raised on a farm, and at the age of twenty-three read 
law under S. A. Goodwin, of the firm of Earned & Goodwin, of Chicago, 
Illinois, and was admitted to the bar. In i860, he was appointed Justice 
of the Peace by the County Court. He enlisted in company A, Twenty- 
fifth Missouri Regiment, under Colonel Severance. Was elected captain 
and served one year as captain of company A, then promoted to major, 
after which he was on detached duty on General Hall's staff In 1864, 
he was elected City Attorney at St. Joseph ; served one term and was 
re-elected, and continued until the Legislature abolished the office. In 

1869, he was commissioned postmaster. In 1871, commenced the prac- 
tice of law with C. A. Mosman, but his health failed and he abandoned 
the profession. Mr. Hunter, in connection with James T. Beach, Wm. 
Fowler, Jr. and Judge Lock, were first to organize an anti-slavery organ- 
ization in Missouri and the Northwest. 

HUGH M. HUTCHISON, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Fairfax County, Virginia, August 2, 
1848, and when thirteen years of age emigrated to Wisconsin with his 
parents, his father, John Wesley, locating in Fond du Lac County, 
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Hugh was here educated 
and learned his trade; his early days were spent in tilling the soil. In 
1868, he came to St. Joseph, and has since pursued his trade. In March, 

1870, he married Miss Melissa Lewis. They have four children, John 
Wesley, James William, Theodore and Alice. 



782 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

SAMUEL HUTTON, 

proprietor of the Hutton House, is a native of Illinois, and was born in 
Sangamon County, March 13, 1824. When twelve years of age he 
removed with his parents to Henry County, Iowa, where his father, 
Samuel, Sr., engaged in agricultural pursuits, and the subject was there 
reared and educated. After attaining his majority, he opened a farm in 
Henry County, comprising a section, and was identified with the inter- 
ests of the leading agriculturists of that county. After leaving the farm, 
he built and opened the Wiggins House, at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. In 1866, 
Mr. H. came to St. Joseph, engaging in the lightning rod and pump busi- 
ness, in which he continued until his embarkation in hotel keeping. 
In 1850, he married Miss Rebecca J. Cole, an estimable lady. They 
have had nine children by this union, five of whom — Allie, wife of Dr. 
O. B. Estes, Cora, Belle, Clara and Marry — comprise an interesting fam- 
ily. They lost four — William, Sylvis, George and John. The Hutton 
House was erected in the spring of 1881, and is a substantial three-stoty 
brick, containing forty rooms, well ventilated, lighted and complete in 
all their appointments. The furnishings are new and first-class. 

A. C. HYDE, 

farmer and stock raiser. Section 32, post office St. Joseph, was born Jan- 
uary II, 1819, in Bath County, Kentucky. His father was a native of 
the Green Mountain State, and his mother of Massachusetts, and both 
were among the pioneers of Kentucky. A. C. was taken to Greenock 
County when quite young, and lived on a farm and received a limited 
education in the schools of that vicinity. He emigrated West in the 
fall of 1840, and settled in this county, upon the claim where he now 
resides. He may truly be called one of the pioneers of Buchanan 
County, for the settlers were few and far between. They built cabins 
and improved their farms, facing many privations and hardships, and it 
is to such sturdy pioneers as Mr. Hyde, that the rising generation are 
largely indebted for the present growth and prosperity of the county. 
He has never been an office-seeker, but has always preferred the quiet 
of his legitimate business. During the war he displayed his patriotism 
by shouldering his musket and going to the front, to defend the lives 
and property of the citizens. He belonged to the famous Pawpaw 
militia, and served some six months. His landed estate consists of 456 
acres of fine farming land, and is well adapted to stock. He has been 
twice married, first in 1845, to Miss Elizabeth Whitlock, a native of Clay 
County, Missouri. She died in 1846, and he was again married to Miss 
T. Cure, a native of New York State. They have had a family of 
nine children, J. L., Eliza J. Mrs. H. S. Martin, of Augusta, and Mrs. 



ST. JOSEPH, 783 

George W. Conner, William, James, Cassie, Charles and Calvin. He is 
a member of the Masonic fraternity, of King Hill Lodge No. 376, and 
has been six times elected Master of the lodge. 

JOSEPH H. IGLER, 

was born in Germany, Jan. 17, 1846, where he was raised to manhood 
and educated. In 1866, he crossed the ocean and took up his abode in 
Norfolk, Virginia, where he remained until 1870, when he came to St. 
Joseph. The trade of boot and shoe making he learned in his native 
country, and for a number of years he was connected with Messrs. 
Morgan & Fink, and latterly with F. Wenz. In the spring of 188 1, the 
St. Joseph Boot and Shoe Company was established, of which he is a 
member. The company comprises Mr. Igler, F. Wenz and Christian 
Frenger. This enterprise is in its infancy, but under the auspices of the 
above parties, it is designed to figure prominently in the future whole- 
sale interests of St. Joseph. Mr. Igler is thoroughly schooled in his 
profession. In 1876, Miss Mary Keshel became his wife. Their union 
has been blessed by two children, Ida and Fannie. He is a member of 
the I. O. O. F. 

T. J. IMEL, 

carpenter and builder, is a native of Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana, 
and was born December 7, 1849. His father, William, was a millwright 
.by trade, and when our subject was in his fourth year, the family 
migrated to Knox County, Illinois, where he resided until August, 1862, 
when he tendered his services to the Union cause, and became drummer 
boy in the Seventy-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and passed 
through all of Grant's campaigns on the lower Mississippi, being honor- 
ably mustered out in August, 1865. After the war, he returned to Knox 
County, Illinois, and commenced to learn his trade. In 1866, went to 
Franklin County, Kansas, where he resided two years, and, in 1868, 
enlisted, at lola, in Company C, Nineteenth Kansas Vol. Infantry, served 
eight months in the Southwest, and, after his discharge, he returned to 
Coffey County, Kansas, where he pursued his trade for a time. He also 
resided temporarily in Texas, Colorado, and other portions of the West, 
and for two years lived in Wichita, Kansas. After a sojourn in Illinois, 
he returned to Missouri in 1875, locating in DeKalb County, near Stew- 
artsville, where he pursued his vocation three years. Thence to Noda- 
way County, and in January, 1881, came to St. Joseph. He is a skilled 
workman, and has had a varied experience in mechanism. In 1877, 
Miss Maggie E. Bradbury, of Illinois, became his wife. 

AMER JACKSON, 

farmer and stock raiser. Section 3, postofifice Saxton, was born August 
28, 1843, in Surry County, North Carolina, and was reared there until 



784 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

twelve years of age, spending his boyhood days on a farm. Came west 
with his parents in 1855, and settled in Buchanan County, where he 
remained up to 1864, when he engaged in freighting to Colorado. This 
he continued until again engaging in farming. In 1870, he commenced 
the mercantile business at Saxton, and also held the position of post- 
master. His was the first permanent store kept in the place. In July, 
1880, he turned his attention to farming and stock raising, and owns 
160 acres of land, well stocked and improved. He has filled the posi- 
tion of school director and road overseer several terms. During the 
late war he served for six months in the famous Pawpaw militia, assist- 
ing in defending the lives and property of the citizens. Was married, 
July 8, 1867, to Miss Mary E. Jackson, a native of Missouri. They have 
seven children living: Louisa E., Jacob, Robert Lee, Alexander, Susan 
v., Nellie M, Alfred and Arthur B. They lost one. Himself and wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, in which he 
holds the office of trustee. Is also a member of the Masonic chapter at 
Saxton. 

SEYMOUR JENKINS 

was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in October, 1826, and emigrated to St. 
Joseph in 1856. He engaged in brick making and followed the business 
of a mason, and has always ranked among the best of his trade in the 
city. In 1871, he was elected member of the City Council, and his. 
record as an official, for ten years, is without a stain. He was married 
in April, 1854, to Miss Frances Groves, of Delaware County, Ne\v York. 
They have three children, Albert E., Alice H. and Cora A. 

JOHN M. JOHNSTON, 

engineer, with F. L. Sommer & Co., was born in the Lowlands of Scot- 
land, October 10, 1840, and was there reared to manhood, educated and 
learned his trade. In 1866, John came to the United States, and took 
up his abode in St. Joseph. During his residence here has been in the 
employ of John Burnside, J. W. Ambrose and K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R. 
Co. He is a close observer in mechanism, and keeps pace with the 
progress of the scientific world. He married in Scotland, Miss Agnes 
Welch. They have a family of three children — James, Mary and David- 
Mr. Johnston is a Master Mason. 

JOHN W. JOHNSON 

is the efficient Secretary and Treasurer of the St. Joseph Steam Print- 
ing Company, and was born in Highland County, Ohio, March 9, 1842. 
He received his education in his native place, and was reared with a 



ST. JOSEPH. ^ 785 

mercantile experience. He commenced as a clerk in his father's store, and 
after arriving at manhood, engaged in business on his own account. In 
September, 1869, he decided to avail himself of the wider field of the 
West for his operations and selected St. Joseph and formed a partner- 
ship with Captain F. M. Posegate, under the firm title of Posegate & 
Johnson. After a short time he sold his interest and engaged in the 
mercantile business at Lathrop, Clinton County, Missouri, with satis- 
factory results. He sold out his business here during the year, and once 
more returned to St. Joseph and assisted in organizing the St. Joseph 
Steam Printing Company, and has been its Secretary and Treasurer 
from its organization, a fact that is very complimentary to him for the 
manner in which he has discharged his duties. He has been twice 
married, first in September, 1863, to Miss Annie M. McClure, of Ohio. 
She died in 1868, leaving one daughter, Sallie. His second marriage 
occurred in 1871, to Miss Annie E. Milner, a native of Highland County, 
Ohio. Their family, by this union, consists of one son, Ralph. 

J. B. JOHNSON, 

of the firm of J. B. Johnson & Son, marble dealers, was born in Tuscarawas 
County, Ohio, in 183 1, and many of his early days were spent in tilling 
the soil. He learned his trade at Zanesville, residing there three and 
a half years, after which he removed to Indiana, and remained until 1857. 
He then came to St. Joseph. Johnson & Son deal in American and 
Italian marble, and one account of their long sojourn in the county is 
their first-class workmanship, which have thus secured them a lucrative 
trade. He was married in 1857, to Miss H. M. Albertson, a native of 
Orange County, Indiana. They have four children — H. B., J. M., Mollie 
and B. Mr. Johnson is a Master Mason. 

W. C. JOHNSON, 

contractor in plain and ornamental plastering, was born in Woodford 
County, Kentucky, November 29, 1832, and was there raised and edu- 
cated. Learned his trade principally in Louisville, residing there three 
years. Lived in Shelbyville several years, and other parts of the state. 
In June, 1858, he took up his abode in St. Joseph. He did the work on 
many of the old landmarks, one of which is the Sixth Street Baptist 
Church, and on a host of the fine structures, more modern, among 
which are the Hax and Michau buildings. Was married in Shelbyville, 
Kentucky, December 23, 1857, to Miss Hattie Boland. They had five 
children by this union, three of whom are living: John B., Maggie and 
Clara. They lost two, Lula and Albert C, 



^86 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOHN J. JOHNSON, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Covington, Kentucky, December 
23rd, 1823. At the age of twelve years he removed to St. Louis with his 
parents, residing there until 1844, when he became a resident of Cincin- 
nati, Ohio, there learned the trade he now pursues and resided there 
until he came to St. Joseph, in the spring of 1849. His hammer and saw 
have done much toward converting the small town he found it, in 1849, 
to the booming city of 1881. In the years 1858 and '60 the city found 
him an efficient councilman, he being always on the right side in all ques- 
tions that would have a tendency in advancing the city. He married 
January 24th, 1850, Miss Martha Bancroft, a native of Missouri. They 
have six children by this union : John P., William F., Robert T., Luella, 
Sydney L. and Georgia. 

J. K. JOHNSON, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 35, post-office St. Joseph, was born in 
Cooper County, Missouri, January 31st, 1824. He has followed farming 
all his life. Was married February 27th, 1845, to Mary E. Stephens, a 
native of Kentucky. She was born January 20th, 1823, and they had 
nine children; Sarah Ellen, born December 15th, 1845, died June, 1848; 
William D., born February 6th, 1847; Elijah A., born September ist, 
1848 ; Mattie A., born September 26th, 1850; Mary A., born April 2nd, 
1853; Samuel, born January 15th, 1855; Nancy, born December 19th, 
1856; John F., born January 12th, i860; Emma B., born June 26th, 
1864. Three are married. He has lived in Buchanan County since 
March ist, 1845. By industry he has saved 160 acres of land, which is 
mostly under fence and in good state of cultivation ; has six acres of 
orchard and two fine never-failing springs. He was a defender of his 
country by being a member of the Pawpaw militia. He is a member of 
the old Hard Shell Baptist Church, and has been School Director for 
years. His father, Samuel Johnson, was born July 18, 1796, and was 
one of the first Territorial Judges. It was he that proposed and named 
Andrew County. 

MARX JUDA, 

dealer in dry goods, notions and groceries, is one of the leading mer- 
chants on South Sixth Street. Was born in Prussia, February 26, 1828, 
and was there raised, educated and resided until 1854, when he came to 
America, locating temporarily in the East. In 1855, he came to Mis- 
souri, engaging in trade at Richmond, Ray County, and afterwards in 
Chillicothe. He came to St. Joseph in 1861, and has since stood prom- 
inent amon^ its business men, and has been in trade at his present loca- 



ST. JOSEPH. 787 

tion for ten years. Mr. Juda has been twice married — first in 1858, to 
Miss J. Straus, whose death occurred in 1866. In 1867, Miss Hannah 
Bear became his wife. By this union, they have three children — Millie, 
Charlie and Lena. He is a charter member of the B'Nai-Brith Society. 

WINSLOW JUDSON. 

Among the prominent attorneys of Buchanan County, may be mentioned 
the subject of this biography. He was born in Ogdensburg, New York, 
on the 2ist day of February, 1845. He received good educational 
advantages in youth, and entered Hamilton College, from which insti- 
tution he was graduated in 1865. His father. General R. W. Judson, 
was an attorney of prominence, and the son early formed a preference 
for the legal profession, and with his father as preceptor, after the most 
thorough preparation, he entered the Albany Law School, and graduated 
in 1866. He then came to this city and entered upon the active duties 
of his profession. His prominent characteristics are energy and perse- 
verance. As a lawyer he is attentive to his cases, examining the 
minutest points that may present themselves in the final trial, and as a 
careful, pains-taking attorney, has an enviable reputation. His social 
qualities are admirable and his moral character irreproachable. He 
married Miss Emily Carpenter, of Providence, Rhode Island, November 
5, 1868. Their family consists of four children. 

FE*ANK R. JUDSON, 

was born in Ogdensburg, New York, April 20, 1849. Received a good 
education in the city schools, and in 1865, entered Hamilton College, 
and received a thorough course. He studied law in his father's office, 
and graduated at the law school in Albany. Was engaged in the lumber 
business for some time. Then entered his father's office and practiced 
law for four years. In 1879, ^^ came to this city and entered the employ 
of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Company, 
where he remained for eighteen months. His father was R. W. Judson, 
a celebrated attorney, and during the late war raised the One Hundred 
and Forty-second Regiment New York Volunteers, and became its 
colonel, and for meritorious conduct was breveted brigadier general. 

GEORGE S. KARNS, 

farmer and stockraiser, Sec. 32, Postoffice Saxton, was born December 
23, 1821, in Bedford County, Virginia, and was taken to Lee County, 
Virginia, by his parents when about four years of age, and remained 
there until twelve years old, spending his boyhood days on the farm, 
and has made farming his occupation through life. In the fall of 1837, 



288 ■ BIOGRAPHICAL. 

he emmigrated West, and settled in Buchanan County, Missouri. The 
Indians were just leaving the Platte Purchase, and he had his full share 
to contend with. It is to such as he that this county is indebted for the 
position she now occupies. Mr. Karns took up a claim, and commenced 
improving a farm. His landed estate consists of 1,200 acres of fine 
land, most of which is improved, and he owns some' of the best stock 
farms in the county. Commencing in life at the bottom round of the 
ladder, he has worked his own way to the position he now holds. He 
is no office seeker, but always gives his attention to his business, and 
well merits the esteem in which he is held by his many friends. Octo- 
ber, 1850, he was married to Miss Matilda Watson, a native of Tippe- 
canoe County, Indiana. She died in the fall of 1872, leaving a family 
of nine children : Mary, now Mrs. Williams Yager ; Elizabeth, now Mrs. 
L. Jeffers ; Sarah J., now Mrs. F. Winn ; Pasal W. ; Abigal B., now Mrs. 
Wm. Gilpin ; John N., Carrie, Margaret and Matilda. He is an active 
member of the M. E. Church. A few of the first sermons preached in 
this vicinity were preached in his house. He has always been a strong 
Union man, and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln. 

HERMAN W. KASTOR, 

editor of the St. Joseph Volksblatt, daily and weekly German newspaper, 
was born at Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, October 26, 1838. He studied 
in college at Bamberg, and came to New York in 1854. Was married 
May 6, i860, to Miss Theresa Rudolph, of Magdeburg, Prussia. They 
had nine children, of whom eight are living. Mr. K. was in the Sixth 
Regiment, N. Y. S. M., when President Lincoln called out the first 
75,000 men, and was one of them. He came to Leavenworth Kansas, in 
1862. Was Second-Lieutenant of the First Kansas State Militia, and 
was in active service at Price's raid, etc. In 1864, he was in Kansas 
City, Missouri; in 1865, at Wyandotte, Kansas,, where he edited a 
weekly German paper called " Die Fackel." This he moved to Atchi- 
son, Kansas, in 1867. He came to St. Joseph, in 1868, as editor of the 
Volksblatt, and became, in the same year, one of the proprietors of that 
paper, in the firm of C. Eichler & Co., and afterwards, when this firm 
was dissolved, in the firm of H. Brunsing &: Co. He has been editor and 
one the proprietors of the Volksblatt, with the exception of six months 
in 1869, ever since he came to St. Joseph, in 1868. His eight children 
are Benjamin, Louis, Amalia, Ernst, Fredric, Richard, William and 
Gertrude. 

HARRY KEENE, 

of the firm of H. Keene & Co., manufacturers and bottlers of soda and 
vinegar. Mr. K. is a native of Bristol, England, and came to the United 



ST. JOSEPH. 789 

States in 1864. After residing in Chicago for a time, he took up his 
abode in St. Joseph in 1866. For ten years he was employed on the 
K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R., as engineer ; also, for a time, was engaged in 
the restaurant busines. In 1878, he commenced his present trade, which 
is the largest of the kind in the Northwest. He is a Mason, belonging 
to the Royal Arch Chapter and Commandery. His wife was formerly 
Miss Elizabeth Dunstan. 

J. H. KEENE 

is a native of Daviess County, Missouri, and was born April 24th, 1849. 
There he was raised as a farmer, his father having been one of the early 
settlers of that county. In 1874, he came to St. Joseph, engaging in the 
livery business with M. I. Couch, and was afterward of the firm of Ire- 
land & Keene, and later of Keene & Moore. For a time he was employed 
in buying horses for the government. He is numbered among the best 
horse fanciers in the country. He is a member of the Temple of Honor. 

KELLER & MERLATT. 

Identified with the carpenters, builders and first-class mechanics in St. 
Joseph is the above firm. Mr. Scott Keller was born in Bedford, Bedford 
Co., Pennsylvania, April nth, 1845, and at an early age removed with 
his parents to Maryland. There his father, W. V., engaged in farming, 
and there Scott was raised, educated and learned his trade. In 1862, 
he enlisted in the Confederate army and passed through many stirring 
events, under General Stonewall Jackson. He served until the close, 
then came west and located in Urbana, Illinois, following his trade for 
fifteen years. Also for a time was in Chicago. He came to Moberly, 
Missouri, in 1877, and to St. Joseph, in July, 1880. In 1868, Miss Annie 
Myers became his wife. They have three children : Charlie, Willie and 
Harry. E. B. Merlatt is the son of George *Merlatt, one of the pioneers 
of this city, and one well known among the early settlers. E. B. was 
born here. May 25th, 1846, and was here raised and educated, and has 
made it his home, with the exception of twelve years, spent in the south. 
Mr. Geo. Merlatt has seen the growth of St. Joseph, from its infancy to 
a large and prosperous city. 

J. A. KELLEY, 

contractor for plain and ornamental plastering. A pioneer plasterer who 
was well and favorably known in this county was Arthur Kelley, who 
took up his abode in this city over twenty-two years ago. Here he 
resided until the time of his demise, November 20, 1877. His son, J. A., 
was born in Omaha, Nebraska, November 9, 1858, and came to St. 



790 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Joseph with his parents when six months of age. He was here educated 
and learned his trade. He is a young man of sterling business qualifi- 
cations and a skilled workman, has a large trade, not only in St. Joseph 
and Missouri, but also in Kansas and Nebraska. 

SIMEON KEMPER, • 

one of the oldest citizens of Buchanan County, in point ot residence 
and years, was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, February 5, 
1799. He moved to Missouri with his family in 1837, and to what is 
now St. Joseph in 1840. He made a claim and worked some land which 
is now a part of the city. In May, 1843, when the land came in market, 
he entered 160 acres and built a double log house, where he lived for 
several years. This place he afterwards sold to a Mr. Highly, who 
called it "Highly Springs." In i860, he built the house that is now 
the residence of James McCord, Esq. The 160 acres he entered in 1843, 
has been laid out in lots and mostly improved with residences and busi- 
ness houses. Mr. Kemper surveyed the city and laid it out in lots, and 
was the first to fill the office of County Surveyor after the organization 
of the company. He married Miss Jane A. Shortage, of Kentucky, in 
1835, and of a family of ten children born to them, only one is left to 
cheer his declining years. This a son, Charles S., is connected with the 
firm of John S. Brittain & Co., wholesale dry goods. He married Miss Mary 
Robertson, of Danville, Kentucky, October 22, 1843, and has a family of 
four children, James R., Charles S., Simeon, and Mary Lee. Few men 
have lived in the community as long as Mr. Kemper, and no one has 
enjoyed in a greater degree the respect, esteem and confidence of the 
community than this sturdy pioneer, who has now passed his four-score 
and two years. He has long been an earnest and consistent member of 
the M. E. Church (south), and his sterling qualities of mind and heart 
and his Christian graces will long live in the memories of the citizens of 
St. Joseph who are favored with his acquaintance. 

JOHN KENMUIR 

was born in Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland, of Scotch-Irish parentage, 
February 14, 1831. His father, William Kenmuir, was a watchmaker and 
manufacturing jeweler, and bred his sons to that business. In 1827, W. K. 
established himself in Ballynahinch, County Down, Ireland. The firm 
name was Kenmuir & Sons. The reputation of the house was soon estab- 
lished, and a vast flow of patronage followed. This firm is j^et extant, and 
the venerable William Kenmuir, now (1881) in his eighty-third }'ear, 
still continues to give personal attention to the supervision of the 
concern. John Kenmuir, the subject of this sketch, is one of a family of 



ST. JOSEPH. 79! 

seven children, four of whom were boys, all bred to the trade of watch- 
making. James Kenmuir, a brother, is a representative watchmaker and 
jeweler of Kansas City. August 17, 1850, after having served his seven 
years' apprenticeship, John left his native home for the West. Land- 
ing in the city of New York, he immediately established himself there 
as a manufacturing jeweler and watchmaker. His marked ability and 
strict attention to business soon achieved for him a reputation which 
commanded for him an immense business. Seized with a desire of visit- 
ing the West, in 1863, he determined to leave New York, and finally 
landed in Leavenworth City, Kansas, where he established, on Delaware 
Street, between Third and Fourth, a retail business in clocks and 
watches, which at one time amounted to $80,000 a year. In 1873, he 
moved to St. Joseph, where he established himself on Felix, between 
Fifth and Sixth Streets, moving from Leavenworth City to that point 
his immense stock of goods and fixtures. He also established in St. 
Joseph the Bell telephone, a full history of which enterprise will be 
found in the body of this work under its proper head. Mr. Kenmuir 
sustained serious loss by the unauthorized compromise, on the part of 
his attorneys, of a law suit in which he was engaged. The effect of this 
compromise was to temporarily cripple his resources. He is, however, 
(188 1) again established in business on Felix Street, three doors above 
his former stand, where he is rapidly recovering his losses. At every 
fair and mechanical exposition at which his work has been displayed, 
his ability has received substantial recognition in the way of diplomas, 
medals and premiums. At one Kansas State Fair he was presented 
with a gold medal valued at fifty dollars, and at another a silver pitcher 
of similar value. Other associations in Canada and New York have 
recognized and similarly honored his skill. 

CAPTAIN F. B. KERCHEVAL 

stands among the first settlers of Buchanan County, and is thoroughly 
conversant with the first commercial transactions done at Robidoux' 
Landing. He is a native of Montgomery County, Tennessee, and was 
born near Nashville, July 9, 1817, was there brought up, and received his 
education. John, his father, was a native of Virginia, and settled in 
Tennessee when a young man, and was extensively engaged in the 
manufacture of iron, in that state. Our subject came to Missouri in the 
fore part of 1841, engaging in business at Fredricktown, and in the 
spring of 1842, came to St. Joseph. Mr. Kercheval brought with him a 
stock of general merchandise, with the intention of engaging in trade, 
but abandoned the idea and engaged in farming, a short distance from 
this place, in Washington Township, and he took an active part in laying 
out the wagon roads, building school houses, churches, and develop- 



792 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

merits of the township generally. In 1852, he embarked in the hardware 
business in St. Joseph, continuing until 1856, when he commenced steam- 
boating. At Louisville, Kentucky, he had built the steamer Omaha, 
which he placed between St. Joseph and Omaha. In 1857, he built the 
Hesperian, which was burnt opposite Atchison, a few years later. Cap- 
tain Kercheval is an old steamboat man of the Missouri River, he having 
established the lines between St. Joseph and Omaha, and St. Joseph and 
Kansas City. After the war broke out, he embarked in the wholesale 
grocery trade here. The firm was known as Kercheval & Donovan, 
and afterwards F. B. Kercheval & Co. In 1864, an enterprise was suc- 
cessfully carried out by Messrs. Kercheval, Joseph Kinney, J. C. Ogden, 
Thos. Tootle and Powell & Levy, which eclipsed any previous commer- 
cial undertaking in St. Joseph. They fitted out forty-six wagons, loaded 
with general merchandise, and had 220 yoke of oxen, which they drove 
through to Virginia City, Montana, and established a wholesale grocery 
house, the style of the firm being Kercheval, Kenny & Co. In 1865, Mr. 
Kercheval withdrew, and established a wholesale grocery house at 
Helena, Montana, continuing until 1868, when he returned to St. Joseph, 
and engaged in the milling business, he building the Kercheval Flour 
Mill, and, in connection with this branch, was extensively engaged in 
grain buying, with which interest he was identified until the memorable 
crisis of 1873, when he was obliged to succumb to the pressure, and lost 
heavily. In 1839, he was married to Miss Helen Kay. They have, by 
the union, four children : Sarah Ann, wife of Judge A. H. Gambrill, of 
Alton, Illinois ; Minnie, wife of F. M. Long, Civil Engineer, at Alton> 
Illinois ; John K., and Fanny, wife of J. H. Thorp. 

J. K. KERCHEVAL, 

was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, December 15, 1848, and is a son 
of the veteran pioneer, Captain F. B. Kercheval. J. K. was raised and 
educated in St. Joseph and received the benefits of the University of 
Columbia, Missouri. He was associated with his father in trade in the 
western country, and later in this city. He is a young business man and 
one of St. Joseph's popular citizens. He was married on the 14th of 
May, 1872, to Miss Ella M. Sites. 

KESSLER & SHALE, 

dealers in dry goods, groceries, notions, etc. Frank S. Kessler was born 
in Marion Township, Buchanan County, Missouri, November ist, 1853. 
His father, Fidele Kessler, was one of the pioneers of that township, and 
took an active part in developing its agricultural resources, until his 
death, which occurred several years ago. Frank was here raised to 
manhood and educated, his early days being spent in farming. That 



ST. JOSEPH. 793 

vocation he pursued until 1877, when he took up his abode in St. Joseph. 
In the autumn of 1878 he engaged in trade. Henry B. Shale, the junior 
member of the firm, was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, September 9th, 
1854. His father, John Shale took up his abode in this city at an early 
day and was closely identified with its progress. At the breaking out 
of the rebellion he tendered his services to the union cause and did 
good work as a recruiting officer, for a time, after which he was an 
orderly in Company H, Thirty-third Missouri Volunteer Infantry, and 
was killed on the Fourth of July, 1863, at the memorable conflict at 
Helena, Arkansas. Henry received his education in this place, and 
here has always resided. For five years he was in the employ of George 
F. Shaeffer, as clerk. On the 25th of December, 1877, Miss Sally Whit- 
man became his wife. She is the daughter of Mr. David Whitman, of 
this county. 

Dr. C. J. KESSLER, 

dentist, is a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Easton, North- 
hampton County, February 9, 1835. His father, Charles J., was a native 
of that county. The Kesslers are of German extraction. His mother, 
Martha Johnston, was a native of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, and 
his grandfather, Johnston, was born in the same county. The Johnstons 
are of Scotch extraction. Our subject was raised, educated and learned 
his profession in Easton. In 1855, he came West, locating temporarily 
in Chicago, Illinois, and afterwards at Elgin, Illinois, where he did a 
prosperous business for several years. Was also for a time at St. 
Charles, Illinois. In 1865, he came to St. Joseph, and has since been 
a citizen here. Dr. Kessler is a dentist of twenty-five years continual 
practice, has been a close student, and keeps pace with the accepted and 
new theories pertaining to the profession. During his sojourn in the 
city he has represented the first ward in the City Council, and was one 
of the directors of the St. Joseph bridge. In 1857, Miss Mary Frittz, of 
New Jersey, became his wife. They have one son, Samuel. 

L. KEYWOOD, 

dealer in staple and fancy groceries, has figured conspicuously in the 
development of the state and county. He is a native of Sullivan County, 
Tennessee, and was born January 2, 18 19. When young he removed to 
Overton County, Tennessee, where he was raised and made his home, 
until 1840. His father, John Key wood, was an old resident of Tennessee. 
In 1840, our subject came to Missouri, locating in Andrew County, where 
he engaged in farming. The country at that time being sparsely settled, 
he had many difficulties with which to contend. In 1850, in company 

with D- M. Steele and others, he went to California by the overland 

49 



794 BIOGRAPHICAL, 

route, remaining eighteen months ; then returned to Andrew County^ 
and in September, 1862, took up his abode in St. Joseph. For several 
years, he was engaged in teaming and trading, and in i860 engaged in 
his present business. Mr. Key wood has been twice married. In 1843, 
Miss Celia LaNeir became his wife. She died in 1855, leaving two chil- 
dren — Matilda J. anB Isabelle. In 1855, Mrs. Cordelie Reno became his 
wife, she being the daughter of William Nave, one of the early settlers 
of Northwestern Missouri, and was married in 1846 to Jefferson Reno, 
vvho died in 1847, leaving one son — William J. Mr. and Mrs. Keywood 
have two sons — Alfred Tinsley and Isaac T. 

JOHN KIEFFER, 

wholesale liquor dealer, may be numbered among the most suc- 
cessful business men of St. Joseph. He is a man who owes his 
success to his own energy and industry. Without having any schooling 
when he was young, he had a hard struggle with life. But he overcame 
all difficulties, improved himself, bent all his energy to one point and 
reached it. He was born July 9th, 1837, at Hesperingen, Luxemburg. 
When ten years old, his parents died, and John left home and went to 
France, with an object to get work, and this he obtained from a farmer, 
who paid him a mere trifle. He worked for five years, and in 1852, 
returned to his home, where he served his apprenticeship as a black- 
smith, for two years, with his brother-in-law. Then again went to 
France and worked at his trade up to 1858. His brother, Peter, who 
had been in California, had paid a visit to Europe, and when returning 
to America, persuaded John to accompany him. This he did March 
15th, 1858, and arrived. May 7th, at New York City, when, after a few 
days he started west. He visited Chicago, Dubuque, Iowa, St. Louis, 
and finally, July 4th, 1858, came to St. Joseph, where he settled and 
worked for three years at his trade. In 1861, he opened a blacksmith 
shop on Frederick Avenue, which he carried for four years. To recover 
his failing health he made a trip over the plains to Denver, in 1865, and 
returned in the spring of 1866. He then paid a four months visit to 
Europe and returned in July, 1866 to St. Joseph, where he started a hotel 
and saloon, in which business he was engaged up to May, 1868, then 
opened a summer garden at Corby's Grove, which he managed for one 
year. He then engaged in the ice business, and in 1876, formed a partner- 
ship with Christ. Mast and Joe Schreiber and started the St. Joseph Ice 
Company, and of which business he is now sole manager. October 20th, 
1880, he opened, with Mr. Koenigsmann, under the firm, Kieffer, Koe- 
nigsman & Co., a wholesale liquor and wine business. Mr. Kieffer mar- 
ried December loth, 1861, Miss Katharina Ohier. They have had four 
children: John Peter, born September 13th, 1862, died July 20th, 1876; 



ST. JOSEPH. 795 

Henry, born June i8th, 1864; Emma Louise, born November i6th, 
1866; Louis Albert, born September 20th, li 



L. B. KIMBERLY, 

plasterer, one of the pioneer plasterers of St. Joseph, is a native of 
Marion County, Indiana, and was born January i, 1826. His father was 
Zenas, and his mother's maiden name was Isabelle Drum. When our 
subject was in his ninth year, he removed with his parents to La Porte, 
Indiana, where he was raised, educated and learned his trade. In 1854, 
he came to Iowa, locating at Panora, Guthrie County, where he followed 
his trade until 1859, when he took up his abode in St. Joseph, where he 
has since been engaged in his profession of plastering. He married in 
1848, Mrs. Hoagland, a native of Sweden. They have two children, 
Candee, now Mrs. P. McGregor, and Emma, now Mrs. Hiram Hershber- 
ger. Mr. Kimberly is one of St. Joseph's popular and most respected 
citizens, and in his profession stands among the most proficient. 

GEORGE E. KING, 

was born on the 29th of May, 1851, in the 'town of Milford, Decatur 
County, Indiana. His early education was very liberal, and was 
received at the Hartville, Indiana, University, and the Missouri Univer- 
sity of Columbia. Taught school about seven years in the States of 
Indiana and Missouri, devoting his leisure hours to legal and literary 
studies. Attended law lectures at Columbia University in 1873, and 
was admitted to the Andrew County Bar in 1874. Practiced law with 
W. S. Greenleaf, Esq., at Savannah, during 1874-5. ^^ the spring of 
1875, he was united in marriage to Miss Lilly A. Cook, daughter of Wm. 
Cook, banker, of Savannah. He entered journalism in 1875, and 
edited the Adams County Union, of Iowa, till August, 1876. Was asso- 
ciate editor of the St. Joseph Chronicle in the fall of 1876. In Decem- 
ber, 1876, he purchased the Andrew County Republican and merged it 
into the Andrew County Advance. From Savannah he came to St. 
Joseph, and established the St. Joseph Saturday Democrat, of which he 
is now (1881) the editor and proprietor. The history of the Saturday 
Democrat in St. Joseph is worthy of rriore than a passing notice in a 
work of this character. It was started on a highway strewn with the 
wrecks of many a like venture. It was forced to contend with the sus- 
picions, distrust, and indifference of the reading public, rendering its 
first days especially trying to the endurance and perseverance ©f its 
enterprising proprietor and publisher, but by a steady and fearless course 
in the cause of honesty, as well as by purity of utterance in its political 
and social statements, and by its general excellence as a family newspa- 



796 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

per, it has forced its way to the front rank which it now occupies in the 
estimation of the intelligent reading people of the state. The paper is 
an elegantly printed eight-page fifty-six column journal, and is already 
firmly established financially, and in the esteem of the reading public. 
George E. King, its founder and present editor and publisher, enjoys the 
merited reputation of the most fearless, pointed and most forcible writer 
on the newspaper press of this section. 

THOMAS KINCAID, 

farmer and stock raiser. Section 32, postoffice, Saxton; was born Octo- 
ber 12, 1 82 1, in Adams County, Ohio, and was taken to Montgomery 
County, Indiana, when about twelve years of age. There he was prin- 
cipally raised ; his father was a blacksmith, and Thomas worked con- 
siderable at that trade. He received the benefits of a common school 
education, and by self application has obtained a thorough knowledge of 
the events of the day. In 185 1 he emigrated to Fayette County, Iowa, 
and remained there for twenty-three years engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits. He came to this county in the spring of 1874 and settled where 
he now resides; his farm consists of one hundred and sixty acres, im- 
. proved, containing three good springs. He also owns three hundred and 
forty-four acres in Tremont Township. During the late war he espoused 
the Union cause, and twice enrolled his township. He has been married 
three times : first, in 1843, to Miss Margaret Banner, a native of Ohio. 
She died December, 1846. His second marriage was in 1848 to Miss 
Catharine Danner, a sister of the former wife, whose death occurred in 
December, 1875. She left six children, Frederick, Franklin, Margaret 
(now Mrs. George Cliff), Horace G., Ida, and Ella. He was married 
again June 14, 1877, to Mrs. Elizabeth Bedford. She has seven children 
by her former marriage. By the last union there is one child, Thomas. 
They are members of the M. E. Church, in which Mr. K. holds the office 
of Recording Steward of the St. Joseph circuit. He is also a member of 
the Masonic fraternity. 

C. M. KINGSBURY, 

carpenter and millwright, was born in Hebron, Toland County, Connec- 
ticut, June 6, 18 18, and was there rai.sed until he attained his seventeenth 
year, and partially learned the carpenter trade. He then removed to 
New York, remaining until 1848, when he came West, locating in Colum- 
bia County, Wisconsin. For a number of years was on the improvements 
of the Wisconsin and Fox Rivers. In 1864, he went to Montana and 
engaged in mining, and became a resident of St. Joseph in 1865. During 
his sojourn here, he has been closely associated with the progress of the 
city, and has contributed amply towards its development. As a mechanic 



ST. JOSEPH. 797 

he is among the first in the country. Was married in 1844, to Miss Mary 
Gay, of Monroe County, New York. Mr, K. is a Royal Arch Mason, 
becoming a Mason in 1844. 

C. P. KINGSBURY 

was born in the City of Boston, September 26, 1841, and upon reaching 
the requisite age he entered the office of the Lawrence Courier, where 
he served his apprenticeship as compositor. After this, he took the 
foremanship of the Dover Enquirer, at Dover, New Hampshire, in which 
capacity he continued until 1862, when he enlisted in Company K, 
Eleventh New Hampshire. At the battle of Fredricksburg he was 
severely wounded, being incapacitated for duty, was honorably discharged, 
returned to Massachusetts, and for two years was assistant foreman in 
the State Printing House, at Boston. In 1865, he came to Chicago, and 
pursued his trade in that city until 1869, when he became a resident of 
St. Joseph. He was one of the original members of the St. Joseph Steam 
Printing Company, organized in that year, and, in 1872, sold his interest. 
In 1875, with Mr. T. H. Hail, he bought the present establishment, which 
they conducted until 1879, when Mr. Kingsbury became sole proprietor, 
by purchasing Mr. Hail's interest. This establishment is one of the' 
most complete in its appointments to be found in this vicinity, and the 
trade which he controls in job printing and bookbinding is large and 
increasing. Mr. Kingsbury traces his lineage to English ancestry. Is 
a Thirty-second Degree Mason, and a member of the Knights of Pythias. 
In 1859, Miss Lizzie L. Moores, of Vermont, became his wife. 

JOHN PETER KIRSCHNER 

was born in Germany, Kingdom of Bavaria, on the River Rhine, May 8, 
1821. He came to this country in 1843, and settled in Clay County, Mis- 
souri, near Parkville, then removed to Independence, Jackson County, 
and thence, in 1846, to St. Joseph, where he started the first bakery 
established in the city, and continued to operate it for many years with 
a good degree of success. He purchased a farm near the city of 160 
acres, and moved on it in 1867. He married Miss Annie E. Groh, in 
Clay County, Missouri, April 18, 1846. They have a family of four chil- 
dren, John, Peter J., George E., and Lena. John is married and lives 
near his father. Peter J. was educated in the schools of St. Joseph until 
seventeen years of age, and then, in 1869, went to Cincinnati and attended 
a private school for two years. In 1875, he commenced the study of 
medicine with Dr. J. Geiger, as preceptor, and in 1877, he attended the 
medical department of the University of Louisville, and in 1878-79, he 
attended Bellevue Hospital College, and was graduated from that insti- 
tution. While pursuing his medical studies he taught school, and paid 



798 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

his way through the entire course by his own exertions. In 1879, he 
commenced the active practice of his profession. In 1880, he was 
appointed City Physician, and re-appointed in 188 1. He was appointed 
demonstrator of anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, for 
the session of 1879-80, and professor of physiology in 1880-81. 

ARTHUR KIRKPATRICK, 

Secretary and Business Manager of the Merchants' Insurance Company, 
of St. Joseph, is one of a family of seven children, four of whom were 
sons. His father, Judge W. Kirkpatrick, a native of Tennessee, was a 
large farmer and stock trader in his own state. Was also, at one period, 
an influential member of the county bench, and was all his life an active 
business man. When his son, Arthur, was eight months old, he moved 
with his family to Missouri, and settled in Cooper County, where his 
children were all reared in habits of industry and practical business. In 
1843, Judge Kirkpatrick moved with his family to Johnson County, Mis- 
souri, and here the subject of this sketch received a practical business 
education. His first effort in the way of earning an independent liveli- 
hood was'in the profession of teaching. An experience of two succes- 
sive summers in this calling, however, determined him to select another 
course of life, and he accordingly engaged in mercantile pursuits, in 
which his efforts were generally crowned with success ; also, at different 
periods previous to the breaking out of the civil war, successfully engaged 
in the milling business. In March, 1863, he moved to St. Joseph, where 
he engaged in the grain, shipping and general produce business. He 
subsequently engaged in freighting across the plains. In 1866 and 1867, 
he was engaged in mercantile business in Utah and Montana, where his 
efforts were crowned with uniform success. In 1869, he married Miss 
Lettie J. (Ransom) Poteet, of St. Joseph. By this marriage he had two 
children, the eldest, a daughter, born in 1870, survives. In January, 
1876, Mr. Kirkpatrick had the misfortune to lose his wife by death. In 
1873, he engaged in the insurance business. Is at present (1881) a 
member of the Board of Managers of the Missouri State Lunatic Asylum, 
No. 2, and a Director and Manager of the Citizens' Railway Company. 
Mr. Kirkpatrick has, since his residence in St. Joseph, been more or less 
actively engaged in mercantile and other enterprises, and ranks promi- 
nently among the successful business men of St. Joseph, and deservedly 
enjoys a large share of personal popularity. 

J. B. KITCHEN, 

one of the firm of Kitchen Bros., and manager of the Pacific House in 
St. Joseph, Missouri ; was born in St. Louis County, Missouri, May 25, 
1832. His parents emigrated from Virginia to Missouri in 1829. Henry 



ST. JOSEPH. 799 

Kitchen, his father, was by occupation a farmer. He died in Leaven- 
worth City, Kansas, in 1862, at the age of sixty-five years. His mother, 
Avho still lives, is now (188 1) seventy-six years of age, and in the enjoy- 
ment of excellent health. No mother was ever more highly or deserv- 
edly respected. She raised ten children, five sons and five daughters. 
Six of these still live. James " Butter," the subject of this sketch, named 
after his mother's family, was the fifth child. He moved with his parents 
from St. Louis in the fall of 1848 to Platte County, Missouri. In 1854 
he left his parents and went to New Mexico without pecuniary means, 
but with great ambition, a restless energy, and full determination to 
become a successful man. Arriving at Santa Fe, he obtained a situation 
as clerk in a large mercantile house. After a year's experience in this 
position he secured from the government a hay contract at Fort Union, 
New Mexico. He filled this contract from the Ocate Bottom, about 
twenty miles from the Fort, working all the summer in water over his 
shoe-tops. The grass, after being cut, was hauled on the high upland, 
where it was cured and stacked. The result of this, his first business 
venture, was a profit of $900. In the meantime, he had made a friend of 
Dr. Connelly, a rich merchant of Albuqurque, who set him up in business 
in a small town called Tecolate, in New Mexico, with a stock of mer- 
chandise worth $15,000, on which not a cent was paid for two years, 
the doctor, in the meantime, furnishing as required, the merchandise 
necessary to keep up the stock. At the end of seven years the doctor 
received his money in full, and Mr. Kitchen had made a few thousand 
dollars. In the meantime his brother Dick, who was yet with his parents 
in Platte County, went to Kansas and settled on a quarter section of 
land, the claim to which he sold, in i860, for $2,000. About this period 
J. B. sold out his business in New Mexico and returned home. The two 
brothers then joined capital, bought a few teams, and engaged in the 
freighting business. In this they met with excellent success, at times, 
during the war, having contracts with the government amounting to 
over a million of dollars. The two brothers have now (1881) been doing 
business together twenty years, in all of which time they have never 
kept an account against each other, everything being held in common. 
The completion of the railroad ruined the freighting business on the 
plains. They were forced, in consequence, to learn a new trade, and 
to-day the Kitchen Bros, are known to the world as the leading hotel 
firm of the West. This firm includes Charles W., the eldest, who is in 
charge of the four houses on the Union Pacific Railroad ; J. B., of the 
Pacific, in St. Joseph, and Richard, the youngest, who is in charge of the 
Withnell House, in Omaha, Nebraska. It is a remarkable fact that J. B. 
Kitchen during his long period of residence in New Mexico, never 
indulged in gambling, drinking, or even smoking, a course which, while 
it rendered him unpopular with the common herd of humanity there, 



800 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

accomplished for himself the great object he sought when he went out, 
and he returned to the home he had left an honored son and brother. 
The Pacific, under his management, has become one of the most popular 
houses in the West. 

ANTON KLOS 

was born November 30, 1829' at Prombach, Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, 
where he recived his education. When sixteen years of age he emi- 
grated to America, embarking for New Orleans, where he arrived in 1845. 
Soon after he removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he learned the 
trade of cigar-making, and remained five years. In 1850, he came to St. 
Joseph, and engaged in the cigar and tobacco business, which he carried 
on fourteen years. In 1864, he commenced as a wholesale leaf tobacco- 
dealer, buying and shipping leaf tobacco, which was raised from forty 
to fifty miles around St. Joseph. Having accumulated wealth, he 
invested much in real estate, and is among our large tax payers. In 
1876, he retired from active business life. He married October 25, 1864, 
Miss Elise Deppen, who died November 17, 1869. He has two children, 
Harvey, born May 13, 1865, and Edward, born December 23, 1867. 

F. K. KNAPP, 

dealer in hardware, furniture and queensware, was born im Nashviller 
Tennessee, March 18, 1853. F- K. Knapp, his father, was an early set- 
tler of Buchanan County, coming here in 1854. Our subject was here 
raised and educated. For a number of years he was engaged in the 
marble trade with his father, and also conducted a jewelry store and 
engaged in the present business, in 1877. Carries a complete stock in 
his line, being favorably known in town and thoughout the county, he 
commands a large trade. F. K. Knapp, Sr., was one of the pioneer 
marble 'men of the county, and was prominent among its business men 
to the time of his death, in 1874. 

E. J. KNAPP 

was born in Newburg, Orange County, New York, April 15, 1809, and 
came to St. Louis in 18 19. Learned the painting trade in all its 
branches, becoming very skillful as an ornamental painter and grainer. 
Came to St. Joseph in April 1847, ^^^ opened a shop and established a 
large and successful business, which he conducted for twenty years. In 
1875, he was elected justice of the peace, in which capacity he served 
for four years. He was never an office seeker, but believed that the 
office ought to seek the man. Six canes were made from a log of the 
old market house and given to six old citizens, one being given to Mr. 



ST. JOSEPH. 80 r 

Knapp. He was a Democrat in politics, and in religion a Catholic. 
Was married to Emily Matlett, of St. Louis, in 1838. They have nine 
children living: George M., married to Miss Eva Brown; Mary F., mar- 
ried to Wm. Hand, who died in 1868, leaving one child, Anna A.; William 
P.. married to Miss Moran; John O., Emil V., Edward J., Margaret R., 
Felix and Josephine. They lost two. Mr. K., died July 8th, 1879, leav- 
ing a devoted family and a large circle of friends to mourn his loss. 

E. R. KNAPP, 

dealer in general merchandise, was born in Strausburg, Ohio, December 
25. 1857, and is the son of Jonathan Knapp, who was a prominent attor- 
ney in the Buckeye State. When E. R. was quite young, the family 
remove to Valparaiso, Indiana, residing there several years, and he was 
also a citizen of Philadelphia, Ohio. When eighteen years of age he 
located at Chicago, and became a clerk in the grocery house of E. A. 
Woodhull. In 1876, he came to St. Joseph, established himself in trade, 
which has steadily increased, and will compare favorably with the 
majority of houses in the city. Mr. Knapp's motto is, quick sales and 
fresh goods. 

WILLIAM KNEER, 

wholesale confectioner, was born July 15, 1828, in Westphalia, Prussia, 
Germany, and emigrated to America in 1849, landing at New Orleans. 
There he remained for eight months, and then went to St. Louis, and 
afterwards to Brunswick, Missouri, where he remained nearly a year. 
He started from there with the intention of going to California, by the 
overland route. He came to St. Joseph, May 3, 185 1, and was so favor- 
ably impressed with the business appearance that he concluded to locate 
here. He soon engaged in the saddlery business, which he carried on 
for eleven years. In 1862, he started in the confectionery business, with 
the late Emil Vegely, under the firm name of Vegely & Kneer, which 
business he carried on until 1876. Then Mr. Kneer took charge of the 
business himself He married, in 1855, Miss Carolina Vegely. They 
had six children, William, Joseph, Mollie, Emma, Carrie and Johnny. 

Dr. CHAS. F. KNIGHT 

was born in Frederick County, Virginia, November 14th, 1829. He 
attended school at the Greenway Court Academy and also the Win- 
chester Academy, and read medicine with Dr. Hugh H. Maguire, of 
Winchester, Virginia, and graduated, in 1852, at the Winchester Medi- 
cal College. He practiced three years at White Post, Clark County, 
Virginia, and then, in 1855, came to St. Joseph, where he has been 
actively engaged in the duties of his profession. He has been appointed 



802 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

health officer four terms, and was for a number of years the local sur- 
geon for the Hannibal Railroad. He took a very active part in estab- 
lishing the Hospital Medical College and was elected President of its 
faculty and one of its trustees ; also professor of obstetrics and diseases 
of women and children. He has been twice married, first to Miss 
Mattie Keyes, in 1861. She died in four months. In 1864, he married 
Miss Annie M. Keyes, sister of his first wife. They have six children 
living, five sons and one daughter. Among the many physicians in the 
city, few rank higher than Dr. Knight. He is one of the oldest of the 
regular physicians and has always taken a leading position as a surgeon 
and practitioner. 

CHARLES E. KOCH. 

Mr. W. F. Koch became a resident of this city in 1856, and for a number 
of years was engaged in the hotel business, ^is son Charles E. was 
born in Prussia, Germany, September 15th, 1844, and came to America 
with his parents when ten years of age, and to St. Joseph in 1856, and 
was here educated and has since made it his home. On the 9th of June, 
1873, Miss Christena Weidman became his wife. They have five chil- 
dren : William, George, Sophia, Amelia and Harry. Mr. Koch is a 
member of the I. O. O. P., Humboldt Lodge. 

WILLIAM KOLLATZ 

was born December 22, 1834, at Oderberg, Province of Brandenburg, 
Prussia, where he was raised. In 1864 he emigrated to America and 
arrived at New York City, and from there he went to Bridgeport, Con- 
necticut, and thence to Atchison, Kansas. In 1865 he came to St. Joseph, 
where he opened a first-class restaurant and coffee house which, being 
conducted in a superb style, became much frequented, and is the most 
popular business of its kind in St. Joseph. He was married in 1865 at 
Atchison, Kansas, to Katharina Kollatz. They have three children, 
Robert, born May 16, 1861 ; Louise, born July 13, 1862 ; Lina, born 
August 25, 1869. 

WILLIAM KRUMM, 

gardener and raiser of small fruits, Section 22, post office St. Joseph, was 
born April 3, 1832, and is a native of Germany. He was there educated 
in the common and high schools, and also studied architecture. In 1848, 
he came to America, landing at Quebec, Canada, and from there went to 
Cincinnati, where he learned the bricklayer's trade. After this he trav- 
eled till 1855, working at his trade in thirty-two different states and ter- 
ritories. In 1855, he went to Quincy, Illinois, and February 16, 1857, 
was married to Miss Margaret Buff She was born in France, August 



ST. JOSEPH. 803 

19, 1834, and came to America when about two years of age. In 1863, 
they moved to Macon City, Missouri, and in a few months moved to 
Leavenworth, Kansas, and in 1867, came to St. Joseph. Since then he 
has been engaged in his present business. His lot contains twenty- 
five acres, which is improved in good style and well watered. Mr, and 
Mrs. Krumm have had nine children, seven are living, Jasper Wm.. 
Adeline L., John Wm., William H., Henry Wm., Frederick Wm. and 
Maggie. 

F. C. KUEHL, 

merchant tailor, was born March 8, 1850, in Oldenburg, Holstein. After 
having been educated at the high school at Eutin, and having learned his 
trade with his father, he left home when sixteen years of age, and went 
to Hamburg, where he was employed as a clerk in the wholesale grocery 
business. He emigrated to the United States, arriving at New York in 
1868. Soon after, he went to Chicago, and thence to St. Louis. From 
here he paid a visit to Memphis and New Orleans, and returned, but 
only to soon go to Omaha and Cheyenne. After a short stay at the 
latter place, he returned to Omaha, and in 1870, came to St. Joseph. 
Here he worked with Collatz & LaCruneril up to February 26, 1871, 
when he bought the business, and formed a partnership with Mr. Long, 
under the firm name of Kuehl & Long. July i, 1871, Mr. Long retired, 
and F. C. Kuehl carried on business alone. Having a large experience 
and good taste in selecting goods and executing his work, he deserves 
the patronage which he receives from the public. Was married April 10, 
1872, to Miss Bertha Volk. They have had five children — Heinrich, born 
September 14, 1872, died July 29, 1873 ; Heinrich, born September 2, 
1874; Friedrich, born March 26, 1875, died September 29, 1876; Fried- 
rich, born June 29, 1878; and Caroline, born June 29, 1880. 

SIMEON LaCHAPELLE, 

car inspector and repairer for the Wabash St. Louis & Pacific Railroad, 
was born July 11, 1846, in Sorel, County Richelieu, Canada, and was 
there raised and educated. For a number of years he was engaged in 
working on the lakes between Quebec, Montreal and Whitehall, and 
stood prominently among the transportation companies and boat owners 
until a serious loss befel him, his schooner and cargo being destroyed by 
fire. In 1871, he came to Missouri, locating at Brunswick, and entered 
the employ of the Wabash Company as bridge builder, and was soon 
promoted to his present position. Mr. LaChapelle is a man of superior 
workmanship, and is well respected by his fellow citizens. He was 
married in 1874 to Miss Raphel Critser, of Indiana. 



804 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ISRAEL LANDIS 

a pioneer and representative citizen of St. Joseph, was born in Lancas- 
ter County, Pennsylvania, October 17, 1808. Was one of a family of ten 
children, five of whom were sons. Clerked in the store of his father, a 
general merchant, till he was eighteen years of age, when he learned 
the trade of saddle and harness making. He determined, with that 
spirit of enterprise which has marked his course through life, to seek an 
ampler fortune in the West, and in 1833, landed in St. Louis, then a 
town of about six thousand. Here he established himself and soon 
built up a prosperous trade, continuing in the business of saddle and 
harness making for about eight years, when he sold out and purchased 
a farm, eight miles from the city, to which he removed. Continued to 
reside here till the spring of 1844, when he again made a westward 
move, landing and settling upon the site of what is now the city of St. 
Joseph. With an abiding faith in the future of his then newly adopted 
home, a faith which he has lived to see confirmed in the splendid devel- 
opment of 1 88 1, he opened a small shop. With the growth of the 
town his business increased, till from $3,000 it has reached the aggregate 
business of $30,000 per annum, and given steady employment to twenty 
or thirty men. Mr. Landis has contributed in no insignificant degree to 
building up the business portion of the city. Among others, the large 
double brick store on the corner of Fourth and Felix, now owned, and 
until recently occupied, by R. L. McDonald & Co., was built by him in 
1857- Subsequently he erected other business blocks, among which are 
included some of the best appearing of that character of buildings in the 
city. He is probably the oldest business man actively engaged in the 
state, and certainly the oldest engaged in the city of St. Joseph, having 
been forty-eight years in the former and thirty-seven years in continuous 
business in St. Joseph. His capital, when he embarked in business in 
St. Louis, was fifty dollars. His general and ultimate success in life are 
due to uniform habits of industry, economy, and a fairness of dealing, 
which has always commanded for him friends. Among other invest- 
ments, Mr. Landis was one of a company of three, which also included 
Reuben Middleton and Simeon Kemper, who laid out, for the purpose of 
a cemetery now known as Mount Mora, in the northwest corner of the 
city, a tract of twenty acres of land. This beautifully improved spot 
afterwards became, by purchase, the individual property of Mr. Landis, 
who subsequently sold it to the association who now (1881) own it. 
Israel Landis early took a lively interest in the public affairs of his town. 
He was an active member of the first city council of St. Joseph, and a 
representative Odd Fellow, contributing largely, both in time and 
means, to the erection of that splendid building, the Odd Fellows' Hall, 
on the southeast corner of Fifth and Felix Streets, which afterwards 



ST. JOSEPH. 805 

became his by purchase, and was subsequently destroyed by fire, as 
referred to in our notice of that order. He married Miss Sarah Stibbs, 
in St. Louis, May 3d, 1836. She was a native of Berkshire, England, 
and was born April 23, 1809. At the age of sixteen she came with her 
parents to the United States, settling in Brooklyn, New York, where 
she received the advantages of a finished education. In 1834, her father 
moved with his family to St. Louis, where Miss Stibbs, with her three 
sisters, established a female seminary on a superior scale, then known as 
the St. Louis Female Institute, the first school of the kind of importance 
organized in that city. She remained connected with it till her marriage 
to Mr. Landis, as above stated. On their removal to St. Joseph, Mrs. 
Landis taught the first school established in the city, a reference to 
which enterprise will be found in our chapter on schools. Mr. and Mrs. 
Landis have, from the earliest settlement of St. Joseph, taken an espe- 
cially active part in advancing the scholastic, literary and religious inter- 
ests of the city, and their efforts have been uniformly crowned with suc- 
cess. They have a family of five children living : John C, Benjamin F., 
Mary E., wife of George Connell, Anna Stibbs, wife of Dr. McDonald, 
Jr., and Lila. Colonel John Landis, the eldest of these children, served 
with distinction in the late civil war. In i86i,he left St. Joseph in com- 
mand of an independent company of infantry. He was afterwards 
appointed, by Governor Jackson, major of a battalion of artillery in the 
state service. This position he subsequently resigned and organized a 
battery of artillery in the regular Confederate service. This he com- 
manded till he was appointed chief of the Missouri division of artillery 
with the grade of lieutenant colonel. He held this rank at the siege of 
Vicksburg. He was afterwards inspector of artillery for the Department 
of the Gulf, with headquarters at Mobile, Alabama, which position he 
held till the close of the war, when he returned to St. Joseph, where he 
has since continued to reside. 

L. R. LANCASTER, 

attorney at law, was born in Fulton County, Missouri, and received his 
education at the Plattsburg school. In 1861, he enlisted as private in 
the Thirteenth Missouri Regiment, under General Peabody, and was 
promoted to first lieutenant, and had command of the company for some 
time ; was captured at Lexington, Missouri ; participated in all the 
engagements with the regiment, which, in 1864, was consolidated with 
another regiment, and from that time forward belonged to the engineer 
corps ; his time expired in 1865, and he returned home. In the spring 
of 1865, he commenced reading law under Gov. W. P. Hall, and acquired 
his knowledge by hard study and close attention to business ; was admit- 
ted to the bar in August, 1865, at St. Joseph, then went to Gallatin. 



8o6 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Daviess County, and formed a partnership with James McFarin, and 
took charge of the Torch Light, a Democratic paper, as editor. He 
came to St. Joseph in the fall of 1866 and commenced the practice of 
law ; was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court, which position 
he held until 1870, and then was appointed clerk and held the office 
until 1876. Mr. L. was married, in 1865, to Miss Kate Stuppy, a native 
of Missouri. They have been blessed with five children, four of whom 
are living. He has been doing an extensive and successful commercial 
business in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and the Northwest. Jan- 
uary 1st, 1880, Hon. E. H. Fudge was admitted as partner, and the pres- 
ent firm is known as Lancaster & Fudge. 

FREDERICK LANGTHIMM 

was born in Holstein, Germany, March 2, 1838, and came to this country 
and to St. Joseph in 1861. In June of the same year he enlisted into 
Company B, First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, and in December, 1862, 
was discharged on account of disability. After his health was restored 
he accepted a situation in the round-house of the Hannibal & St. Joseph 
Railroad, remaining in this capacity for seven years. In 1871 he com- 
menced the grocery business in Pateetown on a small scale, but by dili- 
gence and strict attention to business, soon established a fine trade, and 
was enabled to build a commodious store for his large and increasing 
business. He continued in trade until July 12, 1878, when he died. He 
married Miss Catharina Hoyadone November 20, 1864, in this city, and 
by this union they had two children, Emma D. and Alvina C. Mrs. L- 
was born in Germany, near her husband's birthplace, February 5, 1838- 
She has built a beautiful home between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, 
on Sylvania. She is educating her daughters with great care. 

WILLIAM S. LEACH, M. D., 

was born in Chenango County, New York, November 14, 1828. His 
father. Rev. Fowler Leach, was a native of Connecticut, and a minister 
of the Baptist Church. His mother's maiden name was Malinia Degrass 
Pardee. She was the daughter of Dr. Pardee, a celebrated physician of 
Paris, France. In 1800, the family moved to New York, where, twenty- 
eight years after, the subject of this sketch was born. His earlier edu- 
cation he received at St. Gabriel's, a Jesuit College at Vincennes Indiana. 
He was graduated at the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, in 1847. 
He then removed to St. Louis, Missouri, where he engaged in the practice 
of his profession till the close of the year 1848, when he started West, 
and, by chance, reached Robidoux' Landing (St. Joseph). Here he 
engaged in the practice of his profession, and, with a firm reliance on 
the future growth and ultimate importance of the place, invested his 



ST. JOSEPH. 807 

carefully accumulated means, which he to-day sees fructified into ele- 
ments of permanent and substantial wealth. In 1848, Dr. Leach was 
married to Miss Lucille A. Massey, a daughter of Captain Massey. of 
Franklin County, Missouri, and a lady of rare mental endowments, and 
elegant culture. The result of this union was four children, a son who 
was drowned in childhood, and three daughters, all married. Bon Cora, 
wife of Colonel Bradbury, of Peoria, Illinois ; Anna L., wife of John P. 
Hooper, of this city ; Helen A., wife of Charles Dinnbleby, of Peoria, 
Illinois. 

JOHN G. LEE, 

cooper, is a native of New Jersey, was born in Flemmington, September 
7, 1818, and removed to Delaware with his parents when quite young. 
His father, William, was a cooper, and John G. adopted and learned that 
trade. In 1848, he came to Quincy, Illinois, where he did a large coop- 
erage business for twenty years. In 1870, he came to St. Joseph, and 
engaged in trade. Mr. Lee is an agreeable conversationalist and a courte- 
ous gentleman. In 1840, Miss Hattie Bannar, of Wilmington, Delaware, 
became his wife. They have had twelve children, ten of whom are liv- 
ing : George, Agnes, Julia, Fannie, Annie, Magdalene, Charles, Elkana, 
John S. and Nathaniel ; lost two : E. J. and Eva. 

JOHN S. LEMON 

was born in Kentucky, August 15, 1833. He enjoyed the advantages of 
a fair education in the schools of BuUett County, and his first business 
experience was in a general store, where he was employed until 1850, at 
which period he came to St. Joseph, where he immediately embarked in 
mercantile business. After an experience of two years, he entered the 
extensive wholesale dry goods house of Powell, Levy & Co., remaining 
in the same till 1861, when the firm of Lemon, Hosea & Co., was formed. 
He continued a member of this partnership till 1871, when he pur- 
chased the interest of Mr. Hosea in the concern, and the new firm of J. 
S. Lemon & Co. was instituted. At the end of a period of two years, in 
view of ill-health, Mr. Lemon decided to retire from active business, and 
sold out his interest in the house. The two succeeding years found him 
out of active employment. In 1876, however, deeming his general health 
sufficiently improved to warrant a return to business, he became inter- 
ested in the Blue Rapids, Kansas, and St. Joseph, Missouri, woolen goods 
factories. Of the company operating them Mr. Lemon is Secretary. In 
1880, he was elected Councilman from the Second Ward, discharging 
with ability the duties of his position. January 13, 1870, he married Miss 
Anna Samuel, of St. Joseph. Of the children of this marriage there are 
(1881) living: Flora, Todd S. and Mary M. As a private citizen, in an 



8o8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

oflficial capacity, and as a business man, Mr. Lemon commands the con- 
fidence and respect of all who know him. 

JOHN L. LEONARD, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 24, postoffice St. Joseph. The suject of 
this sketch is a son of Judge S. L. Leonard, deceased, of whom mention 
is made elsewhere. He was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, May 2, 
1853, ^rid was educated in the common schools of this county, also in 
the High School of St. Joseph. His landed estate consists of 250 acres 
in this county, and about 1,000 acres in Texas. He was married 
August 29, 1876, to Miss America J. Patterson, who was born November 
13' 1853. and is a native of Illinois. They have had two children, one 
of whom is living, Solomon L. 

GEORGE LEVRICH, 

of the firm of Brown & Levrich, blacksmiths, was born in Gentry 
Country, Missouri, December 14, 185 i, and spent his early days in his 
native county, where he partially learned his trade, and also became 
proficient in the milling business. In 1875, he removed to Worth 
County, and for four years worked in a mill. In 1880, he came to St. 
Joseph, and formed a partnership with J. R. Brown. He is a live work- 
man, giving the business his entire attention. In 1872, Miss Sarah E. 
Cox, of Gentry County, became his wife. They have two children : 
Dillie and Charlie. 

JAMES H. LEWIS, 

insurance and real estate agent, was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, 
May 24th, 1834. In 1836, his father moved to Booneville, Missouri, and 
purchased 1,000 acres of land, improving a fine farm. His father was a 
cousin of the person named Lewis, who, with a Mr. Clark, first navigated 
the Missouri River and made valuable discoveries for the government. 
Young Lewis, at the age of twenty-one went into business in Tipton, 
Missouri, at that time the terminus of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, 
where he remained until 1865, when he came to this city and was 
employed by Messrs. Nave & McCord, for one year. He then estab- 
lished the insurance and real estate business, which has grown into one 
of the large and reliable agencies of the city. His reputation as an hon- 
est business man has secured to him many friends all over the county. 
He married Miss Lucy R. Hackett, in Louisa County, Virginia, Sep- 
tember 9th, 1859. They have four children: William Hackett, Nettie 
May, Lucy Rayland and Emma Theresa. 



ST. JOSEPH. 809 

C. O. LEWIS, 

proprietor of the St. Charles Hotel. One of the early settlers of Pike 
County, Missouri, was Charles Thornton Lewis, who, with his family, 
migrated from Virginia and settled near Louisiana, in 1835, residing 
until the spring of 1837, when he became a resident of Cooper County, 
landing near Boonville, and engaged in cultivating tobacco. He was 
the pioneer in that industry in the county, and so extensively was he 
interested in this product, that he was familiarly known as " Tobacco 
Lewis." He was closely identified with the development of Cooper 
County until his death, which occurred May i, 1849. The ancestors of 
the Lewises are of the family into which George Washington married. 
The subject of this sketch has in his possession traditional relics, spoons, 
books, etc., said to have belonged to Robert Douglass, of Scotland, of 
whom the Lewis family are descendants. Charles Q. was born in Char- 
lottesville, Virginia, March 6, 1826, and removed with his parents to Pike 
County, Missouri ; thence to Cooper County. He was one of the Forty- 
niners, and with a party, on the 1st of May, in that memorable year, 
crossed the state line, below Kansas City, and arrived at the mines, in 
California, August 10, making one of the best trips on record. Remained 
engaged in mining about three months very successfully, but at the cost 
of his health, which he did not fully recover for years, and returned 
home by the Panama route, arriving on the 14th of February, 1850. In 
1855, engaged in milling and merchandising at Jonesboro, Saline County 
Missouri, and was favorably known in commercial circles in that section 
for a number of years. In a business sense of the word, his enterprises 
were a success, but he met with many serious drawbacks in the form of 
floods, fire, and during the war. For several years was postmaster of 
Jonesboro. In 1865, he made a tour to Montana, and did good service 
by furnishing the steamer Twilight with fresh meat and fish, which was 
much needed on a trip of seventy days. In 1877, took up his abode in 
St. Joseph, engaging in the insurance business, and, in 1879, opened the 
St. Charles Hotel, naming it after himself, and also the street upon which 
it is located. On the 23d day of October, 1845, at Charlottesville, Virginia, 
he was married to Miss Virginia Gooch, and by this union they have five 
children living: Lillian L., Ada B., Mary M., Lizza H. and Charles O., 
Jr. Mr. Lewis has frequently been called upon to be a candidate for 
political honors. Is a Democrat, was strongly opposed to the rebellion, 
and took no part with either element. In his domestic habits, he is 
among the most social, genial and companionable men to be found. He 
is charitable in his judgments, ever seeking to put a favorable construc- 
tion upon the actions of others. His wife is one of the best and most 
noble of her sex. 



50 



8lO BIOGRAPHICAL. 

F. W. LEWIS, 

stair builder. This gentleman has attained a wide reputation for assist- 
ing his fellow mortals to get up in the world, and a person who under- 
takes to get their by Lewis' route need not stop to stare at the stairs ; 
they have been weighed but not found wanting. Mr. Lewis was born 
February 28, 1842, in Park County, Indiana. When very young he 
migrated to Carroll, thence to Tippecanoe County, where he was raised 
to manhood, educated and learned his trade. Was married to Miss 
S. C. Davis, a native of Livingston County, Missouri. They have one 
daughter: Mollie. 

ISAAC W. LINCOLN, 

of the Lincoln Manufacturing Company, inventor, patentee and sole 
proprietor of Lincoln's patent combination dough kneader, flour chest 
and sifter, is a native of Clay County, Missouri, and was born in 1829. 
In 1864, he came to St. Joseph, and for a number of years was proprietor 
of the Pacific House. In later years he has been engaged in the manu- 
facturing business, manufacturing all classes of machinery. The justly 
celebrated Lincoln dough kneader is here constructed. In the inven- 
tion of this machine, Mr. Lincoln has given to the people a long-felt 
want. It is simple in construction, easy to operate and occupies a small 
space. For it Mr. Lincoln has received testimonials from several prom- 
inent physicians in St. Joseph ; also from a large number of the leading 
ladies, not only of the city, but in other states. Ths patent is only of a 
recent issue and promises, in the near future to come upon the markets 
of the world. 

B. F. LOAN 

was born at Hardensburg, Breckinridge County, Kentucky, in 1819, and 
in 1838, removed to Missouri. He chose the law as a profession and was 
admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Buchanan County. In 
1861, when the rebellion broke out, he took an active part in military 
affairs, and was appointed Brigadier General. In 1862, he was elected 
to a seat in the Thirty-eighth Congress, and served during this term as 
a member of the joint committee on military affairs, with Wade, Chand- 
ler and Julian, and he was one of the most active members, and served 
as a member of the committee on Pacific Railroads, Freedmen, and debts 
of loyal states. He was re-elected a member of the Thirty-ninth Con- 
gress, and was his own successor in the Fortieth Congress, and was 
chairman of the committee on Revolutionary pensions, and on that of 
Freedmen's affairs. In 1869, he was appointed visitor to West Point. 
As a public spirited citizen he was ever identified with the best interests 
and substantial progress of the city. Soon after commencing the practice 



ST. JOSEPH. 8ll 

of his profession, he began to develop those natural and acquired gifts 
which made him, ere his decease, one of its foremost leaders. He rose 
rapidly, and from the first his professional work was of a high character. 
His mind was singularly clear and comprehensive, and he was noted for 
his accurate and precise methods of work. In matters of legal doubt his 
opinions had great weight with his professional brethren, for they knew 
how profound and accurate was his knowledge of law, and how clear and 
exact were his mental processes. His study was as thorough as it was 
broad, and his opinions were tenaciously adhered to when arrived at. 
He was the intimate friend and trusted adviser of many of the leading 
citizens who have contributed to bring about the commercial greatness 
of St. Joseph. At the bar, in the active exercise of his profession, he 
always attracted attention. An excellent advocate, an impressive 
speaker, his legal opponents, bearing in mind his wide and accurate 
knowledge of the law, never underestimated his strength, and the result 
was that Mr. Loan's mental weapons were ever kept bright and his ver- 
satile abilities constantly active. His reading, outside the realm of his 
profession, was very extensive, and he was a well informed student of 
history and general literature. Extremely social in his nature, he pos- 
sessed the rare gift of attracting friends and the still more rare gift of 
keeping them. A lawyer, with too high a sense of honor to urge an 
unjust cause, a moralist without fanaticism, and a careful business man, 
who recognized personal integrity as the first obligation to his associates, 
and to society, his loss is a serious one to those circles in which he was a 
wise and steadfast friend, and to the city in which for so many years he 
filled an honorable and a useful citizenship. 

LOCKWOOD, ENGLEHART & CO. 

Samuel Lockwood was born at Willow Grove, Kent County, Dela- 
ware, March 19, 1812, the fourteenth of a family of eighteen. At the 
age of fourteen, as was then the rule, was apprenticed to a hat manufac- 
turer at Frederica, Kent County, Delaware, serving seven years, and 
learning his business thoroughly. At the close of his time, he started 
for Louisville, Kentucky, but being of delicate constitution and threat- 
ened with consumption, he enlisted June 13, 1833, in the First Regiment 
of the United States Dragoons, then forming. Company C, of which Jef- 
ferson Davis was First Lieutenant, H. Dodge commanding. After three 
years' campaigning in the then wild regions of the West, the regiment 
was disbanded, and Mr. Lockwood settled at Liberty, Clay County, in 
his old business. Found the Mormons there, after being driven from 
Jackson County, a quiet, intelligent, industrious people, always to be 
relied upon. When work was wanted, always on hand. Staying but six 
months at Liberty, he went to St. Louis, Missouri, working there as a 



8l2 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

journeyman hatter until 1850, when he came to St. Joseph, with $300 in 
his pocket, a stout heart, strong arm and intelligent brain. Opened the 
first store devoted to one branch of business— hats — and year after year, 
by patient industry, laid the foundation of his fortune. About 1857, he 
commenced jobbing, and having the nerve during the troublous times of 
the war to lay in a large stock early, although mortgaging everything 
he had in the world to enable him to do so, he made money when others 
were utterly ruined. In the spring of 1868, Mr. George J. Englehart, the 
present manager of the firm, became associated with Mr. Lockwood, and 
millinery was added to the stock, Mr. E., from this time, doing the 
buying, and from 1872, when Mr. L. retired from active business, although 
he still retained his capital interest, Mr. E. has had the entire manage- 
ment of the business, one of which any city might reasonably be proud. 
Mr. E. showed something of his mettle b}' the erection last year of the 
finest finished store house in the city, the finest indeed, for the purpose 
in the state, being more complete in its details than any hat house even 
in Chicago. In July, 1868, Mr. Robert Winning, the financial manager 
and dispenser of credits, entered the employment of the firm as book- 
keeper and cashier, and has done much to place the firm in its present 
enviable position, appreciating which, t?ie firm admitted him to partner- 
ship in its profits January, 1878. Mr. J. A. Johnston, employed as a trav- 
eling salesman for eight years on the Santa Fe Railroad, was admitted 
into the firm January, 1880. This year, 1881, the firm has added gents' 
furnishing goods to their stock, employing to take charge Mr. T. H. 
Murdow, of Chicago, a gentlemen of long experience in that line. Mr. 
Englehart came to St. Joseph from Hiawatha, Kansas, in 1865, as a 
partner of the dry goods firm of Tootle, Fairleigh & Co., staying in the 
same one year. Then formed a firm in the hat business with Major S. 
A. Garth, as the firm of Englehart & Garth, in the spring of 1868. 

E. C. LOCKE. 

of the firm of Fuller & Locke, proprietors of the St. Joseph Steam Laun- 
dry. These gentlemen established their trade in the spring of 1881 and 
do the largest laundry business in the cit}'. Their successful aim is to 
give universal satisfaction. E. C. Locke is a native of Ohio and was born 
in Ravenna, September 6th, 1856, and was there educated and learned 
the art of photography. He is a nephew of Mr. Locke, who is known as 
Nasby, of the Toledo Blade. E. C. was engaged in operating photo- 
graph galleries, for several years, in the Buckeye state, and eventuall}' 
drifted out on the Pacific Slope, where he pursued the same vocation, 
until taking up his abode in St. Joseph. He married Miss L. E. Morse, 
of Aleriale, Ohio, on the 2 1st of December, 1878. They have one 
child, VM. Mr. Locke is a member of the A. O. U. W. 



ST. JOSEPH. 813 

Dr. AUGUSTUS S. LONG 

was born August 2, 1840, at Long Swamp, Berks County, Pennsylvania. 
His father, Daniel Long, was a prosperous farmer, and died a few weeks 
before his son's birth. Early training fell to a loving, intelligent mother. 
Received private instruction from William Schubert, Esq., an able 
teacher. At the age of sixteen he entered Mount Pleasant Seminary, at 
Bogerstown, Pennsylvania, and later, Union Seminary, at New Berlin, 
Union County, Pennsylvania. Commenced the study of medicine in 
1863, attended the University of Pennsylvania, Bellevue Hospital Medi- 
cal College, and Long Island College Hospital successively, graduating 
in 1865 from the latter institution ; was immediately after graduation 
appointed Resident Physician of his alma mater, serving one year. 
Came to St. Joseph, September 28, 1866, which place he has made his 
home ever since. During the location of the County Poor House in St, 
Joseph, for a period of one year, about 1870, Dr. Long was its efficient 
superintendent and physician. On the removal of the county poor to 
the present farm north of the city, he ceased to act as Superintendent of 
the same, but was continued as County Physician up to the period of his 
resignation. He has been since 1868 a member of the United States 
Pension Board, and is probably the oldest physician in this section of 
country in continuous service in that department. As a healer of 
chronic diseases Dr. Long has long enjoyed an enviable reputation in 
St. Joseph and tributary country. 

COL. JOSEPH LOOMIS, 

was born in Colebrook, New Hampshire, in August, 1826, and received 
a good common school education, and at the age of fourteen commenced 
his railroad career by shoveling snow from the track of the Boston and 
Lowell Railroad, March 4, 1840. After working steadily for two years, 
he entered the machine shop, where he mastered the trade, and then 
was appointed conductor on a passenger train, which he held until 1853. 
In that year he came West and received a position as conductor on the 
Michigan Central, where he remained two years, and then was appointed 
Depot and Train Master in the new Central Depot, on Lake Street, 
Chicago, where he remained until 1857. In 1859, ^e was appointed 
General Freight Agent on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, serv- 
ing one year; was appointed Master of Transportation. On the 4th of 
June, 1 86 1, the railroad men under his charge were formed into a regi- 
ment, and he was made Lieutenant Colonel, and remained through the 
war in charge of the railroad, and also of the regiment. In 1865, he was 
appointed Superintendent of the Quincy & Palmyra Railroad, and the 
Quincy Transportation Company. In 1868, he started the transfer 



8l4 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

boats from Blair Crossing for the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad, remain- 
ing three years. He then went to Carondelet and had charge of the 
Missouri Pacific transfer boats; in 1877, took the position of Superin- 
tendent on the Smoky Hill Division of the Kansas Pacific, and remained 
two years, finally coming to St. Joseph, in 1879. He married Nancy F. 
Watkins, in Lowell, Mass. They hav^e one adopted daughter — Julia, 
aged 16. 

WILLIAM LOVING, 

for many years a representative business man of St. Joseph, was born 
in Russelville, Logan County, Kentucky, April 8th, 1830. His father, 
Willis Loving, was a merchant and his great grandfather, William Lov- 
ing, was the founder of Lovingston, Nelson County, Virginia. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was reared and educated in his native county. He 
first engaged in the drug business in Springfield, Washington County, 
Kentucky, and afterwards in Hopkinsville. In 1855, he moved to Mis- 
souri and settled in the town of Lexington, where he was engaged in 
business about the period of a year. In the winter of i856-'57, he moved 
to St. Joseph, where he established himself in the wholesale and retail 
drug business. Notwithstanding the want of facilities, such as now 
exist, for canvassing wide extents of territory and of transporting goods 
over the same, Mr. Loving early succeeded in building up a lucrative 
w^holesale trade, in addition to his well-sustained retail business. Dur- 
ing the long period of his residence in St. Joseph, he has steadily 
advanced with the progress of the city, and has always manifested a 
lively and liberal interest in the prosperity of St. Joseph. He married, 
in 1853, Miss Susan E. Wharton, of Springfield, Kentucky. The have, 
by this marriage, a family of three children : Phoebe, William and 
Arthur. 

FRANK H. LOVEJOY, 

yardmaster of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, is a native of 
Zanesville, Ohio, and was born January 14, 1851. At an early age he 
removed to Wisconsin with his parents, his father Harry, locating with 
his family at Madison, where Frank was raised and educated. In 1869, 
he commenced railroading at Sterling, Illinois, on the R. R. I. & St. L., 
in the capacity of brakeman, remaining two and one-half years, after 
which for a time he filled the same position on the B. C. R. & N., in 
Iowa. Was next with the P. & R. I. for three years and for four years 
was in the yard at Peoria, for the Peoria and Springfield Company. 
Thence on the Hannibal and St. Joseph, and from their yard at Kansas 
City, took his present position June 11, 1881. He was married in 1873, 
to Miss Mattie E. Martin. By this union, they have two children, Alice 
and an infant. 



ST. JOSEPH. 815 

WILLIAM H. LOVE, 

proprietor of the Atlantic Hotel, is a native of Chester County, Pennsyl- 
vania, and was born in 183 1. Was deprived of his father by death when 
quite young, and his mother again married, and the family left for the 
West, when our subject was in his seventh year. Unfortunately his step- 
father was robbed of his money en route, and William and his sisters 
were left to the care of strangers. He was raised in Westmoreland 
County, Pennsylvania, and learned the millwright trade, having many 
difficulties to contend with. In 1857, he drifted westward and located 
in Plattsburg, Clinton County, Missouri ; worked at his trade, and 
erected the first steam flouring mill in the county. First visited St. 
Joseph in 1858, and in 1861, went to Nebraska, residing there until 1864, 
when he removed to Leavenworth. There he enlisted as a mechanic, 
and for a time was located at Union, New Mexico. In 1865, he came to 
St. Joseph, and engaged in the restaurant business, and in 1872, he 
opened Love's European Hotel, which was previously known as the 
Oregon House, Of this he was proprietor until 1876. For several years 
he was bridge builder on the St. Joseph and Des Moines Railroad and 
the St. Joseph and Western Railroad. May i, 1881, he assumed control 
of the Atlantic Hotel. Was married May 7, 1867, to Mrs. Jane Barnett, 
nee Gallatin. By this union they have three children — Oscar M. and 
Ada — and lost one, Arthur. Mrs. Love had two children by her first 
husband — Florence and Effie — (wife of Hon. E. J. Crowther). Mrs. Love 
died October 28, 1880. 

ROBERT LOVELL, 

car inspector for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railway. This trusted 
employe of the " Old Reliable " is favorably known on the line from the 
Missouri to the Mississippi. He is a native of England, and was born 
in London, September 26, 1830. Was there raised and learned his trade, 
after which he went to Canada, residing there several years. In 1856, he 
came to the United States, locating at Hannibal, and entered the 
employ of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Company, and for a quarter of a 
century has been in their employ. His reputation for proficiency and 
reliability is an enviable one. Was married in England, to Miss Car- 
oline Gutteridge. They have two children, Robert and Eliza, now Mrs. 
D. Lacy. Mr. Lovell is a Master Mason, and Robert is also a Mason, 
being a Knight Templar. 

ISAAC LOWER, 

farmer and stock raiser. Section 36, post office St. Joseph, was born in 
Roane County, Tennessee, June 20, 1820, and when one year of age, his 
parents moved to Granger County. In the fall of 1836, he moved to 



8l6 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Jackson County, Missouri, and in December, 1837, came to Buchanan 
County. His vocation through life has been that of a farmer. In March, 
1840, he was married to Miss Rebecca Nash, and in 1842, they moved to 
Platte County, and in the spring of 1844, to Jackson County. He 
returned to Buchanan County in 1848. His wife died in the fall of 1848, 
leaving four children, one of whom is now living, Louisa J. He was 
again married in August, 1849, to Miss Matilda Riley, of Kentucky. By 
this union they have six children, Sarah R., James K. P., Stephen A. D., 
Sarah E., Henry I. A. J. and William R. E. L. In 1861, Mr. L. moved 
to Andrew County, where he remained till 1863, when he returned to 
Buchanan County. His landed estate consists of 372 acres, his home 
farm containing 336 acres. He is a Mason, and a member of the Agency- 
Lodge No. 10, also a Chapter member. 

ALEXANDER LOZO, 

If your photo you would show. 
See that ii's from A. Lozo. 

This gentleman was born in Ogdensburg, New York, March 9, 1840, and 
at the age of ten years removed to Canada. His father, Alexander, was 
a lumber mechant. Alexander learned his profession under the tutor- 
ship of the famous Notam, one of the master artists of the province. In 
1864, he opened a studio at Belleville, and operated at different points 
until 1870, when he located in St. Joseph. His rooms are handsomely 
furnished, and in all lines of art he does a good business, embracing 
water colors, crayons, and the latest styles of photographing. 

LUCAS BROTHERS, 

show-case manufacturers. This is the only establishment of the kind in, 
St. Joseph, and their business extends over a vast area of country. Their 
cases are to be found on sale in Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota, California, 
Oregon, Wyoming, and other States and Territories. J. W. Lucas is a 
native of Highland County, Ohio ; was born in 1842, and there resided 
until August 19, 1862, when he enlisted in the Eighty-ninth Ohio Volun- 
teer Infantry, participating in many notable engagements. Fort Don- 
aldson, Chicamauga, and others. At the latter place he was takea 
prisoner, and for fourteen months his time was spent in Andersonville, 
Danville, Belle Isle, Macon, and Salsbury and several other " pens." He 
was honorably discharged in 1865. In 1866 he removed to Montgomery 
County, Iowa, residing there until 1879, when he became a resident of 
St. Joseph, engaging in his present business. Mr. C. B. Lucas was born 
in Highland County, Ohio, in 1850, and was there raised to manhood and 
resided until the autumn of 1880, when he came to this city and associ- 
ated himself with his brother. 



st. joseph. 817 

Mrs. nancy LYKINS, 

Section 26, post office St. Joseph, was born in Cooper County, Missouri, 
March 28, 1820. She received a fair education and was raised in the 
country. She married Dr. C. B. Lykins, June i, 1837. He was born in 
Indiana, February 3, 181 3. By this union they had twelve children: 
Andrew C, Mary V., Julia A., David A., John J., William C, Sarah E., 
Cynthia A., Emma V., James S., Charles R., and an infant who died 
when young. Dr. L. died July 3, 1878. By industry and economy he 
saved 160 acres of land, which is all under fence, with fair improve- 
ments and five acres of orchard. The Doctor was two years in the Fed- 
eral army. He was a Mason. Since his death his wife has been doing 
the best in her power to protect the property and raise up the family, so 
that they may be bright and shining lights in the community. 

GEO. LYON 

was born in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York, May 22, 1823, 
and lived there until twelve years of age. The following eighteen years 
were spent mostly in Albany, his native place, and Brooklyn, Long 
Island. He was raised with a mercantile experience, and continued the 
same until 1854, when he removed to Chicago and engaged in the 
lumber trade. In i860, he removed to St. Joseph, and continued the 
same business. In 1862, he was elected Treasurer of Buchanan County, 
and held the office eight years. He has also held the office of City 
Treasurer. During the late war he enlisted as a private in Company G, 
Twenty-fifth Regiment E. M. M., and was commissioned Captain. 
Since he became a resident of the county, he has been of its representa- 
tive business men, taking an active part in all things having a tendency 
to promote the interests of the city. He was the President oi the first 
agricultural exposition of any magnitude in the county. He married 
Miss Jane C. Judson March 10, 1843. She is also a native of St. Law- 
rence County, New York. They have a family of nine children, Jno. F., 
Judson, George, David and Jennie (twins), Frederick W., Horace, Arthur, 
and May. Lost one daughter, Grace. 

I. McADAMS, 

wagon maker, was born in Allen County, Kentucky, August 2, 1837, and 
when fourteen years of age, removed to this state, his father, William, 
locating in Buchanan County. In 1862, he enlisted in the Thirty-fifth 
Missouri, but owing to ill health, was honorably discharged in 1863. 
For a number of years he was a resident of Troy, Kansas, but took up 
his permanent abode in St. Joseph in 1872. He has been twice married ; 
first, in 1858, to Miss R. A. Bradshaw, who died, leaving two children — 



8l8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

G. William and I. Walker. His second wife was N. E. Godby, and by 
this union they have one daughter — Birdie May. 

JOHN McBRIDE, 

engineer on the St. Louis, Wabash & Pacific Railway. Is a native of Ayr- 
shire, Scotland, and was born September 17, 1843. Was there raised to 
manhood, educated, and commenced railroading, and for fourteen months 
was fireman on the North British Railroad. In 1870 he came to the 
United States and thence to this city, and for seven years was in the 
employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, the 
greater portion of the time as fireman. Since that time he has been 
with the present company. Mr. McBride is thoroughly familiarized with 
the details of railroading, and as an engineer has few equals. He was 
married in 1874 to Miss Margaret Priestly. They have four children, 
John, Isabelle, Mary, and Laura. 

M. J. McCABE, 

city engineer, was born in Ireland, October 25th, 183 1, and came to this 
country in 185 1, soon engaging in railroad engineering in St. Louis. In 
1861, he entered the U. S. service as Government Engineer, and remained 
in this position until 1866. In 1869, he came to St. Joseph, and, until 
1876, was engaged as a railroad engineer, which has been his life-calling. 
At that time he was elected City Engineer, and the city of St. Joseph 
owes him a debt of gratitude for the perfecting, in her midst, of one of 
the finest systems of water works in the state. His system of sewerage 
is excellent, and, altogether, the citizens of St. Joseph have cause to 
congratulate themselves upon having an ofificer competent to fill so 
important a position. He married Miss Elizabeth F. Welch, in this city, 
in 1872. They have two children : Rose and Frances. 

C. J. McCLELLAN, 

carpenter and builder, was born August 3rd, 1858, in Mercer County, 
Missouri, and when young, the family removed to Fairfield, Iowa, where 
his father, J. C, engaged in merchandising and hotel keeping. They 
subsequently returned to Missouri, locating where J. C. McC. still resides. 
Our subject learned his trade principally in Iowa. In the spring of 1879, 
he came to St. Joseph, and has since been actively engaged in his busi- 
ness. As a mechanic he will compare favorably with many of the older 
workmen. On February 24, 1881, Miss Luella Chapman, an estimable 
lady, of St. Joseph, became his wife. 



ST. JOSEPH. 819 

JAMES McCORD 

was born in Randolph County, Virginia, January 7, 1826, and came with 
his parents to Missouri, in 1836, settling first at Cape Girardeau, and after- 
wards moving to Morgan County. After his father's death, in 1839, James 
left school at the age of fourteen, and obtained a situation in a store at 
Calhoun, Henry County. His finances not admitting of any other mode of 
travel, he walked from his home to Calhoun, a distance of sixty miles. 
After remaining here three years, he went to Warsaw in 1843, and 
remained there until 1846, excepting an absence of two months. In the 
spring of 1846, he made a trip to New Orleans in the interest of his 
employers, and upon his return in June, closed his engagement and went 
to Northwest Missouri, stopping until October in Savannah. Thence he 
went to Oregon, Holt County, and in company with Abram Nave 
opened a store under the firm name of Nave & McCord. This business 
continued three years, at the expiration of which time he withdrew and 
went to New Orleans. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, 
arriving in July of that year. In the month following he went to 
Nevada City and opened a provision store. Owing to ill health, he sold 
out and returned to Sacramento City, and met D. M. Steele, who had 
just arrived from Missouri. They immediately formed a partnership for 
buying emigrant cattle and feeding them until fat. Mr. McCord's health 
not improving, he sold his interest to Mr. Steele, and returned to Savan- 
nah, in January, 185 1, and once more formed a partnership with Abram 
Nave, under the old firm name of Nave & McCord, which connection 
has been maintained in some form ever since. In January, 1852, the 
firm bought a drove of cattle for the California market. He was engaged 
in the cattle business for eight years. In 1857, in company with Mr. 
Nave, he came to St. Joseph and engaged in the wholesale aad. retail 
grocery business. In i860, they were burned out, their stock being a 
total loss, but, not discouraged, they re-established their business. The 
firm has houses in other cities doing a large business, and wherever their 
name is connected it is a synonym for success. Mr. McCord's success 
in life is due to sterling principles of truth, diligence and persevering 
application, and he affords a striking illustration of what a man can 
accomplish by concentrating his energies on one subject. He was mar- 
ried, in 1854, to Miss Mary E. Halleck, of Jessamine County, Kentucky. 

F. McCOUN, 

of the firm of F. McCoun & Co., importers and jobbers of queensware 
glassware, platedware, mirrors, lamps, etc., was born in Kentucky, May 
31, 1836, and emigrated to Missouri in 1856, locating in Andrew County, 
where he followed farming until the war broke out. He became engaged 



820 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

as salesman with V. B. Buck, wholesale boot and shoe dealer, in 1866, 
and was admitted as partner in 1870^ remaining up to June, 1877, when 
he sold out to Patterson, Noyes & Co. He then returned to Kentucky, 
remaining over two years. Since that time he has lived on his farm, 
three and one-half miles north of St. Joseph. January i, 1881, he engaged 
in his present business. September 3, 1868, he married Miss Helen M. 
Conway. She is a native of Missouri, and was born January 17, 1852. 
They have had six children : John C, born November 23, 1869 ; Cleota, 
born November 25, 1871 ; Mary E., born January 2, 1874 ; Ferdinand W., 
born June 28, 1876 ; Robert H., born September 29, 1878, and an infant 
son, born June 15, 1880. Mr. McCoun is a Mason, and member of the 
Christian Church. In August, 1861, he was arrested at his home, in Mis- 
souri, cast into prison at Savannah, and finally paroUed. He was bitterly 
opposed to secession, but this unjust arrest fired up his soul, enthused 
his Southern heart, and he enlisted in the Tenth Missouri Regiment, 
under General Price. Was in the Confederate Army four years, less one 
month, participating in every engagement in which the brigade took 
part. His mother and but one brother are still living out of a family of 
nine. Mrs. J. I. McCoun was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, December 
23, 1802. She is active, and enjoys good health. The benevolent heart 
of Mr. McCoun is always in sympathy with charitable and progressive 
enterprises. 

ROBERT McCRARY, 

cooper, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1817, and was there 
raised and learned his trade in that city. After serving his time he 
opened a shop which he operated for a number of years. Then removed 
to Ohio, remaining some time, and returned to Pittsburgh, and after a 
short sojourn located in Zanesville, Ohio. In 1866 he went to Kansas 
and took charge of the government shops at Leavenworth. After which 
he was in other places until 1875, when he became a resident of St. 
Joseph. He is a first-class mechanic, a gentleman unassuming in his 
demeanor, and popular with all who know him. 

R. L. Mcdonald 

was born near Harrisburg, Kentucky, May 19, 1832. His father was a 
farmer of that neighborhood, and here the subject of this sketch resided 
till he was nineteen years of age, when he left his home for the West, 
and settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, where he engaged as a clerk in the 
store of Donnell & Saxton. In 1853, he was received as a partner in the 
business. A short time previous to the breaking out of the civil war, he 
purchased the interest of his partners, and became sole proprietor of the 
concern, a general retail dry-goods house, then located on the corner of 



ST. JOSEPH. 821 

Fourth and Felix streets. In 1865, he associated with himself C. H. 
Buckman and F. L. McLain, and under the name and style of R. L. 
McDonald & Co., engaged in the wholesale trade. In 1867, F. L. 
McLain retired from the partnership for the purpose of engaging 
in the retail business alone. He was succeeded by George Hen- 
derson. In 1872, Colonel J. H. Dayton became a member of the 
firm. In January, 1877, Dayton and Buckman both retired from the 
partnership, and W. A. P. McDonald became a partner. Since that 
period, this gentleman and George Henderson, Jr., have composed the 
Co. of the concern. In December, 1880, the elegant structure of the 
present business house of this firm, a brick faced with cut stone, on the 
northwest corner of Fourth and Francis streets, was completed and 
occupied. This is the largest structure of the kind in the city, having a 
frontage of one hundred feet on Fourth street, running back one hundred 
and forty feet on Francis street, and is four stories high, with an 
elegantly lighted basement, opening on the grade of Francis street. 
The floor space of the entire building includes 70,000 square feet. The 
stories are of unusual height, the basement being twelve feet, the first 
floor twenty feet, the second seventeen feet, the third sixteen, and the 
fourth story twelve feet. This house, the largest west of St. Louis, dis- 
tributes its sales over twelve States and Territories, employing con- 
stantly about twenty traveling salesmen, besides the sixty or seventy 
engaged in the house. R. L. McDonald was married May 16, 1857, to 
Miss Mary A. Wilson, daughter of Gen. Robert Wilson, formerly United 
States Senator from Missouri, and niece of Armstrong Beattie, deceased. 
They have had seven children. Of these, John, Maggie, Mattie, Robert, 
Annie and Marie, survive. 

w. A. P. Mcdonald 

was born in Plattsburg, Clinton County, Missouri, August 17, 1847. 
His father, D. M. McDonald, now (188 1) a prominent lumber dealer of 
St. Joseph, soon after moved to Stewartsville, in DeKalb County, where 
he was engaged in general merchandising till the breaking out of the 
civil war, when he sold out and entered the Confederate service. The 
subject of this sketch was the third son of a family of seven children, 
four of whom are living. He completed his education in Stewartsville 
Academy, an institution presided over by Rev. W. O. H. Perry. From 
his earliest boyhood he worked in stores and was bred to mercantile 
pursuits. In early youth he also had a varied experience, acquiring a 
knowledge of several trades, among which were sign painting, printing, 
etc. He was also at one time a railroad agent and telegraph operator. 
In 1865 he was employed by R. L. McDonald & Co., now the largest 
wholesale dry goods house in St. Joseph. He was soon promoted to the 



822 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

position of entry clerk, and subsequently to that of book-keeper, which 
position he filled till 1870, when he engaged as traveling salesman, con- 
tinuing in this latter place till 1872, when he was appointed general 
salesman in the house. In 1873 he left the dry goods business, and 
engaged with the Merchants' Insurance Company. He remained gen- 
eral agent of this company for the space of four years. In 1877 he 
again associated himself as a partner in the firm of R. L. McDonald & 
Co. January, 1872, W. A. P. McDonald was married to Miss Forrestine 
Gower, daughter of Col. A. G. Gower, a prominent railroad man, and 
the builder of several roads through Buchanan County. By this mar- 
riage they have two daughters, Forrestine, aged about eight years, and 
R. L. aged seven. 

Dr. SILAS Mcdonald. 

Buchanan County, was fortunate in having among its early settlers men 
of solid worth. They contributed to that excellent reputation of the 
county of which it has ever had just cause to be proud. Of this number 
no one has contributed a larger share than Dr. McDonald. He was 
born in Washington County, Kentucky, April i8th, 181 2, and was there 
raised. After making choice of the practice of medicine as a profession, 
he attended his first course of lectures at Transylvania University, in 
1834, and his second course was at the Cincinnati Medical College, in 
1837. In 1836, he came to Missouri, and settled in Howard County, and 
in 1837 made a prospecting tour to Texas, but not liking the country, 
he returned, and made his home in this county. In January, 1838, he 
pre-empted a claim, and at the same time engaged in the active duties 
of his profession. He was the first physician to settle in what is now 
known as Buchanan County. Dr. McDonald is a man of acknowledged 
ability, as a physician, and his services as such are recognized by a host 
of appreciatory friends. His kind and sympathetic nature made him a 
welcome visitor in the sick room, and when in active practice, his calls 
were numerous and remote. He is well known throughout the county, 
and the respect shown him is as wide as his acquaintance. He has rid- 
den hundreds of miles to administer to the necessities of the poor, at all 
seasons of the year, without any expectation of compensation. Day and 
night he answered calls, regardless of the pecuniary circumstances of 
the summoner. As a man he is a genial companion, positive in his char- 
acter, and warm-hearted as a friend. Ten years ago he retired from 
active practice. Having acquired a competency, his time has been occu- 
pied with financial matters. He married Miss Sarah Donnell, October 
30th, 1839. She was born in North Carolina. She is a lady of refined 
taste and domestic habits, whose life has been devoted to making home 
happy and attractive. Their family consists of seven children : Martha 
(now Mrs. France ;) Daniel (late a banker at Forest City ;) John T., 



ST. JOSEPH. 823 

Hettie (now Mrs. Dr. Lindsay ;) William F. (also banker at Forest City ;) 
Silas (cashier State Savings Bank,) and Alexander (in college.) 

JOHN McGINTY, 

dairyman, was born in Ireland, in 1816, and when he was small his 
parents died. He was married in the fall of 1839, to Miss Ellen Short. 
By this union they had nine children, John. Patrick, Owen, William, 
Ellen, Charles, James, Barney and Kate ; four of them have died. He 
and his wife are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. McGinty emi- 
grated to America in 1853, and located in St. Louis, and there followed 
the dairy business. In 1866, he immigrated to St. Joseph, and has been 
engaged in his present business ever since. He has been crippled with 
rheumatism for sixteen years, but otherwise enjoys good health. 

J. H. McGUIRE, 

job printer, is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was educated, grad- 
uating as a compositor from the Leader office. He came to St. Joseph 
in the spring of 1871, and was in the employ of the Steam Printing Com- 
pany, until 1878, when he embarked in the job printing business. Pre- 
vious to coming to this city he was engaged in working at Rand, McNally 
& Co's, and other first class printing houses in Chicago. For artistic 
card, railway and commercial printing, his work is on an equality with 
any done in the West. 

JOSEPH McINERNY, 

proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, was born in the parish of Kilmurry 
McMahon, County Clare, Ireland, April 20, 1841, and came to this country 
in 1862, and settled in Freehold, New Jersey, where he worked in a hotel. 
In 1863, he went to Great Valley, New York, remaining there until early 
in 1864. At the beginning of the coal oil excitement he went to the oil 
regions in Pennsylvania, and worked there first in putting up machinery, 
and then at masonry till 1867, at which time he went to Meadville, Penn- 
sylvania, remaining there speculating in oil and other stocks till early in 
1869. He moved to Kent, Ohio, where he kept a billiard hall for some 
nineteen months, and then came West, settling at Rock Island, Illinois. 
Then he visited the principal towns of Iowa, Illinois and Dakota, and 
finally landed in St. Joseph, Missouri, in September, 1870, when he settled 
and bought the property now located on the corner of Mitchell Avenue 
and Tenth Street, then an open prairie. He purchased of Milton Tootle 
the property he still owns, on which stands the Commercial Hotel. Was 
married to Miss Mary Kelly, in Davenport, Iowa, October 3, 187 1. They 
have two children living. Mr. Mclnerny attended school in Ireland with 



824 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

the lady who is now his wife. They had not seen each other for fourteen 
years, when they accidentally met in Davenport. Mr. McI. keeps an 
excellent house, and enjoys great personal popularity. For several years 
has been elected Alderman of his ward, a position the duties of which 
he discharged acceptably. Is President of the Land League of St. Joseph, 
and is notably active and liberal in all church and school enterprises. 
He is a Catholic and a Democrats 

PATRICK McINTIRE. 

County Judge, was born in County Linford, Ireland, May 15, 1833, and 
came to this country in 1849, stopping in Coldspring, New York, where he 
learned the grading business. In 1854, he came to Grand Rapids, Mich- 
igan, and remained for nine years, following his vocation. He married 
Miss Catherine Shaughnesey while there, and came to St. Joseph, in 1863, 
where he worked at his trade, and has done more, perhaps, than any 
other man, to level down the hills, fill up the valleys, grade the streets, 
and ornament them by setting trees, etc. His work has not been 
entirely confined to the city, for he has done many large jobs in the 
country. Among his more important works were, the grading of the 
court house site, the cathedral lot, and some of the largest blocks in the 
city. He has also done much railroad grading. He graded the fair 
ground track, and does all kinds of work in his line. He was elected 
County Judge in 1880, and no man on the Board takes a deeper interest 
in the welfare of the county, and attends to its business with more zeal 
and good common sense, than does Judge Mclntire. He is a devoted 
Catholic, and a Democrat, always taking a lively interest in building up 
church and school interests. 

J. H. McMACHEN 

is a prominent architect and builder, and is a native of Baltimore, 
Maryland, where he was born July 23, 18 18. He was there raised, edu- 
cated and learned his trade. Our subject, for eleven years, was in the 
employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway, and constructed all the depot 
buildings on the line, including the depot at Washington, District Col- 
umbia, Camden depot at Baltimore, and also the first iron bridge on the 
road. In 1856 he came West and took up his abode in St. Joseph, and 
has been actively engaged at his trade since. Among the first buildings 
he worked on in the city were the Patee and Pacific Houses. Mr. 
McMachen has been twice married ; first, to Miss Mar}- Murry, of Mary- 
land. She died, leaving one son, J. Robert, and he was married the sec- 
ond time to Mrs. Christena C. Parsons, nee Shotts. By this union they have 
four children, John Robert, Samuel D., Harry E., and Benjamin. Mrs. 
McMachen by her first husband has a daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. McMa- 



ST. JOSEPH. 825 

chen belongs to the Encampment I. O. O. F., King Hill Lodge, No. 19. 
Has been an Odd Fellow forty-two years. For a number of years he 
was Deputy Grand Master. 

W. B. McNUTT, 

Cliief of the Fire Department, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, April 
22, 1838, and came to this country in 1848, and with his father's family 
settled in Philadelphia, Pa. He there learned the bookbinding trade, 
and then went to Cincinnati and worked at it two years, and in 1857 
came to this city and started the first bookbindery. He is still carrying 
on the business, in connection with one of the largest establishments in 
the city. He married Mollie Elder in this city in 1861. They have one 
child, Libbion Florence; lost one. McNutt has seen much of the substan- 
tial improvements, and has established a reputation as a first-class 
workman and a reliable business man that few enjoy. He has always 
taken an active interest in the Fire Department, was among the first to 
•organize a company in 1874, was elected Chief Engineer of the Depart- 
ment, and held the position for six years. 

J. J. McPOLAND, 

carriage manufacturer, was born February 24, 1852, in Dubuque, Iowa, 
and was there raised, educated and graduated in the carriage works of 
Tom Connelly. He resided principally in the Key City until 1877, when 
he came West, taking up his abode in St. Joseph. He worked for a time 
as a journeyman, and then branched into trade, and is one of the best 
workmen in the state, and the firm of McPoland & Farrell, is rapidly 
coming to the front. 

J. C. MACSPADDEN, 

sole agent for the light running Domestic sewing machine, one of the 
representative sewing machine agents of Buchanan County, is our sub- 
ject. He is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was born January 
13, 1850. At an early age he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, with his 
parents, where he was raised and educated, graduating in the High 
School of that city, His father, John MacSpadden, was well known in 
Cleveland as a contractor and painter. In 1869, J. C. moved to Kansas, 
and engaged in the sewing machine business at Lawrence, Leavenworth 
and Atchison, and was state agent for the Wheeler & Wilson Company. 
In 1877, he took up his abode in St. Joseph. He is a practical sewing 
machine man, and does a large and increasing business. He has the 
agency for several machines, but makes a specialty of the light running 
Domestic, which he considers superior to all others. He also carries a 
complete line of supplies, patterns, etc. In 1875, Miss Rosa Amann, a 



826 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

native of Canada, became his wife. They have two children, Volney C, 
and Marie R. 

JACOB MADINGER 

was born February lo, 1822, at Strempfelbach, Germany, and left his 
birthplace, when fourteen years old, with his uncle, who was on a visit 
from America, and came with him, in 1836, to Louisville, Kentucky. 
There he served his apprenticeship as butcher, for two years, and was 
also employed for twelve years. He came to St. Joseph in 1850, where 
he commenced his business, which he carried on very successfully for 
six yeaKs, when he sold out. He retired from business, bought twenty 
acres of land, and commenced to become a wine grower, and was the 
first in this city. By his example he has animated others to follow, and 
has done much for St. Joseph. In acknowledgement of his merits, he 
was elected President of the Horticultural Society, of St. Joseph, and 
Vice President of the State Horticultural Society, of Missouri. In 1848, 
at Louisville, he was married to Miss Rosine Jant. 

GEORGE R. MANN, 

of the firm of Eckel & Mann, architects. One who has attained a wide 
and well merited reputation in this important art, is George R. Mann, 
Avho was born in Elkhart County, Indiana, July 22, 1854. There he 
resided until he attained his thirteenth year, receiving the benefits of 
the common schools, after which for three years he studied architecture, 
in Indianapolis, and also for four years at the School of Technology, in 
Boston. From this he graduated with high honors, taking all the prizes 
in the different classes, and the premium at the Centennial for the finest 
designs. He located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and after completing 
his studies, he remained two years, after which he was employed in 
Detroit and Washington, D. C, and other cities, as draughtsman. In 
October, 1879, he took up his abode in St. Joseph. Among the many 
specimens of his skill are the edifices of Tootle, Hosea & Co.'s, Turner, 
Frazer & Co.'s and R. L. McDonald & Co.'s stores, and J. G. Englehart's 
and A. N. Schuster's residences, the Union Depot, also the Court House 
and Jail of Nodaway County, and the Union Depot at Hannibal. 

S. H. MANLY, 

of the firm of Manly & Gray, carpenters and builders, was born in Cum- 
berland County, Pennsylvania, August 2nd, 1822, and when seven years 
of age, removed, with his parents, to Wayne County, Ohio, where his 
father, John, engaged in agricultural pursuits. S. H. spent his early life 
in farming in Wayne County, and there resided until 1866, when he 
came to St. Joseph. He is a natural mechanic, and this combined with 



ST. JOSEPH. 827 

close application, has made him among the foremost of the craft. For 
over three years he was foreman for R. K. Allen. He was married, in 
1867, to Miss Sarah J. Hunt. By this union they have had three chil- 
dren : Samuel B. and Lillie Maud, living, and Franklin, deceased. 

Rev. CHARLES MARTIN, M. D., 

Principal of the Young Ladies' Institute, was born in Montgomery 
County, Pennsylvania, in January, 1812. He received a good academic 
education, and studied medicine with his father, Dr. Geo. Martin ; also 
attended medical lectures at the University of Pennsylvania, where he 
was graduated in 1833. He practiced medicine exclusively for only 
about a year, yet he has been obliged to prescribe for his friends, more 
or less, ever since. In 1836, he entered upon the work of the ministry, 
in the Lutheran Church. In 1857, he became principal of the Luther- 
ville Female Seminary, near Baltimore, Maryland. In 1859, he estab- 
lished the Collegiate Institute, at Warren, Illinois. In 1865, he became 
principal of the Hagerstown, Md., Female Seminary. Here he remained 
until he came to St. Joseph, in 1869, where, in September of the same year, 
he established the Young Ladies' Institute, a school of recognized merit 
and increasing popularity. The Doctor desires this to be the crowning 
masterpiece of his life work. He contemplates making large additions 
to the present buildings, and fitting them up in first-class style, to 
accommodate the increasing patronage of the institution. His first wife 
was Miss Eliza Carlton, of Maryland. By this marriage they had four 
children : George T., Elizabeth and Charles E., and Emma V., who died 
in 1833. Mrs. M. died in 1846. In 1865, he married Miss L. C. Robin- 
son, of Easton, Maryland. They have three children : Maggie R., 
Martina W. and Endora L. 

GEORGE W. MARLOW, 

proprietor of the Elephant Boot and Shoe Store, in St. Joseph, is a 
native of Loudoun County, Virginia, where he spent his boyhood's days. 
In 1869 he went West and settled in St. Joseph, where he embarked in 
the boot and shoe trade, locating on the north side of Market Square, 
where he remained till 1875, when he moved to his present location on 
Felix Street. Mr. Marlow has always borne the reputation of an enter- 
prising and honorable merchant. His business in St. Joseph proved a 
success from the start, and no retail house in the Northwest keeps a 
larger or more varied stock in his line. Every floor of the three-story 
building he occupies is filled with goods. His brother, Mr. John Mar- 
low, a courteous and affable gentlemen, is the leading salesman of the 
establishment. 



828 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

DESIRE MARECHAL, 

of the firm of Marechal & Son. proprietors of the Valley commission 
house, and dealers in baled hay. corn, oats, etc., is a native of France' 
and was born November 13. 1826. Was there raised and educated, and 
served an apprenticeship to the brick and stone mason trade. In 1857. 
he came to America, and for a time was a resident of Wisconsin and 
Illinois, locating in St. Joseph in 1863. After a short sojourn he went to 
Montgomery Count}-, engaging in trade for a time, when he again 
became a resident of St. Joseph. For a time he operated a feed mill on 
Frederick Avenue, previous to engaging in his present business. He is 
a worthy and honorable citizen. Was married, July 8th, 1848, to Miss 
Erenstine Rusel. They have a family of four children: Emeiale, Elish., 
Sarah and Theophelis. Himself and family are closely identified with the 
Baptist Church. 

JOSEPH T. MARTIN, 

foreman of the St. Joseph Planing Mill, is a native of Maryland, and 
was born in Emmettsburgh, July 31, 1846. He there spent his youthful 
days, and resided, until the breaking out of the rebellion, when he ten- 
dered his services to the Confederate cause, enlisting in the Second 
Maryland Battalion, and served until the close of the war, participating 
in many stirring events, among which were the second battle of Bull 
Run and Antietam ; was three times wounded, once severely, and was 
taken prisoner at Petersburg, and held two months at Point Lookout. 
In 1865, he came West, taking up his abode in this city, and entered the 
St. Joseph Planing Mill. Being a man of mechanical inclination, he 
rapidly progressed, and in about two years was placed as foreman. The 
duties of this responsible position he has since faithfully discharged. 
Mr. Martin, in scroll work and ornamental designs, of which he makes a 
specialty, has but few equals. A large amount of this class of work, 
u^hich ornaments many of the imposing structures of St. Joseph, and 
throughout the Northwest, are specimens of his skill. He is esteemed 
by a large circle of acquaintances. 

S. M. MARKLE, 

real estate agent. Few citizens of St. Joseph ha\-e attained such a wide- 
spread and richU' deserved reputation at home and in Europe than 
Major Markle. He is a native of Butler County, Ohio, and was born 
July 15, 1830. He graduated at the Miami University, in Oxford, 
attending the same period that Ben Harrison, and other, now promi- 
nent, officials were preparing for the vo\'age of life. At the breaking 
out of the rebellion we find him in the field as First Lieutenant of the 



ST. JOSEPH. 829 

Forty-seventh Ohio ; after a time he recruited and became Major of the 
Sixty-ninth. During his term of active duty he was at Pittsburg Land- 
ing and many other notable events. During the latter part of the war 
he was inspector of provisions at Cincinnati. In the spring of 1866 Mr. 
M. came to St. Joseph, engaging in the real estate and government 
claim business. He was railroad commissioner for the Denver Railway, 
and made the first sale of their land. In 1872, in company with Moses 
S. Beach, of New York, he purchased one hundred and four thousand 
acres of timber land in Arkansas, one of the heaviest transactions in 
real estate on record, and it must be conceded that it was a venture of 
more than ordinary consequence. The panic of 1873 coming on so 
affected the money market that they were obliged to keep it all entirely 
on their hands. They engaged in getting out large amounts of black 
walnut timber, and exported it to Europe, and latterly have been sup- 
plying the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company 
with enormous amounts of material. Mr. Markle made three trips to 
Europe to make a sale of this vast domain to foreign capitalists, the first 
time remaining a year, the second time six months, and the last time a 
shorter period. He negotiated with the moneyed men of London and 
Glasgow, and several times was on the eve of effecting a sale, when 
some trifling technicality would arise and retard its progress. However, 
property is becoming more valuable, and in the near future will hand- 
somely compensate the gentlemen for their venture. Mr. Markle has 
been twice married, first, in 1852, to Mary R. Give, who died, leaving 
two children, Charlie and Effie. He was again married in 1867 to Miss 
Lucy G. Give, and by this marriage they have four children, Frank, 
Willie, Jennie, and Miner. 

CHRISTIAN MAST, 

Revenue Collector, was born October 8, 1836, in the Province of Wur- 
temberg, Germany, and in 1842, moved to Attenstaig, Province of Nagold, 
where he was raised. In 1852, he emigrated to America, and went 
to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he learned the trade of printer, and 
remained five years. In 1857, he came to St. Joseph, remaining with his 
brother, Charles Mast, for six months, and in 1858 enlisted in the 
United States regular army, and took part with his regiment, under the 
command of General Albert Sidney Johnson, in the Utah campaign. At 
the outbreak of the civil war he returned with his regiment, and joined 
the army of the Potomac, and served up to 1864, when, being honorably 
discharged, he returned to St. Joseph, and engaged in the ice business, 
which he carried on successfully, and is now President of the St. Joseph 
Ice Company. September t, 1875, he was appointed Deputy Collector 
of the Sixth District of Missouri, which position he still holds. Was 



830 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

married, June 30, 1868, to Miss Augusta Figge, of Waldick, Germany. 
They have four children: Fritz, born May 3, 1869; Ida, born June i, 
1871; Josephine, born September 10, 1873; Oscar, born September 11, 
1875. 

MAYERS & BENNETT, 

dealers in boots and shoes, 415 Felix Street. Among those who occupy a 
conspicuous place in the city's commercial circles and have contributed 
a full share towards its reputation, is the above firm. Mr. C. F. Mayers, 
the senior member, is a native of Switzerland, where he was born in 
1820. He is of German and Swiss lineage, and was raised and learned 
the watchmaking trade in his native country. In 1848, he came to Amer- 
ica, and for ten years pursued his vocation as a jeweler, in the city of 
New York, after which he came west, and until 1870 was engaged in 
various pursuits in Colorado and other parts of the distant west. In that 
year he came to St. Joseph, where he has since been a resident, engaged 
in the boot and shoe trade. He is a man of clear judgment, quick com- 
prehension, and a close applicant to his business details. The boot and 
shoe house of Mayers & B. is well stocked with a line of superior goods, 
and their trade lucrative and steadily on the increase. They are repre- 
sentative gentlemen of the truest type and well merit their success. 

HENRY MAYER, 

bridge builder, house mover and contractor, was born in Sheboygan 
County, Wisconsin, September 7, 185 1, and was there reared and learned 
the carpenter's trade. His father, Joseph, was an agriculturist, and Henry 
spent his early days on the farm. In 1869, he came to St. Joseph. Is 
well known throughout Buchanan County, and has attained an enviable 
reputation. Was married in 1873, to Miss Maria Riter, of St. Joseph, 
daughter ol Joseph Riter, one of the old settlers in the county. They 
have three children by this union — Edward, Albert J. and Josephine M. 
Himself and family are members of the Catholic Church, and he belongs 
to the St. Francis Society. 

JOHN MEDLEY, 

salesman for W. J. Swope, was born in Madison County, Virginia, Decem- 
ber 27, 18 19, and at an early age removed with his parents to Missis- 
sippi, where he was educated and reared. His father, M. B. Medley, was 
a native of Madison County, Virginia,, and for thirt)'-eight years was a 
resident of the old homestead where he was born. In 1856, our subject 
came to Missouri, locating in Platte Count)', and residing there until 
1863, when he took up his abode in St. Joseph. Mr. Medley has lost two 



ST. JOSEPH. 831 

wives, the first was Miss Caledonia Adkins, and the second Miss Mary 
Byrne. By his first marriage he has one daughter, Mary. He traces his 
lineage to English extraction, and is possesed to a large degree with 
an appreciative intellect. 

GEORGE MEIERHOFFER, ' 

a native of Booneville, Missouri, and was born September 7, 1852. He 
•was there raised, and learned his trade of his father, Jacob, who was the 
pioneer cooper of that town. George remained at home until 1869, when 
he came to St. Joseph, and, until 1875, worked as journeyman, when he 
established himself in trade, in a small way. It has been on the increase, 
until at present it reaches out in the distance. West and Northwest, 
proportionately. May 7, 1876, he married Louisa Hervvig. They have 
three children : Nettie, Lena, and an infant. He is a member of the 
German Benevolent Society. 



C. A. MERRILL 



engineer on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, was born in Andro- 
scoggin County, Maine, December i, 1842, and was there brought up and 
educated. At the breaking out of the rebellion, in 1861, he displayed 
that patriotism characteristic of his native state, by enlisting in the three 
months' call, and served until the close of the war. He participated in 
the first battle of Bull Run, was in the first expedition to the gulf, and at 
the capture of New Orleans, the bombardment of Fort Phillip, and also 
with General Banks on his famous Red River expedition. Participated 
in all the principal engagemeuts in the Shenandoah Valley and the 
majority of the hard-fought battles of the rebellion. Passing through 
the usual routine of promotion, he was mustered out as a Second Lieu- 
tenant. He received seven wounds, some of which were painful, but 
none serious. He had two brothers, also in the service— David V. and 
Josephs. The former was a Sergeant, and was killed at the battle of 
Mount Bermuda. Joseph S. was a First Lieutenant, and was discharged 
before the close of the war on account of wounds received while dis- 
charging his duty, from the effects of which he died soon after returning 
home. Mr. Merrill did his part towards suppressing the rebellion, and 
as a testimonial. Governor Joshua Chamberlain, of Maine, presented him 
with a memorial, signed by the members of the Legislature, for merito- 
rious conduct and bravery. In 1867, he came West, locating at Hanni- 
bal, and engaged on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in the bridge 
department. Being a carpenter by trade, was soon superintendent of 
bridges, and continued in this line of work for several years, after which 
he went in the train service, remaining until 1875, when he became assist- 



832 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ant yard master with the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs 
Railroad Company in St. Joseph, holding this position until April, 1881, 
Was married December 24, 1868, to Miss Josie A., daughter of Hon. John 
B. Lewis, of Hannibal, Missouri, her father being a prominent attorney 
of that city. By this union they have one daughter — Lurah A. Mr. M, 
is a member of the I. O. O. F. Encampment, and the K. of P., Apollo- 
Lodge, Hannibal. 

JAMES A. MILLAN, 

Recorder of Deeds, was born in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky, 
April 20th, 1826, and came to Marion County, Missouri, in 183 1. He 
received a good common school education in his own town, and when 
sixteen he was apprenticed to Jacob Sosey, editor of the Palmyra Spec- 
tator, where he learned the printing trade. At the age of nineteen he 
went to Columbia, Missouri, and took charge of the Missouri Statesman^ 
as foreman. In this position he remained five years, when he became one 
of the proprietors of the Missouri Sentinel, at that place. In 1852, he 
sold out the paper, and in 1853, came to St. Joseph, where he commenced 
the publication of the Commercial Ciycle. After publishing two years, 
he sold his paper, and in 1854, embarked in the dry goods trade, locat- 
ing on Second Street. This was the first exclusive dry goods store 
opened in the city. In 1856, he sold out and opened a job printing; 
office, the first established in the city. Frank M. Posegate, who had 
formerly learned the printer's trade with him, was a partner in the bus- 
iness. He continued to run the job press until 1865, when he sold out 
and established the St. Joseph Vindicator, which he published for sev- 
eral years. After disposing of this, in 1875, he was appointed City 
Assessor for two years. In 1879, he was elected Recorder of Deeds for 
the county. He married Miss Mary E. Barnett, daughter of the Rev. 
Wm. Barnett, then of Pike County, Missouri, in October, 1852. They have 
four children living: Edward A., Wm. R., Mary E. and Louise W. By 
his energy, enterprise and uniform kindness and just dealing toward all, 
Mr. Millan, in every position in which he has been placed, has secured 
the peoples' confidence and earned for himself an enviable reputation, 

MILLER & TURNER, 

proprietors of grocery and meat market. Mr. 'Turner establi-shed a meat 
market at this point in February, 1877. The above firm was formed 
April I, 1 88 1, continuing the meat market and adding a choice line of 
fresh family groceries, consisting of sugar, tea, coffee, spices, canned 
goods, bottled goods, vegetables, etc. It is their aim to keep every- 
thing in season, and sell to their many kind patrons on close margins. 
They also have a fine line of tobacco and choice cigars. They pay the 



ST. JOSEPH. 833 

highest price for choice butter and fresh eggs. Full weight and meas- 
ure is their motto. Mr. Miller was born in Germany, and emigrated to 
America in 1854, locating in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1858, he moved to 
Palermo, Kansas, and located permanently in St. Joseph in 1876. Mar- 
ried Miss Ellen J. Smith, in March, 1861. They have four children, all 
living. He is a Mason and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. 
Turner was born in Illinois in 1847, and came to St. Joseph in 1866. In 
the spring of 1870, he moved to Kansas, returning to St. Joseph in 1876. 
He was born and raised on a farm. Was married June 23, 1873, to Miss 
Jane D. Vermillion, a native of New York. They had two children, one 
of whom died in January, 1880. Mr. T. has seen many ups and downs 
in life but is well satisfied with his condition. 

GIDEON MILES, 

carriage manufacturer, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1839, ^^1^1 
was reared and educated in the Buckeye State. In 1863, he came West, 
and located in St. Joseph in 1869. In 1866, he was married to Mary E. 
White. They have two children, Gideon L. and Mamie E. Mr. Miles 
is a Mason and one of the popular citizens of the city. 

E. F. MITCHELL, 

proprietor of livery, feed and sale stable, one of the leading horse fan- 
ciers of Buchanan County, and one of St. Joseph's sterling business men, 
is our subject. He is a native of Bureau County, Illinois, and was born 
January 28, 185 1, and was there reared. He traces his ancestry to English 
extraction. When our subject attained his eighteenth year, he migrated 
to Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa, engaging in the stock trade, which 
he continued there, for a time, and at other points, up to 1879, when he 
located in St. Joseph. His stable is one of the finest in all its appoint- 
ments to be found in the county, and Mr. Mitchell's genial qualities 
makes it quite a popular trading market. In 1874, he was married to 
Miss Mattie Johnson, of Fairfield, Iowa. They have two children : Fred, 
and Herbert. Mr. M. is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

F. L. MITCHELL, 

photographer, was born in Embden, Maine, September i, 1840, and 
when very young, drifted Westward, locating in Chicago. His father^ 
D. D., was a mill-wright, and saw mill man, and during later years was 
well known on the Mississippi. He was head sawyer for a time in a mill 
at Davenport, and F. L., when a boy, worked in this mill, and sawed a 
large portion of the timber for the Rock Island bridge. He resided at 
different periods in Ouincy and Keokuk, and at the latter place learned 



834 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

photographing, and conducted a gallery. In i860, he came to St. Joseph, 
and opened a gallery, which he conducted for a considerable length of 
time. During the war he went South, and was commissiond First Lieu- 
tenant of the First Tennessee militia, and acted as Captain. After the 
war he returned to St. Joseph, where he has since been in trade. Mr. 
Mitchell is an inventive genius, and among the various inventions he has 
placed before the public is a washing machine, a fire grate and a fire 
escape. The latter is so constructed as to be easily operated, and in 
case of fire in a three or four story building, would prove invaluable in 
life saving. It is highly indorsed by firemen. He has been a life-long 
worker in the temperance cause, and is a member of the I. 0- ofG- T, 

JAMES MITCHELL, 

Justice of the Peace, was born in Ireland, and in 1840 emigrated to 
America, locating in New York City. He had a good education in Ire- 
land. pWas married to Miss Kate Mitchell in 1869, and by her had two 
children, both living. Mr. Mitchell left New York in 1857 for St. Louis. 
He served as book-keeper during his stay in that city, and in 1868 emi- 
grated to St. Joseph and engaged in the book business. In 1873 he 
became Deputy City Recorder, and in November, 1878, was elected Jus- 
tice of the Peace, and has held that important and responsible office 
•ever since. He is a member of the Catholic Church. While in New 
York the 'Squire, in connection with Thomas Dorsey McGee, published 
the American Celt from 1853 to 1857. The subject of this sketch has a 
table in his office that was used in the Court House at Sparta. 

RICHARD MOORE, 

carpenter ; was born in England January 14, 1836, where he enjoyed the 
advantages of a moderate education. He emigrated to America in 185 1, 
landing in Cleveland, Ohio, from which place he went to Mt. Vernon, 
and thence to Kansas, where he remained for three years. He after- 
wards explored Montana and returned to Missouri in the fall of 1859; 
has followed carpentering ever since. He married Mary Spearman, a 
native of England, and they had one child, Frank A. Mrs. M. died in 
1857. Mr. Moore married in 1859 Mattie Pickard, also a native of Eng- 
land. By this union they have five children, P'red, Harry, Nelly, and 
Stephen. Mr. Moore's second wife died April 6, 1876. He enlisted in 
the Thirteenth Kansas Regiment, Company A, for three years, and 
returned home safe and sound. He is an Odd Fellow. Has been suc- 
.cessful in life, and owns the house and lot where he lives. 



ST. JOSEPH. 835 

THOMAS D. MOORE, 

proprietor of sale and feed stable, is a native of Jefferson County, West 
Virginia, and was born March 18, 1830. In 1856, he came to Missouri, 
locating on Grand River, Daviess County, and engaged in farming until 
1869. From that time, resided at different points until 1880, when he 
became a resident of St. Joseph. Mr. Moore is a steady going, unas- 
suming man, and is respected by all who have his acquaintance. In 
1858, he was married to Miss A. B. Terrill. They have one son, Wil- 
liam F. 

GEORGE W. MORRIS, 

contractor and builder, is a native of Ohio, and was born March 25, 1833. 
Was there reared, educated and became proficient in brick masonry. 
He lived in Illinois for a few years, and in 1856, came to St. Joseph, and 
has since been a resident, with the exception of four years spent in the far 
West. Mr. Morris has erected many of the attractive and substantial 
buildings in St. Joseph, and has a good record as a contractor and 
builder. He was ^married in i860, to Miss Maggie Dillan. They have 
three children, Charlie, Allie and Harry. Mr. M. is an Encampment 
member of the I. O. O. F. 

WILLIAM MORRISON, 

of the firm of Fredericks & Morrison, contractors and builders, was 
born in Wilmington, Delaware, November 24, 1833, and was reared on a 
farm. When sixteen years of age commenced to learn the bricklayer's 
trade in Philadelphia, remaining there several years, after which he went 
to St. Paul, Minnesota, and there made his home for two years. In the 
spring of 1858 he took up his residence in St. Joseph. His first work in 
the town was on the old Court House ; also worked on the Patee House. 
During the war he was engaged in railroading, and for a time was 
located at Denver, Colorado. He has been contractor of many leading 
buildings in this city, and also done a large amount of building in Iowa, 
Nebraska, and other States. Mr. Morrison has been twice married ; 
first, in i860, to Miss Mary Turner. By this union they had two child- 
ren, Mary Agnes and John. Mrs. Morrison died in 1867. In 1872 Mrs. 
Liddie Southerland became his wife. Mr. M. is a Master Mason. 

CHARLES MOREHEAD, 

engineer on the St. Joseph & Western Railway, is a native of Campbell 
County, Kentucky, and was born April 8, 1842. His father, W. C, was 
a cooper by trade, and immigrated, with his family, to Quincy, Illinois, 
when Charles was quite young. When twelve years of age he com- 



836 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

menced to learn engineering on the Mississippi River, in which he 
became quite proficient, and this he followed for a number of years. In 
1865, he came to St. Joseph, and was engineer on the ferry for a time. 
In 1867, he was on the packet line between St. Joseph and Omaha. In 
1868, was captain on the ferry at Brownsville, Nebraska, and in 1869 
was on the steamer Thompson Dean, as engineer, plying between St. 
Louis and New Orleans. Mr. M. commenced railroading in 1870 on the 
M. I, & M., at Alexandria, Missouri, and in 1872, returned to St. Joseph^ 
and was on the transfer until 1873, when he went in the employ of the 
St. Joseph & Denver Railroad. He is an accomplished and e.\perienced 
engineer, and is held in high esteem by his employers. In 1868, Miss 
Gertude Spalsbury became his wife. They have one son, Harry. Mr. 
M. is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. 

JOHN L. MOTTER, 

railroad builder, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, in 1831, and 
graduated from the Marshall College, Pennsylvania. He emigrated to- 
St. Joseph, Missouri, in July, 1856. Was married to Miss Helen M. Dun- 
lap, in 1855, she being the daughter of Hon. John Dunlap, a member of 
the State Senate. By this union they had five children, all living. Mr. 
Motter has been engaged in manufacturing, general merchandising, saw 
milling and railroading. He is a Mason and member of the Episcopal 
Church. He was a member of the Kansas Legislature in 1875. Mr. 
Motter was founder, President and Manager of the St. Joseph Glucose 
Works. He built the St. Joseph and Topeka Railroad, which was after- 
wards taken up, and he also built the St. Joseph and Des Moines Narrow 
Gauge Railroad to Albany. Was President and General Manager of 
this road, which was afterwards sold to the Chicago, Burlington and 
Quincy Railroad Company, by whom he was retained as Manager. 

JOHN MUEHLEISEN, 

of the firm of Muehleisen & Co., lumber merchants, was born in Wur- 
temberg, Germany, January 2, 1839, and came to America in 1855. locat- 
ing in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1861, he enlisted in Company P., Nine- 
teenth V'olunteer Infantry, and passed through the usual routine of pro- 
motions, being mustered out as First Lieutenant. He participated at 
the long engagement at Petersburg, and many other notable events of 
the rebellion, and was three times wounded, once seriously, by a piece of 
a shell. He defended the Union cause faithfully until the close of the 
war, when he was honorably discharged. Returning to Racine, he soon 
after located in St. Joseph, and became an employe in the lumber firm 
of Bell & Lowell, and remained with them and their successors, for 



ST. JOSEPH. 837 

eleven years. In the spring of 1881, the present firm was organized, 
which comprises Mr. M., J. L. Unangst and M. Lillig. Our subject occu- 
pies a front rank among the St. Joseph business men, and is well known 
throughout the Northwest. He was married in 1864, to Miss Christena 
Gress. By this union they have three children, Flora, Minnie and 
Stella. 

CHARLES MURRAY, 

engineer on the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad, is a 
native of Zanesville, Ohio, and was born December 9th, 1849; was there 
reared and educated and commenced railroading on the Baltimore and 
Ohio, in the capacity of fireman, in 1867. In 1868, he went on the west- 
ern division of the Chicago and Northwestern, remaining for a time ; 
thence on the Hannibal and St. Joseph, as fireman, after which we find 
him in the same position on the Missouri River, Fort Scott and Gulf; 
here he remained five months, and served as fireman until April 3rd, 
1872. April 17th, 1872, he accepted the situation of fireman on the Iron 
Mountain Road, remaining until October loth, 1874, the latter part of 
this time being engineer. He next was on the Cairo and Fulton ; thence 
on the Mississippi Central, after which, for a few years, was on the 
Texas, International and Great Northern, and on the 28th of March, 1878, 
accepted his present position. He has had a wide experience in rail- 
roading, and is among the most trusted employees of the road. He is a 
member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. 

E. D. NASH, 

grain dealer, and proprietor of St. Joseph Elevator No. i. One of the 
most important features of the commerce of St. Joseph is its grain trade. 
The largest dealer in this branch, not only in St. Joseph, but in the 
Northwest, is E. D, Nash, who came to Missouri from his native State, 
New York, in 1859, ^"d has since been closely identified as a buyer and 
shipper of grain. The capacity of the St. Joseph Elevator is 175,000 
bushels. Mr. Nash was formerly, for several years, in the grain trade at 
Savannah. He commenced business in St. Joseph in 1869, the firm being 
Waterman & Nash. In 1875 he built the St. Joseph elevator. During 
the year 1880 the receipts amounted to one and a half million bushels. 
Mr. Nash buys at Savannah, Rosedale, Bolckow, Barnard, Pickering, Hop- 
kins, Forest City, Craig, Mound City, Maitland, Skidmore, Whitman 
and other points. 

EDWARD B. NEELY, 

was born in Accomac County, Virginia, December 25, 1828. He enjoyed 
the benefits of early and classical training under his father. Professor 



8^8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

John Neely, a gentleman of fine attainments as a linguist and great abil- 
ity as a teacher. Edward, in his seventeenth year, entered the junior 
class of Washington College, Pennsylvania, and soon after was appointed 
tutor of ancient languages. He was graduated with honor in 1847, and 
commenced his life-work of teaching, accepting the position of assist- 
ant in an academy near Baltimore. A year later he went to his native 
county and conducted a select school, and upon the death of his father 
succeeded him as principal of Margaret Academy, in East Virginia. 
From the first was an enthusiastic and successful teacher. Was married, 
May 5th, 1852, to Miss Charlotte Slagle, daughter of Hon. Jacob Slagle, 
of Washington, Pennsylvania. He moved to St. Joseph in 1854, and, in 
connection with a fellow student, established an academy, infusing into 
the management and teaching his individuality and enthusiasm. Mis 
associate soon turned his attention to commercial pursuits, leaving Mr. 
Neely in sole charge of the academy, and he soon won for himself and 
school the confidence and support of the people. Upon the organization 
of the St. Joseph public school system, in i860, he consented to become 
principal of the High School. The public schools were suspended dur- 
ing the late civil war, and Mr. Neely again opened his private school. 
In 1864, the public schools were reopened, and Mr. Neely was unani- 
mously appointed superintendent. So ably and wisely did he fill this 
position that he has held it ever since. From this point on, the history 
of St. Joseph public schools and that of Mr. Neely are synonymous. In 
1866, he was President of the Missouri State Teachers' Association, and 
was the same year, also. County Superintendent of public schools, 
receiving, for that position, a vote far in excess of any party strength. 
He was, in 1870, appointed a member of the Board of Regents of the 
State Normal Schools, and by that Board elected its President. The 
best evidence of Mr. Neely's ability, enthusiasm and success as a teacher 
is shown in the fact that he has been for seventeen consecutive terms 
elected Superintendent of the St. Joseph public schools, and was for six 
years and a half of that time County Superintendent of schools, each 
time elected with an increased majority. The Board of Public Schools 
have honored themselves and complimented him by naming one of their 
finest buildings the " Neely School." Mr. Neely's professional standing 
is well attested in the above outline of his career. He is a genial, stu- 
dious, hardworking, painstaking gentleman, of great administrative abil- 
ity, who infuses into his teachers much of his own individuality, and 
makes his home as pleasant and charming as his public life is unblem- 
ished, honorable and successful. 

GEORGE A. NELSON, 

farmer, Section 27, post office St. Joseph, was born April 18, 1830, and is 
a native of Norway. He was reared in his native country till sixteen 



ST. JOSEPH. 839 

years of age, receiving his education in the common schools. In 1846, 
with his parents, he came to America, and located in Buchanan County. 
In 1853, he went to California, where he remained till 1861, and while 
there was engaged in mining. His farm contains 100 acres, all of which 
is well improved. He was in the Missouri State Militia twelve months. 
He was married August 26, 1873, to Miss Osa Thompson. She was born 
in Norway, January 31, 1850. They have four children, Irena M., born 
September 20, 1874; Newton P., born May 27, 1876; Thomas N., born 
May 8, 1878, and Clarence, born December 3, 1880. His father, Peter, who 
now lives on the adjoining farm, was born in Norway, June 10, 1794, and 
while in his native country he was principally engaged in boat building 
and working on the sea. 

J. J. NEWELL, 

dentist, was born in Green County, New York, June 17th, 1846, and when 
quite young removed to Ulster County, with his parents ; his father, J. 
J., who is a native of Richmond, Virginia, was a contractor and builder, 
and died when the son was thirteen years old. Our subject received 
the benefits of the common schools, after which he commenced the study 
of dentistry, at Kingston, New York., under Dr. Travis, a graduate of 
the Boston Dental College. After becoming thoroughly familiarized 
with the details of the profession he took a course in the College of 
Dentistry, in Boston. He commenced to practice in January, 1867, at 
Jeffersonville, New York, remaining three years, when he came to Mis- 
souri, locating at Plattsburg, where he practiced successfully until Janu- 
ary, 1877, then removed to this city. The family are of English extrac- 
tion ; his mother was Lucy Shaffer, the Shaffers being an old time York 
State family. Casper Shaffer was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. 
Mr. N. was married, in October, 1871, to Miss Clara Zook, daughter of 
Thomas Zook, well known in the commercial circles of northern Mis- 
souri. They have three children : Aulbion, Eddie F. and Beulah. 

CHARLES T. NICHOLS, 

millwright, was born in Lewis County, New York, April 18, 1830, and 
was there educated. When seventeen years of age he went to Carthage, 
Jefferson County, where he learned the millwright trade, and worked in 
various parts of the East, in 1861 assisting in organizing a company for 
the United States service. On account of inability for duty he was 
obliged to remain from the contest. His three brothers, U. S. Merritt, 
S. and James L. were soldiers in the Union cause, the latter dying in 
the service from disease. His father, Samuel, was a bridge builder and 
stone contractor. In 1865 Mr. Nichols came West, spending the greater 
portion oi two years at Helena and Virginia City, Montana. He erected 



840 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

the first saw-mill in Helena, and during his stay there was also inter- 
ested in mining. He afterwards returned home, going to San Francisco 
and thence by steamer to New York. The spring of 1867 found him in 
St. Joseph, where he has since been a resident. His business extends 
throughout Northern Missouri, portions of Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. 
The St. Joseph Glucose Works, one of the largest institutions of the 
kind in the country, was fitted and placed in running order by Mr. Nich- 
ols. Millwright work is his specialty, but he is an adept in the various 
branches of mechanism. He married in 1864 Miss L. A. Pardee, of New 
York. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

S. W. NIEMEYER, 

dealer in lime, cement and painters' sundries, was born in Prussia, Ger- 
many, January 18, 1830, and was reared, educated and learned the paint- 
ter's trade in his native country. When in about his twenty-fourth year, 
he came to America, previous to which he spent one year in London, 
England. After remaining one year in New York, he went to New 
Orleans, spending over a year, when he came to St. Louis, there residing 
until the breaking out of the rebellion, when he enlisted in the Fourth 
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, as Sergeant. Was in the engagements at 
Springfield, Missouri, Pea Ridge, and with Curtis in the campaign 
from Pea Ridge to Helena. In 1863, while in a skirmish, he was 
severely wounded, which resulted in his being honorably discharged. 
He returned to St. Louis, resided there for a time, and thence to Leav- 
enworth, and in the spring of 1865 came to St. Joseph. Until 1879, he 
was engaged in painting, and in that year opened his present house, 
which he has made a success. Was married in 1866, to Miss Elizabeth 
Gregory, who died, and he was again married in 1868, to Josephine 
Fitore. By this union they have five children — William, Gustave, Annie, 
Lizzie and Fred. 

C. NIEMANN, 

is a native of Prussia, Germany, and was there reared, educated, and 
learned the cabinet making trade. In 1852, he came to the United 
States, locating in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked at his trade for 
three years, after which he came to Ouincy, Illinois, engaging in the 
manufacture of furniture, and, for a time, did a large and lucrative busi- 
ness. Unfortunately, his factory was burned, which proved a serious 
loss financially. In 1866, he came to St. Joseph, and for five years was 
the junior member of L, Hax & Co., and since has been superintendent. 
He is an artist in all departments of the furniture trade, a close observer, 
and a skilled manager. Mr. Niemann is a member of the Catholic Church, 
and the German Catholic Benevolent Society. 



ST. JOSEPH. 841 

E. M. NILES, 

of Niles, Riblet & Co., proprietors of the Vulcan Machine Shop, manufac- 
turers of engines, boilers, etc., is a native of New London County, Connec- 
ticut, and was born February 16, 1840. When quite young he came West, 
and located at Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he resided four years, and 
learned the machinist's trade. He resided in Colorado and other localities 
until 1866, when he became a resident of St. Joseph. For several years he 
was foreman in the foundry now operated by Crowther & Rogers, and for 
nine years was in the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council 
Bluffs Railroad Company. In the spring of 1881, he engaged in trade. 
He has had a varied experience as a machinist, and is a very thorough 
one. Was married in 1870, to Miss Annie Tracy. They have four chil- 
dren — Harry, Fred, Milton and Calvin. 

CHARLES NOLD, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Prussia, Germany, March 29, 1842. 
His father, Adam Nold, died in 1874. Charles remained in his native 
country until seventeen years of age, when he crossed the ocean, taking 
up his abode in Illinois. There resided until 1866, when he came to 
St. Joseph. Among the buildings that Mr. Nold constructed is Hax's 
furniture establishment, the Beigly & Robinson three stores, and others. 
He was married in Illinois, to Miss S. Keefer. They have four chil- 
dren, John W., Carrie, Henry, and Harrison. He is a member of the 
I. O. O. F., Humboldt Lodge, 130. 

C. NOWLAND, 

-contractor, is a native of London, England, and was born February 6, 
1847. His father, Henry, was a contractor and builder, in that city, and 
there our subject became proficient in the business. In 1869, he came 
to America, taking up his abode in St. Joseph. Few contractors are 
more widely known than Mr. Nowland. His wife was formerly Miss 
Mary Jones. They have had five children, three of whom are living : 
Alice, Minnie and Maud ; lost two : Freddie and Edith. 

THOMAS NORRIS, 

dealer in dry goods, notions, boots, shoes, groceries, etc., Pateetown, is 
a native of Richmond, Virginia, and was born Februarys, 1831. His 
father, Thomas Norris, was a native of that state. At an early age our 
subject removed to Baltimore, Maryland, where he learned the cabinet 
making trade, and in 1850, came to St. Joseph and engaged in working 
.at his trade, for a time being with D. J. Pfeaton. In 1853, he went over- 



843 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

land to California, returning in 1857, and remained until 1859, when he 
again drifted westward, going to Pike's Peak. In i860, he came here 
again, and engaged in merchandising, the firm being Norris & Turner, 
afterwards Norris & Ray, and latterly Norris & Payne. He has been 
closely associated with the progress of the city and county. In 1861, 
Miss Margaret Louden became his wife. She is the daughter of Hugh 
Louden, one of the pioneers of the county. They have seven children 
living: William, Annie, Edwin, Thomas H, Richard, Lula and Nellie B. 
They lost three: Eppa, Ida and Thomas. 

C. B. NORRIS, 

foreman, Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company, 
is well known among railroad officials and employes. He was born in 
Waldo County, Maine, August 19, 1839, and was reared in the town of 
Searsport. His father, Cyrus B., was a blacksmith, and the subject 
adopted and learned that profession. For several years he was a seafar- 
ing man, and was second mate on a brig. In 1862 he enlisted in Com- 
pany E, Nineteenth Maine Volunteer Infantry, and was transferred to 
the navy and served until 1864, when he was honorably discharged. In 
1867 he came West, and for a few years was engaged in mining in Mon- 
tana, and after that he came to St. Joseph, engaging with the Kansas 
City Company as blacksmith, afterwards was fireman on the road, and 
eventually engineer. In 1879 he took charge of the round-house. Few 
railroad men are more familiar with the general detail of the business 
than Mr. Norris. He was married in the autumn of 1866 to Miss Hattie 
J. Patterson, of Maine. They have two children, Hattie L. and Clara E. 
He is a Mason, belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandry. 

H. NUNNING & SON, 

brewers. Henry Nunning, the senior member, was born in Province of 
Westphalia, Prussia, and emigrated to America in 1849, locating at 
LaPorte, Indiana. He engaged in business, and after closing out, emi- 
grated to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1854. The son, junior member of 
above firm, was born in LaPorte. Mr. Nunning established the brewery 
in St. Joseph in 1854. August was taken into the firm in 1879, ^"d has 
been the successful manager ever since. The old brewery was situated 
corner of Eleventh and Faraon Streets, but became too small, and they 
were compelled to build a new one on its present site. This building is 
208x64 feet, two-stories high, with 400 feet of cellar ; four dry kilns, six- 
teen fermenting tubs of fifty barrels capacity each, and three of sixty-five 
barrels capacity each. They do their own malting. The capacity of 
this brewery is sixty-five barrels at a brew, consuming 38,000 bushels of 
barley per year. They give employment to thirteen men, and their sal- 
aries amount to $1,000 per month. 



ST. JOSEPH. 843 

Dr HARDING OATMAN, 

physician and surgeon, Assistant Postmaster, and proprietor of the Riv- 
erton House, Riverton, was born, February 10, i8i3,in Indiana, and is of 
German origin. He was reared at his birthplace, spending his boyhood 
days on a farm, and receiving his education at Green Castle, Indiana. 
He was married December 25, 1833, to Miss Wilmarth Bird, a native of 
Kentucky, born in 1815. They moved to Dundee, Kane County, Illi- 
nois, where he engaged in the mercantile business for some time, and 
then commenced the study of medicine. He attended Rush Medical 
College, during 1844 and '45, and first commenced the practice of his 
profession at Bethany, Harrison County, Missouri, in the spring of 1845. 
He remained there for eight years, then moved to Llano County, Texas, 
where he continued for sixteen years in practice. The country was 
infested by Indians and he had many narrow escapes. He has discovered 
a new mode of treating typhoid fever, has practiced it for thirteen years, 
and has met with good success. He returned to Harrison County, Mis- 
souri, in 1871, and thence to this county, in 1876, settling at Corby's Mill, 
thence to Riverton, in the spring of 188 1. His wife died February 29, 
1844, and left three children, Susan N. (now Mrs. Joseph Williamson j, 
Julius F., and Marshall. He married again August i, 1846, Elizabeth A. 
Hulse, a native of Belmont County, Ohio, born September 27, 1830. 
They have seven children, John C, Sheppard H., Pleasant H., Missouri, 
Julette, Seth W. and Enos S. 

WILLIAM O'HARA 

was born in Ireland May 12, 1840, and came to this country in 1855, 
stopping in Baltimore, Maryland, until the spring of 1861, when he then 
removed to Washington, District of Columbia, where he engaged in the 
employ of the Government, building fortifications, etc. In 1865, he left 
Washington, and went to Atchison, Kansas, where he accepted the 
appointment of foreman of track-laying on the Central Branch Union 
Pacific Railroad. In 1868, he came to Weston, as foreman track-layer on 
the Missouri Valley Railroad, and in July, 1869, came to this city, to 
superintend track-laying for Hastings & Saxton, from St. Joseph to 
Richmond, and then from Hiawatha to Hastings, on the St. Joseph and 
Denver City Railroad ; also superintended laying the track from St. 
Joseph to Winthrop, under Singleton. In 1872, Mr. O'Hara took charge 
of a construction train on the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council 
Bluffs Railroad, which he continues to operate. In 1880, he was elected 
Councilman from the Fifth Ward, in which capacity he still acts. Mr. 
O'Hara is a man of excellent native judgment, is respected by his men, 
and is popular among his neighbors. 



844 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

FRIEDRICH OHSTEN, 

who is among the oldest citizens of St. Joseph, was born May 5, 1802, 
near Stade, Hanover, where he was raised and learned the trade of miller. 
He emigrated to America in 1846, and arrived at New York, from which 
place he went to Buffalo, where he found employment on a steamboat. 
He made trips to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1847, and from there to New 
Orleans during one year. In 1848, he went to Kentucky, where he 
worked at the general merchandise business for two years, with success. 
In [850, he came to St. Joseph, where he settled and followed his occu- 
pation for ten years. On account of failing health, he was compelled to 
retire from business, and invested his means in real estate. He was 
married in 1849, '" Kentucky, to Miss Carolina Grubitz, a native of 
Peyne, Hanover, Germany. They have one child— Carolina Frederike, 
born June 19, 185 1, who was married April, 1867, to Mr. Friedrich Leh- 
mann, wholesale merchant, at Helena, Montana Territory. 

ANDREW OLSEN, 

cooper, was born in Denmark, in 1843, and was there reared, learned his 
trade, and remained until 1865, when he came to America, locating in 
St. Joseph. Here he has since been, identified with his branch of trade, 
making a specialty of brewery stock, and his trade extends into 
Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, and other states. He is a skilled workman 
and gives the business his undivided attention. Was married, in 1869, 
to Miss Annie Hanson, who died in 1873, leaving a daughter, Christina. 
He is a member of the Knights of Honor, and the German Benevolent 
Society. 

SILAS R. OWEN, 

superintendent of the St. Joseph and Lake Railway, was born in Mont- 
gomery County, Indiana, June 9, 1843. In 1850 his father moved his 
family to Page County, Iowa. Silas learned the cabinet trade with his 
father, during which time he would work more at some new machinery 
or some invention than at his trade, very much to the annoyance of his 
father. He finally learned the photograph business, and invented the 
Globe Camera ; a previous claim, however, caused the rejection of his 
application for a patent. He followed the photograph business for six 
years, removing in the meantime to Stewartsville. Missouri, where he 
invented the self-emptying sulky excavator, which is now in general use. 
He came to St. Joseph in 1873 and became connected with the Missouri 
Valley Novelty Works, where he made several important inventions, 
among which is the Mahan & Owens dry placer invention for separating 
gold and silver from the dirt by a new process. He has also completed 



ST. JOSEPH. 845 

a very simple and practical device for putting run-off street cars back on 
the track. One of his last and perhaps most needed inventions in his 
fire-ladder, which can be raised to the top of a five-story building by 
four men in forty seconds. Mr. O. was appointed superintendent of the 
above street car railway in 1879, finding the track, cars and everything out 
of order. By his good management and the application of some of his 
many improvements he has made this one of the best lines in the city. 
He married Miss Mary Keidalbaugh, of Iowa, in 1863. They have one 
child living, Eddie. 

DANIEL OZENBERGER, 

farmer and gardener. Section 7, post office St. Joseph, was born February 
5, 1841, in Holmes County, Ohio, and removed with his parents when 
about eight years of age, to Missouri, they settling on a farm near St. 
Joseph. Here Daniel was reared and received the benefits of a common 
school education. During the late war he displayed his patriotism and 
love for country by enlisting in the Enrolled Missouri Militia, and serv- 
ing fifteen months. He moved to the place on which he now resides in 
1866, and owns eighty-eight acres of well improved land. He gives his 
attention to his business, and, by honesty and industry accumulated con- 
siderable of this world's goods. He purchased an interest in the old 
Corby Mill, and is running it in partnership with Mr. Cabels. He was 
married in the spring of 1865, to Miss Elizabeth Hesmiar, a native of" 
Missouri, born November 19, 1841. They have had eight children, Wil- 
liam, Henry, Emma, Lawrence, Washington, Frank, Lilly and Edith. 

EWALD PADBERG, 

was born November 20, 1847, in Westphalen, Prussia. After having 
received his education he followed the mercantile business, and held the 
position of director of a paper mill for six years. July 20, 1870, he 
came to America, landing at New York City, and immediately went to 
St. Louis, where he remained six months. Then he visited the state of 
Ohio for six months, and December i, 1871, came to St, Joseph and 
formed a partnership with William Hellman in a meat market. In 1876, 
his partner died, and he has since carried on the business with great suc- 
cess. Married, January 9, 1875, Miss Flora Hellman. They had tvvo 
children: Minnie, born in September, 1876, living, and an infant 
deceased. 

WILLIAM PAPE, 

of the firm of William Pape & Co. The above name is a very familiar 
sound throughout the entire Northwest, a circumstance due entirely to 
the fact that he is the manufacturer, and has placed before the people 



846 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

the celebrated Pape Wagon. Its superiority, both in material and work- 
manship, has given it an enviable reputation, and at every fair exhibited 
this wagon, without paint or varnish, has taken first premium, which is 
a sufficient guarantee of its popularity. The firm of William Pape & Co., 
is comprised of William Pape, Charles Sprenzel and Adam Muthig. They 
have two establishments on Frederick Avenue — one between Eighth 
and Ninth, and the other between Thirteenth and Fourteenth Streets, 
where they make a specialty of farm and spring wagons, and do general 
blacksmithing and jobbing. Mr. Pape has had a long and varied experi- 
ence in the manufacture of wagons, and gives the business his undi- 
vided attention. Their trade, at home and abroad, is large, and contin- 
ually on the increase. 

JOHN B. PARKER, 

is a native of France, and was born in 1844, at Pitting, in Lorraine. In 
1847, his parents emigrated to America, settling in East St. Louis. He 
was married December 12th, 1875, to Mrs. Louisa Gasser, a native of 
New York. She died in December, 1880. 

B. T. PARSELS 

was born in New York city, September i8th, 1831, and was deprived of 
his father by death, when quite young. He lived for a number of years 
in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and served four years at house painting 
in New York city, and two years and a half in the Troy car works on 
the Hudson River. After this, for a time, he worked in the Port Schuy- 
ler carriage works, and subsequently established himself in trade in New 
Jersey ; there he attained a wide spread reputation for the superiority of 
his work. In 1877, he came west and located in this city, on the i6th of 
March. He has had thirty-three years experience as a painter, and is 
thoroughly conversant with all the details of the art. In 1854, Miss 
Catharine M. Kierstead, of Fairfield, N. J., became his wife. They have 
had twelve children, seven of whom are living: Charles W., James K., 
Elizabeth A., Amarantha, Charlotte, S. Margaret and Kate. They have 
lost five: Sarah A., Willie, Carrie L., Dorcas and Bennie. 

ALVAH PATEE, 

another old settler of St. Joseph, was born August 3, 1804, in Cayuga 
County, New York, where he was raised. When young he located on 
a farm near Auburn, where he remained up to his sixteenth year. His 
father then bought a farm in Delaware County, Ohio, and settled there. 
Young Alvah assisted his father until 1823, when he died. Our subject 
and his brother Henry took the management of the farm, which they 



ST. JOSEPH. ' 847 

worked successfully Up to i860. Alvah came to this city in i860, and 
engaged in the lightning rod business, which he extended all over the 
State of Kansas and the western part of Missouri and Iowa with such 
success that he was enabled in 1863 to buy one hundred acres of land 
south of the city limits, located near King Hill. Becoming a neighbor 
of Jac. Madinger, the first wine grower, he followed his example and 
advice, and commenced raising wine. March i, 188 1, he rented his wine 
grove and reti-red from the hard work to which his whole life had been 
devoted. He was married in 1824, to Miss Roxinne Smith, of New York. 
They had four children— Eliphalet L., born February 13, 1827; Elmira 
E., born February 6, 1832, married first James W. Clayton, in 185 1, 
second Samuel Russel, February 8, 1869; Armede, born in 1836, died 
in 1838; and Althen A., born May 6, 1840, married P. H. Early, in 1866. 

JOHN PATEE. 

Of all the prominent and active pioneers to whose efforts St. Joseph, to- 
day owes her consequence in the roll of Western cities, none have con- 
tributed more substantially to her aggrandizement, or left behind them 
more enduring evidences of their successful enterprise, than the man 
whose name heads this notice. John Patee was born in Millford, Otsego 
County, New York, on the first day of August, 1794. He received an excel- 
lent education, and in his early days gained his support by teaching in 
Utica and other points in his native state. In 1836, he decided to seek his 
fortune in the West, and moved to the State of Ohio. In 1840, he emi- 
grated to Arkansas. In 1845, he again moved, settling this time on the site 
of the present city of St. Joseph, which he made his final home, and which 
his energies contributed so largely to develop. Here he purchased three 
hundred and twenty acres of land, commencing at Sixth Street. This he 
afterwards laid off in town lots. It is known as Patee's addition to the 
city of St. Joseph, and now constitutes a populous, well built and business 
portion of the same. The price which he paid for this land was thirteen 
dollars per acre. Here he erected, at a cost of nearly $130,000, that 
stately monument of his enterprise, and faith in the future of St. Joseph, 
long known as the Patee House, and, in its day, not only the most ele- 
gant, but most excellently kept hotel in the city. Mr. Patee was never 
known to be idle, and though considerably in advance of his day in his 
estimate of the prospective development of the city, he was generally 
correct in his conclusions. His large estate he accumulated by honor- 
able, legitimate means, without oppressing the poor, whose friend he 
ever was, and to whom he set an excellent example of industry, economy 
and unswerving integrity. In all his business transactions he was scru- 
pulously exact. His well balanced mind was comprehensive in its grasp, 
logical and well stored with useful knowledge. The literary tastes acquired 



848 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

in his youth clung to him through life, and nothing seemed to afford him 
greater pleasure than the recreation of reviewing the standard English 
and American authors, with whom he had been so long familiar. His 
powers of memory, evinced in the facility with which he quoted long 
extracts from these writers, up to his last days, was wonderful. His 
belief in the Bible was constant, but until a late period of his life, though 
a strictly moral man, he had not connected himself with any religious 
denomination. He was, at the period of his death, which occurred Feb- 
ruary 14, 1868, a member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Patee's taxable 
property at one time amounted in value to fully $350,000. Unlike the 
common herd of self-made men, he was public spirited and liberal of 
his means. A striking evidence of this noble attribute of the man exists 
to-day in the presence of the beautiful Patee Park, which occupies the 
entire space bounded by Penn, Seneca, Ninth and Tenth Streets. He 
first donated this to the city on condition of its being improved within 
ten years. At the expiration of that period, nothing having been done, 
Mr. Patee notified the city authorities of their failure to comply with the 
terms of the gift and declared the same forfeited. The property, by this 
time, had become valuable, and every one expected him to resume pos- 
session. His native generosity, however, asserted itself, and Mr. Patee 
renewed the donation, with the terms of which the city did not again fail 
promptly to comply. He had two children, Elijah and Mrs. Minerva Rus- 
sell, both of whom he survived. A notable feature in the will of Mr. Patee, 
was a bequest in the shape of the interest on one thousand dollars to be 
annually paid by the executor to his former slave, Ann, the principal to 
revert to the testator's heirs at her death. Besides one thousand dollars 
to Mrs. Bridget Mansfield, whom, when a little girl, he had taken under 
his care and educated. The entire property was bequeathed to his six 
grandchildren. The funeral of John Patee was attended by all the old 
settlers of the city, and his remains were placed beside his wife and chil- 
dren in Mount Mora Cemetery. 

H. PATTERSON, 

of the firm of Patterson, Noyes & Co., wholesale dealers in and manu- 
facturers of boots and shoes, was born August 25, 183 1, near St. Louis, 
Missouri, and was raised a farmer. In 1849 he left for California, return- 
ing in August, 185 1. He engaged in the general merchandise business 
at Oregon, Holt County, in August, 1853. In September, 1857, he moved 
to Forest City, continuing in same line until 1871. In the meantime he 
was in business at Corning and Falls City, Nebraska. In 1872 he came to 
St. Joseph and engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe business. Mr. 
Patterson's father came to Missouri whilst it was under Spanish govern- 
ment. The family is one of the very first American families landing in 



ST. JOSEPH. 849 

Missouri. St. Louis was then a French trading post. The Chouteau 
families were there as traders. There were about twelve houses or cab- 
ins at St. Louis. Mr. Patterson was married in 1857 to Miss Mary E. 
Bevan, a native of Virginia. They have raised five children. He is a 
Mason and member of the M. E. Church (south). The above firm is suc- 
cessor to Buck, McCoun & Patterson, which was established in 1872. 
They control the labor of the Missouri penitentiary, and make a specialty 
of manufacturing at the prison and St. Joseph, employing nineteen 
men in the wholesale department and work about two hundred men in 
the penitentiary. Their business room is thirty by one hundred and 
forty feet, four floors high. They make a specialty of standard screw 
work. 

JOEL JOHNS PENICK, 

was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia April 19, 1808, and was 
consequently in the seventy-first year of his age at the time of his 
death. He went to Kentucky at the age of nine, and was raised in 
Greene and Breckenridge Counties. He came to Missouri at the age of 
nineteen, and was married May i, 1828, in Boone County, to Miss Sophia 
B. Ridgeway, who (1881) survives him. Mr. Penick came to the Platte 
Purchase, July 10, 1837, and settled at West Point, a small village four- 
teen miles due south of St. Joseph. There were then not more than a 
half dozen families in the Purchase, and soon afterward Mr. Penick was 
made postmaster at West Point, the first appointment, by the way, in the 
Platte Purchase. He was engaged in merchandising at West Point for 
twelve years, and removed thence to St. Joseph. Mr. Penick was reared 
a farmer, but for the past forty or forty-five years had been engaged in 
mercantile pursuits. For sixteen or seventeen years immediately pre- 
vious to his death he was associated with his son, William R. Penick, in 
the drug business in St. Joseph. He was one of the oldest citizens of 
that city, and none were held in higher esteem than he. He was never a 
politician, but, for a term or two, was a member of the town council. 
He ever bore the character of an exemplary citizen, and the reputation 
of a moral, christian gentleman. During the year previous to the death 
of Mr. Penick, which occurred in St. Joseph, Sunday, January 12, 1879, 
he and his wife celebrated the occasion of their golden wedding. He 
left a wife and four children: General William R. Penick, of St. Joseph; 
Sarah Anne Bell, of Jackson County; Robert Thomas Penick and Mattie 
W. Riley, of St. Joseph. 

R. T. PENICK, 

was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, October 14, 1841. Was reared 
and educated to mercantile business. At the breaking out of the civil 
war he united his fortunes with those of the South. The first year of the 



850 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

war he was instructor of tactics in the Missouri State Guard. During 
the remainder of the war he was in the Tenth Missouri Infantry, C. S. A., 
as captain of Company E, and when the war ended was adjutant 
of the same regiment. He served four years in the Confederate 
army, residing in St. Louis one year. Returned to St. Joseph in 1866. 
In October, 1861, he married Miss Lizzie Rulo, a native of Platte 
County. By this marriage he has had two children, Lizzie R., born 
February 15, 1868, and Mattie S., born February 15, 1869. Mr. P. is a 
member of Charity Lodge, No. 331, A. F. & A. M., and is now (1881) 
Master of the Lodge. He is also a Companion of Mitchell R. A. Chapter. 
He is a man of few words, but an honorable, gentleman whom to know 
is to esteem. 

WILLIAM RIDGEWAY PENICK 

was born near Columbia, Boone County, Missouri, on the 20th day of 
May, 1829, and is now (1881) fifty-two years of age. Joel J. Penick, his 
father, was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, but removed to 
Kentucky when a child, and grew up amid the rough, stern experiences 
•of border life. He emigrated to Central Missouri when quite young, 
and married Sophia B. Ridgeway (daughter of William Ridgeway), who 
was born in or near Kincaid's Fort, in Howard County, Missouri. The 
parties married when quite young, and when the father was twenty-one 
and the mother sixteen years old, the subject of this sketch was born. 
He was about eight years old, when his parents removed to what was 
called "The Platte Purchase," then a wilderness, and located about 
fourteen miles south of where the City of St. Joseph has since been 
built. The county being new and sparsely settled, the opportunities to 
procure an education were very limited, but, by the care and thought- 
fulness of his parents, and his own indomitable energy, he managed to 
secure sufficient education to transact business, and grapple with life 
successfully. From the age of eight to eighteen, he labored on a farm, 
•occasionally going to school two or three months in the winter. He 
procured books, such as were accessible, and spent the long w^inter even- 
ings reading by firelight, and, during the day, when resting from labor, 
he generally had a book with him, and spent the hour for rest in study. 
A teacher was finally employed in the district school, who was capable 
of teaching English grammar and arithmetic, beyond the " Rule of 
Three," the first teacher ever employed there possessing such superior 
qualifications. He was then about seventeen years old, and three 
months instruction by the new teacher gave him such a start in those 
studies as to enable him to master them quite successfully, by his own 
firelight at home. In the following summer his parents removed to St. 
Joseph, and young Penick was permitted to resume his attendance at the 



v^ 



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II V- 





m 



^^. 



^ -f^^i^ 



ST. josErH. 851 

country school ; but, in a few weeks after, the teacher died, and he was 
entrusted with the charge of the school. After teaching three months 
(devoting every spare moment to study, and making excellent progress), 
he spent a few months at a high school, in St. Joseph, and was employed 
for a brief period as bookkeeper for William Ray. Achieving success 
in his studies, he again took charge of the district school in his old 
neighborhood, for six months. He then determined to study medicine, 
gave up the school, and spent the winter in the study of pharmacy, 
chemistry and anatomy, paying his board, in the meantime, by giving 
instruction to a few children. In the following spring, he engaged in the 
drug store of Ilaycraft & Howard, in St. Joseph, with a view of promot- 
ing his knowledge of medicine, and enabling himself to take a course of 
medical lectures. It three months, his employers found him so convers- 
ant with the details of the business, and so popular with the customers, 
that they engaged him permanently, but he did not give up the idea of 
becoming a doctor, for many years, and continued his studies with a 
view of taking a course of lectures as soon as it was convenient. As 
his salary was small, he was permitted to deal in school books and sta- 
tionery, in a small way, on his own account. He had, when he went into 
the drug store, fourteen dollars in money. With this money he bought 
the stock of a book peddler (who had become tired of the business), 
which he soon sold out, and was ready to purchase more. His emplo)-- 
ers recommended him to dealers in St. Louis and Louisville, as worthy 
of credit, where he purchased, partly for cash and partly on time, and he 
continued the business for three years, being very careful, in the mean- 
time, not to neelect his duty to his employers. On the nth of January, 
1852, he was married to Miss Amanda D. Grigg, and on the 20th of May 
following (the day he was twenty-three years old), he became a partner 
of Dr. Robert L. Wood in a drug and book store, in St. Joseph. In the 
three years of his clerkship, and his small dealings in books, he saved 
money enough to commence housekeeping and invest $1,500 in the 
store as a partner. His numerous friends at the old establishment, 
where he was a clerk, followed him to the new one, and the business was 
successful. At the end of thirteen months he purchased the interest of 
his partner, and is yet (1881) engaged in the same business he com- 
menced as a clerk more than thirty-two years ago. He has never been 
a politician. He was Coroner of Buchanan County four years, and served 
one year as a member of the City Council of St. Joseph, and two years 
as Mayor of the city. By his labors and influence a fire department was 
organized, which is now the pride of the city. Other public and benev- 
olent enterprises were brought into life by his active energies, which 
have proved to be blessings to the community. He seems to have the 
rare gift of imparting vitality to every enterprise he engages in. and by 
a peculiar magnetic power of winning for it friends and popularity. A 



852 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

portion of the time he was Mayor, he was President of the St. Joseph 
and Denver City Railroad Company (now St. Joseph and Western). It 
was through his energy and influence, and that of his City Council, that 
work was recommenced on the road in 1866, which resulted in its com- 
pletion. The road was commenced several years before, but the work 
was suspended on account of the war. For many years of his life he has 
been an active Free Mason. He has taken all the degrees conferred in 
the United States, up to and including the Thirty-second Degree of the 
Scottish Rite. He has been Master of the Lodge, High Priest of the 
Chapter, Commander of the Commandery, Master of the Lodge of Per- 
fection, and Master of the Council of Royal and Select Masters. He has 
also been honored by nearly all of the Masonic Grand Bodies of Missouri 
with the highest office they could confer. He was Grand Master of the- 
Grand Lodge, Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter, Deputy Grand 
Commander of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar, and Grand 
Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters. Three of 
these grand offices he held at the same time, which was a triple honor 
rarely enjoyed by any person. During his official connection with the 
Grand Lodge, he took an active interest in the affairs of the Masonic 
College, which had been organized in Missouri, and exerted all his influ- 
ence to secure its prosperity, and preserve it to the craft. He was with 
Foster and Carnegy, and others — the party of progress, and the party 
ready and willing to make sacrifices to sustain the college, as well as the 
honor and dignity of the craft. During the late war, he was an active sup- 
porter of the Government, and gave a large portion of his time in assisting^ 
in enterprises to strengthen the cause of the Union and suppress the 
rebelion. He organized a secret association of Union men, called the 
Unconditional Union Club of Missouri, which consisted of about one 
hundred different clubs. They contributed much towards keeping: 
Union men united in the Northwest portion of Missouri. While the 
war was in progress he held five military commissions. He was first a 
Major, on the staff of Brigadier General Ben. Loan. He was "next com- 
missioned Lieutenant Colonel, and afterwards Colonel, of the P'ifth Cav- 
alry, Missouri State Militia, a regiment he raised for the service of the 
United States. Afterwards, he was commissioned Colonel of a regiment 
in the service of the state, and a Brigadier General of the Militia in 
Northwest Missouri. Most of the active military service he performed 
was in Platte, Clay, Cass and Jackson Counties, contending with guer- 
rillas, commanded by Todd, Quantrcll, and other desperate commanders 
of the same kind. It will be seen that his life has been one of activity- 
Whatever he undertook, he did well. In business, in civil office, in the 
craft, in the army, in whatever he engaged, he threw into it all the 
energy of body and mind, and rarely failed of success. He is a large 
man, erect, muscular, and of a commanding presence. In his intercourse 



ST. JOSEPH. 853 

with men he is courteous and gentlemanly. Being hospitable, kind and 
and charitable, he is greatly beloved by his acquaintances. 

. CHARLES A. PERRY, 

a native of Montgomery County, Maryland, was born December 6, 1818. 
He was there reared and educated in mercantile business. Upon attain- 
ing his majority (in 1839) '"'^ emigrated to Clay County, Missouri, where 
he resided till 1841, when he moved to Platte County, and located in 
Weston, then the great frontier trading point of Missouri. There he 
engaged in mercantile business with his brother, E. A. Perry. In 1842, 
the Perrys established a branch house in the then incipient village of 
Blacksnake, or as it is called to-day, St. Joseph. In 1843, they erected 
for a store house the first brick building in the place. This was on Main 
Street, near Francis. It was stocked with domestic goods, queensware, 
etc. They were also extensively engaged in the Salt Lake trade. The 
cattle which hauled their wagons to that point were afterwards driven 
to California, where they commanded a good price. At a subsequent 
period they substituted mules for oxen in this traffic. They continued 
actively engaged in the freighting business till the completion of the 
railroad to the Pacific Coast, when their once lucrative occupation became 
numbered with the things of the past. Mr. Perry, in his long and active 
frontier career, has achieved no small amount of good. In 1845, he was 
the sutler of General Alex. Doniphan's command in his celebrated expe- 
dition. In 1854, he went through to Salt Lake in the same capacity 
with Colonel Stephens, and was engaged in furnishing Government sup- 
plies until 1857. During this period his life was one of almost constant 
excitement, and many were the thrilling adventures and hair-breadth 
escapes which he encountered. When the post was established at Fort 
Riley, Mr. Perry took the contract for furnishing it supplies. The better 
to facilitate this end, he purchased a steamboat, on which he shipped 
them up the Kaw River. He was the pioneer and only successful navi- 
gator of this stream. At the breaking out of the late civil war, he took 
the contract for supplying the army of the plains with corn. The mag- 
nitude of this undertaking may be inferred from the fact that in fifteen 
months, it amounted to two and a half million dollars. He had in his 
employ at one time 1,200 teams. During the period of his engagement 
in these enterprises, he continued to maintain his interest in St. Joseph, 
where he is at present (188 1) engaged in the commission and storage 
business. Of all the pioneer settlers of St. Joseph, none have passed 
through more active and stirring scenes, or experienced greater variety 
of fortunes than Charles A. Perry. His sympathetic nature is remembered 
by many who experienced, in the early days of St. Joseph, his liberal 
assistance. 



854 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ELIAS H. PERRY 

was born in the State of Maryland, December 19, 1819, and continued to 
reside there till he had attained his majority, when, allured by visions of 
wealth to be acquired in the West, he determined to try his fortune in 
that favored region. Accordingly in 1841, we find him in Weston, then 
the great Western trading point of the state, employed as a clerk in the 
mercantile house of C. A. Perry & Co. In 1842, in company with his 
brother, he opened a store in what was then known as Robidoux Land- 
ing, or more generally, Blacksnake Hills, (the present St. Joseph), thus 
constituting, next to Joseph Robidoux, the founder of the city, the first 
mercantile firm in the place. Their store building was a log house, 
stocked with the usual line of goods suitable for outfitting trains and 
adventurers bound for the distant West. Their stock of goods, at that 
time, was the largest to be found in the Northwest. As their business 
increased, they subsequently erected a double brick store to accommo- 
date its demands. Besides their regular business of merchandising, they 
also engaged in freighting and in buying stock for the California market. 
This latter increasing so rapidly, Mr. Perry found it expedient in 1852, 
to move to California for the purpose of giving the business at that end 
of the line his personal attention. He remained there four years. He 
was also engaged for the period of a year in merchandising at Great Salt 
Lake City. During his sojourn in the distant West, he continued to 
retain his interest in the establishment at Weston. After an active career 
of many years in the Western trade, he returned in 1856 to St. Joseph. 
In the autumn of 1880, in company with Mr. Moore, his son-in-law, he 
embarked in the grain and produce business in that city. Few, if any 
men in the Northwest, have been more closely identified with its 
growth and development. Indeed the name of Perry is so intimately asso- 
ciated with the early history and progress of Western enterprise that it 
has become a household word in this country, and certainly more popular 
men never lived in the West. 

V. W. PERRY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 31, postoffice St. Joseph, was bom Jan- 
uary 1st, 18 1 2, in Montgomery County, Maryland, within sixteen miles 
of Washington, and was there reared, spending his boyhood days on the 
farm and receiving the benefits of a common school education. When 
twenty-one years of age he immigrated west, and in 1842, settled in 
Platte County. Missouri, where he engaged in farming and stock raising. 
He was one of the leading and respected citizens of that county, and 
came from there to this county in the fall of 1875 ; he owns a farm of 
218 acres, well cultivated and contains a young orchard. Mr. Perry has 



ST. JOSEPH. 855 

been twice married ; first, in May, 1854, to Miss Louisa Darst, a native 
of Kentucky. She died in September, i852, leaving three children : 
Benjamin, Louise and Althia. He was married again, in 1866, to Miss 
M. Herndon, a native of Kentucky. They are members of the M. E, 
Church south, and are honored citizens of this county. 

THE PFEIFFER STONE COMPANY, 

Charles A. Pfeiffer, President; Joseph Pfeififer, Vice President; F. W. 
Gensen, Secretary, manufacturers of and dealers in stone, marble and 
granite work, and proprietors of steam saw mills. This firm ranks 
prominently among our western manufacturers, there being no shops of 
this class in the Great West outside of Chicago and St. Louis which by 
far reach the standard and the magnitude of the works of the above 
named company. The Messrs. Pfeiffer, well and favorably known, not 
only in St. Joseph and its immediate vicinity but far beyond the region 
to which this class of manufacturers generally limit themselves, began 
to do business in St. Joseph some twenty years ago, on a very moderate 
scale, but endowed with plenty of pluck and energy, and on the support 
of a thorough training in their mechanical and artistical pursuit, they 
have, by industrious work, close attention to their business, and intelli- 
gent management of the same, now reached the reputation of being 
foremost in their trade within the territory of the Far West, and not 
only have they contributed largely towards building up and beautifying 
our Western cities with their skillful works of art, but they can also 
point with pride to a number of stone fronts by them built in St. Joseph 
and erected in Chicago. The senior member of this firm, Mr. Joseph 
Pfeiffer, is a native of Bingen, in Hohenzollern, Sigmaringen, Germany, 
and was born March 23, 1817. While learning in practice the trade of 
a stone and marble cutter, he spent his leisure hours in educating himself 
under the direction and instruction of an architect and building master, 
in the science of architecture and construction. His studies completed, 
he sought practical accomplishments, by working for and under the 
supervision of famed sculptors and builders, lent a hand in the erection 
of many structures and some far reputed works of monumental art, again 
went through a course of studies in the Royal Polytechnicum, in Munich, 
and finally passed the government examination with honors, being duly 
qualified to act in the capacity of a building master. Then, after serv- 
ing some time as a foreman and superintending the construction and 
erection of an eminent public building of cut stone, he settled down in his 
native town, commencing business on his own account, and married. 
Amongst the most prominent works of his chisel, through which he 
earned fame in his native country, is the life-size statue of our Lord 
Jesus, on the cross, carved in Carrara marble, and erected on a pediment 



'856 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

in the churchyard of Donau Eschingen. The revolutionary year 1848, 
saw him implicated in the people's bold strike for liberty, which caused 
him to emigrate to America. Here he worked alternately in New York, 
Philadelphia and Chicago, at his trade, until April, i860, when he arrived 
in St. Joseph. Small was his beginning when he opened a stone and 
marble shop on Frederick Avenue, corner of Ninth, and many times the 
outlooks were gloomy, with but little hope for future prosperity, when a 
change for better fields was tempting, but a belief in the future greatness 
■of his adopted town prompted him to stand by it, and St. Joseph grew 
and with it grew the demand for work of his hands. Soon more capa- 
vcious shops became a matter of necessity, and the business was trans- 
ferred to the corner of Charles and Sixth Streets, where a two-story 
brick house with stone trimmings was erected. This served him fo- a 
residence, shop, and warehouse for cement, lime, plaster, etc., until the 
year 1867, when he bought the present site of the company's grounds on 
Locust Street, from Third to Fourth Streets, and took into partnership 
with him his oldest son, Charles A. Pfeiffer, thereafter doing business 
under the firm name of J. Pfeiffer & Son, until the i8th of June, 1881, 
when the Pfeiffer Stone Company was incorporated. Joseph Pfeiffer was 
married, February 13th, 1844, to Louisa Waldschitz, of Pfullendorf. 
They have had five children, of whom three are living, Charles A., 
Pauline and John Joseph. 

Charles Anton Pfeiffer, eldest son of Joseph Pfeiffer, was born in the 
city of Sigmaringen, Germany, on the 19th of December, 1844. When 
about five years old he came, with his mother, to this country, following 
the father, who had previously emigrated. He received a common 
school education in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and when a 
mere boy yet, helped his father in his trade, under whose instruction he 
finally became a practical stone and marble cutter. He learned from 
his father the art of sketching and drawing and making practical esti- 
mates on stone and marble work and thus prepared himself thoroughly 
for the line of business which he follows, and for the management of the 
large establishment, at the head of which he stands to day. He married 
Loaise Koch, of Louisina, Mississippi, in the year 1871. They had four 
children of whom three are living: Otto, Joseph and Agathe. Frederick 
W. Gensen, the third member of the firm, and its secretary, was born in 
Arendsee, Prussia, in February, 1846. Received a final education at a 
Royal Gymnasium, preparing himself for a merchant. After six years 
of business life, he served in the Prussian army, and upon receiving his 
regular discharge came, in 1869, to America. After four year's stay he 
returned to his native country, but with a seed of Americanism within 
himself, which grew, and induced him, in 1878, to emigrate and seek a 
permanent home. He married, October loth, 1878. Pauline Pfeiffer. 



ST. JOSEPH. 857 

trutpp:rt pfefferle 

was born in Baden, Germany, July 27. 1844, and received a common 
school education. He is what might be truly called a self-made man. 
He emigrated to America May 4, 1866, and came immediately to St. 
Joseph, Missouri. He was a stone mason by trade, and in the winter 
worked for the New Ulm distillery. In 1871 he started in business for 
himself. He was rnarried May 15, 1873, to Miss Sophia Miller, who was 
born in Switzerland. They have three little girls. He is an Encamp- 
ment member of the I. O. O. F.. and a member of sciences and sixteenth 
principle. 

A. K. PICKLE, 

engineer on the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad, was 
born in Monroe County, Missouri, November 9, 1844. His father, Solo- 
mon, was one of the early settlers in that section. A. K. was raised in 
Audrain County, and was educated at the Seminary in Mexico under the 
tutorship of Professor Skelton. When eighteen years of age he com- 
menced railroading in the capacity of fireman on the Hannibal & St. 
Joe, but his experience for two years was not as pleasant as it might 
have been, owing to fact that the war was in its zenith, and bushwhack- 
ers would tear up the rails, destroy bridges, etc., and it was necessary 
to have the cab lined with boiler iron as a preventative against bullets. 
In 1864 Mr. Pickle enlisted in the Thirty-ninth Missouri, and served 
until the close. After the war he returned to the Hannibal & St. Joseph 
Company, and was in their employ until 1876, the greater portion of the 
time as engineer. In the spring of that year he accepted a position on 
the Kansas City. St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad. He is recog- 
nized as a competent, trustworthy engineer, and is held in high esteem 
by his employers. On the 12th of November, 1869, Miss Angelia Mon- 
tague became his wife. They have two children, Freddie and Alice. 
Mr. Pickle is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers 
and a Mason — Mitchell Chapter. 

JOHN S. PICKETT, 

farmer, section 22, post office St. Joseph, was born in Kenton County, 
Kentucky, December 12th, 1805, and in 1837 came to Missouri and loca- 
ted in Clay County. In 1841, he moved to Platte County, and in 1845, 
came to Buchanan County ; has principally followed farming during life, 
but has also worked at the carpenter trade. His landed estate consists 
of about seven hundred acres of choice land, most of which is well 
improved. Hewas married in December, 1826. to Miss Juda Benson, who 
was born in Kenton County, Kentucky. She died in 1848, leaving 



858 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

nine children, four of whom are living: William, Elijah, John and 
Lavina. Mrs. Eliza Lacy, of Kentucky, became his second wife, her 
maiden name being Tar. By this second union they had five children : 
Joseph and Jerome, (twins) Charles, Emma and Boston. 

JOSEPH A. FINER, 

Mayor of the city of St. Joseph, was born in Boone County, Kentucky, 
August 1st, 1820, and received a fair business education in the common 
schools of his native state. He was the eldest of four brothers. Presley 
Piner, his father, carried on a large tobacco factory, near Florence, in 
Boone County, where he died when young Joseph was but eight years of 
age. On his mother's second marriage, he determined to leave home in 
quest of fortune. Accordingly, with a scanty wardrobe, and no means, 
save willing hands aud a hopeful heart, he began the active journey of 
life. He subsequently found himself in Kenton County, in his native 
state, where he engaged in the service of a merchant ; he was, at that 
period, fifteen years of age. He remained in this store several years, 
rising from one position of trust to another till he became entrusted 
with the direction of the business, at a good salary. He afterwards 
moved to Campbell County, Kentucky, of which he was subsequently 
elected sheriff At the expiration of his term of office he was chosen 
judge of the county court of the same county. In 1862, he moved to 
Buchanan County, Missouri, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits, 
meeting with the most satisfactory success, for the period of four years, 
after which he was burned out, sustaining a loss, in this calamity, of 
$15,000. Since that period he has been engaged in various enterprises. 
In 187 1, he went into the business of transportation, and is now Presi- 
dent of the St. Joseph Omnibus Company. April, 1878, Judge Piner 
was elected, on the Democratic ticket. Mayor of the city of St. Joseph, 
by a majority 804 votes, the largest ever achieved by any candidate in 
this place. His competitor in this election was also a popular and esti- 
mable citizen. In 1880, he was again elected to the position of Mayor, 
by a large majority. In his public career in St. Joseph he has achieved 
the character of a painstaking, capable and impartial officer. August 
I2th, 1853, he married, in Newport, Kentucky, Miss Sophia F. Bennett, 
daughter of Dr. J. Bennett, Surgeon in the United States army. He 
has one daughter, she is the wife of Thomas A. Massey, of St. Joseph. 

DAVID PINGER, 

pork and beef packer, was born in South Germany, March 10, 183 1, and 
is the son of Christian Pinger, who started with his family, consisting of 
his wife and ten children, to the United States in 1833. After a voyage 
of six weeks they landed at New Orleans, and from this place went to 



ST. JOSEPH. 859 

Cincinnati, Ohio, where David was raised. His father was a butcher by 
trade, and at this business the son assisted ; at the same time he had a 
large experience in the ofifice. In 1852 he became impressed with the 
advantages offered by St. Joseph and decided to make it his home. 
Here he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law in the manufac- 
ture of soap, candles, and lard oil. After two years, in connection with 
this business, they engaged in packing, which they continued until 1865. 
At this time Mr. Hauck retired and Mr. W. Zook and J. C. Waterman 
became his partners, and continued the packing business until 1875, 
when the firm dissolved and Mr. Pinger has since been engaged in his 
present business. From 1865 to 1871 Mr. P. was largely interested in 
the Colhoun Bank, and in addition to his stock business he does a large 
wholesale ice trade. Mr. P. is a large tax-payer of the city. He was 
married to Miss Catharine Hauck June 12, 1854. She was born in Cin- 
cinnati. They have three children, Benjamin Franklin, born August 13, 
1856 ; Viola Emilie, born May 29, 1858, and William Oscar, born Novem- 
ber 8, i860. 

HENRY PFEIFF, 

of the Crystal Palace horse shoeing shop, was born in Hessen Darmstadt,, 
Germany, on the 22d of March, 1835, and when sixteen years of age, he 
came to the United States, locating in Virginia. After a short stay 
there, he migrated to Burlington, Iowa, remaining eight years, during 
two of which he operated a shop. He then paid a visit to the old coun- 
try, remaining a short time, and on his return, which was in i860, located 
in St. Joseph. In 1861, he tendered his services to the Union cause, 
and after serving six months, was honorably discharged. He returned 
to St. Joseph, where he has since been engaged in trade. He is a 
skilled veterinary surgeon, and in this profession does a lucrative busi- 
ness. He was married in 1857, to Miss Mary Volheiser. Their family 
consists of Lucinda, Louie, Arthur and Lillie. 



PETER PODVANT, 

feed and sale stable ; was born in Canada East, September 14, 1838, and 
spent his early life in farming. In 1849 he located in St. Charles County, 
where he engaged in farming, and there resided until 1865, when he 
became a resident of St. Joseph. For a number of years he was engaged 
in teaming, and in 1876 embarked in his present vocation. He is a 
thorough horseman, and has made the business a success. He was mar- 
ried F'ebruary i, 1858, to Miss P. Tayon. They have seven children, L. 
A., Florence, Louise, Julius, Nealy, Isabelle, and Frank. 



86o BIOGRAPHICAL. 

FOUNTAIN POINDEXTER, 

superintendent of Duffy Bros.' brick }'ard, \\'a.s born in Anderson Count)-, 
Kentucky, May 8, 1819, and was there reared and educated. His father, 
Robert, was a native of Virginia, and settled in Kentucky in 1784. He 
had been educated for the ministry, but afterwards chose the profession 
of school teaching. He was a soldier in the war of 181 2, under General 
Anthony Wayne, and assisted in "notching the wagon road from Lexing- 
ton, Kentucky, to Cincinnati, Ohio. He was twice married, and by the 
first marriage had six children, and by the second four. Our subject is of 
the latter family. His uncle, George Poindexter, was a prominent poli- 
tician in the State of Mississippi, and was at one time governor, and 
occupied a seat in Congress during the term of service of Davy Crock- 
ett. In 1857 Fountain came to Missouri, locating in Independence, and 
in 1859 came to Buchanan County. For some time he was engaged in 
farming. During the war he was employed in the manufacture of brick, 
and has devoted his attention to that branch of industry principally 
since. He has attained a wide reputation as a brick maker, having had 
forty-eight )ears' experience, and is one of the leaders in that business. 
Mr. Poindexter has been married three times. His first wife was Mary 
Ann Webster, and by her he had five children. His second wife was 
Mary E. Stephens, and by this union three children, of whom J. Albert 
and Joseph D. are li\ing. His third wife was Mrs. Matilda Smith (Gran- 
nis). 

GEORGE W. POOLER, 

dealer in painters' supplies, glass, and artists' goods, was born in Cort- 
land County, New York, I'ebruary 3d, 1826, and was there reared, edu- 
cated and learned the painter's trade. In 1866, he came West and took 
up his abode in St. Joseph. For a time he was clerk in the establish- 
ment of Webb, Fuller & Co., after which he embarked in painting and 
contracting, and has done a great portion of the first-class work of the 
city. In 1880, comprehending the wants of the craft, both in the city 
and throughout the adjoining county, he opened his present wholesale 
and retail house, where is kept a select line of mixed colors, window 
glass, brushes, white lead, dry and distemper colors, varnishes and art- 
ists' sundries. He has had thirty-eight years' experience, and with 
experience is combined close observation, so that he stands at the head 
of his profession. He is a Master Mason and a member of the chapter. 

B. C. PORTER, 

was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, January 23, 1813. His father was 
killed the da\- before his birth. He was raised on a farm, and in 1837, 



ST. JOSEPH. 86 1 

his mother and twin brother, John W., came to Missouri, and settled 
eight miles north of the city of St. Joseph, and improved a fine farm. B. 
C. came in September, 1838, and ])re-empted 160 acres of land, near his 
mother and brother, and went to work with a will to improve it. In 1849, 
he came to St. Joseph and built the first regular livery barn in the place. 
The building is now occupied as a pottery, on Main Street. In 1850, he 
sold out to William Ardery. He then moved on to his farm, where he 
remained until 1862, when he returned to the city, where he has since 
lived. He opened a grocery and operated it for one year, and sold out, 
since which time he has been dealing in real estate, building and improv- 
ing lots, etc. He married Miss Rosanna Ardery, daughter of John and 
Elizabeth Ardery, near Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky, October i, 
1836. Mrs. Porter died March 13, 1880. They were among the most 
active members of the M. E. Church South for forty-three years, being 
members here of the Francis Street Church. They were among the fore- 
most members in all the worthy enterprises, improvements and benevo- 
lences of the church and society. 

F. M. POSEGATE 

was born in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, October nth, 1837, 
and when three years old was taken by his parents to Liberty, Clay 
County, Missouri, where they remained until 1843, ^^id then removed to 
Booneville, Missouri, where the family lived until 1848, and then changed 
their residence to DesMoines, Polk County, Iowa. While living here, 
the subject of our sketch carried the first newspaper ever delivered that 
was printed at that place. In 1850, he returned to Missouri, and, after 
stopping a short time at Weston, in Platte County, he came to St. 
Joseph, and worked at the printing business in the office of the Adven- 
turer, published by E. Livermore, and continued the same business with 
James A. Millan, in the office of the Cycle, and was foreman in this 
office when the Cycle was published by E. C. Davis. In connection with 
James A. Millan, he started the first job office in St. Joseph. In May, 
1858, he started the St. Joseph West. In August, i860, he went to 
Memphis, Tennessee, and was employed in the offices of the Eagle and 
Enquirer, and, a few days before the presidential election, he was com- 
pelled, for his own safety, to leave between two days, owing to his strong 
Union sympathies. He went to Ohio, and, under the first call of Presi- 
dent Lincoln for three years' troops, he enlisted as a private in the 
Forty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and, after passing the several 
grades of promotion, was mustered out as captain, at the close of the 
war. In 1867, he returned to St. Joseph, and took a position on the 
cases of the St. Joseph Herald, and soon after he became business man- 
ager for Wilkinson & Bittinger. In 1869, he bought out the latter's 



862 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

interest, and became a partner of Mr. Wilkinson as proprietor of the 
St. Joseph Herald. This relation existed about one year, when the firm 
sold out to. Hallowell & Bittinger, and he then organized the St. Joseph 
Steam Printing Company, with which he has since been so prominently 
identified. In December, 1877, he was appointed by President Hays 
Postmaster at St. Joseph, and held the position until June 15, 188 1. 
This office he filled with remarkable ability, and his official record is 
without a stain. Politically, he is a staunch Republican, and the party 
find in him an able advocate of their principles. He is a good public 
speaker, and expresses himself in good language, of which he has ready 
command. He married Miss Sarah A. Johnson on the 6th day of Sep- 
tember, 1858. She was born in Highland County, Ohio. Mrs. Posegate 
died July 23, 1878, leaving two daughters, Kate, now Mrs. Robert 
Hughart, and Mamie. 

W. ANGELO POWELL, 

architect, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and was born January 7, 
1828. His early education was received in his native city, after which 
he attended school in Philadelphia. His parents were desirous that he 
should fit himself for the Presbyterian ministry, and were about to send 
him to Princeton, New Jersey, for that purpose. For winters he studied 
medicine with the celebrated Dr. Smith, of Baltimore, with a view of 
becoming a practitioner. However, he abandoned this idea, and com- 
menced the study of architecture in New York City, under Minard 
Lafever, continuing five years. After this, for a time, he pursued his 
vocation in that city. Returning to Baltimore, he studied civil engineer- 
ing under Mr. Lathrop, and assisted in the topography of the Baltimore 
and Ohio Railroad, between Pedivant and Grafton. Next he became 
associated with Robert Mills, an architect on public buildings at Wash- 
ington, D. C, which partnership existed from 1847 to 1853. During this 
time he made the designs for the extension of the United States Capitol, 
the Washington National Monument, Marine Hospital and other public 
buildings. He again returned to Baltimore and was in the architectural 
business with his brothers until 1857, when they went to New York City 
and Mr. Powell came to Cincinnati, Ohio. He had many warm friends 
in Washington and Baltimore, and as a result carried several introduc- 
tory letters to prominent citizens of Cincinnati, which proved very ben- 
eficial. He soon had large offices, employed thirteen draughtsmen, and 
did a flourishing business until the breaking out of the war, when he lost 
$6,000. Becoming acquainted with Generals McClellan and Rosecrans, he 
was prevailed upon to accompany the latter into Virginia, and continued 
as engineer through the war, receiving a captain's commission, and was 
mustered out as Colonel. Was with Generals Cook, Schenck, Piatt, 



ST. JOSEPH. 863 

Siegel and'others. He planned and built the fortifications at Harper's 
Ferry, Winchester and other points. Was in twenty-four engagements, 
once was slightly wounded, had his horse shot from'under him, and was 
twice captured. The first time it was a question of life or death, and he 
shot his captor. On the second occasion, he passed through the lines at 
Harper's Ferry on a pass from General A. P. Hill as a doctor. After the 
war, he became civil engineer for a large mining company at Nashville, 
Tennessee, and was also interested in oil wells. Mr. Powell speculated 
with disastrous results financially. Then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and 
finding the city full of architects, turned towards Missouri. Arriving in 
the autumn of 1866, he located in St. Joseph. Friends in the East advised 
him not to go so far West, as the country was not sufficiently advanced 
to afford him employment. Since locating here, he has designed some 
of the best buildings in the Western country. Mr. Powell has been prac- 
ticing his profession upwards of thirty-three years, and if attention and 
ability deserves its reward, he is certainly worthy. Quite a number of 
young men have studied under him, three of whom are now practicing 
architecture in the West, one in South America, three in the middle 
states and three in the Eastern cities. He has four brothers, three of 
whom studied architecture and. engineering with him. Two of them are 
practicing in Eastern cities. In his early practice he knew all the arch- 
itects in the United States, then about a dozen. In his day architecture 
and civil engineering were studied and practiced jointly as one profes- 
sion. Mr. Powell is a healthy, robust man ; was never sick but once, and 
in that instance, on account of privation in the army. Is of a jovial dis- 
position, a brilliant conversationalist, a close student and keeps up with 
the times in matters pertaining to his profession. Belongs to a long- 
lived race of Marylanders. Was married in 1857, to Miss Celia Gillmyer, 
of Hagerstown, Maryland. They have seven children now living. Lelia 
E. is the wife of William Noyes, of St. Joseph, and they have one child. 

BENJAMIN C. POWELL, 

the subject of this sketch, was one of the first merchants of the city, and 
was born in Virginia, October 15, 18 14. When one year old his father 
moved to Tennessee, near Nashville, where young Powell secured a good 
education. He came to this county and settled in Sparta in 1842, where 
he commenced trading and continued it for one year. In the fall of 
1843 he moved to St. Joseph and started business again, being one of 
the pioneer merchants. In 1862 he discontinued business and went to 
Montana. In 1868 he commenced business in St. Louis, and in 1878 
was burned out with a total loss, since which time he has not been in 
any regular or active business. He married Miss Lucy A. Duffee in 
J 842, in Tennessee. She died in St. Joseph in April, 1879. He was 



864 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

appointed by the legislature one of the first trustees of St. Joseph — 
seven constituting the house. General Loan was clerk of the first 
house. Mr. Powell has been a very successful business man ; has accu- 
mulated a large property here and has large interests in St. Louis, which 
he now calls his home. He has always taken a great interest in the dif- 
ferent enterprises of the town, assisting in building schools, churches, 
and has built several stores and dwellings and has contributed liberally 
to the benevolent institutions of the city of St. Joseph. 

PATRICK POWERS, 

dealer in wines, liquors, etc., was born in County Waterford, Ireland, 
July 25, 1834, and when quite young, his father, John, with the family, 
emigrated to the United States, locating for a time in Massachusetts. 
After this they came West, and engaged in farming, near Bloomington, 
Illinois. In 1856, our subject commenced railroading on the Chicago 
and Alton, as a brakeman, and in 1861, went on the Chicago, Burlington 
ann Quincy, as fireman, between Galesburg and Quincy, remaining one 
year. For six months he was engineer of a stationary engine at Quincy. 
During the spring of 1863, he came on the Hannibal and St. Joseph, and 
in 1865, was placed in charge of an engine, and continued in the employ 
of the old reliable until November, 1869, running for four years passen- 
ger trains. After leaving this company, he was in the employ of the 
Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs, and remained with them 
until June, 1881, when he embarked in trade. He served twenty-five 
years constantly and never received an injury, notwithstanding the 
fact he passed through the entire catalogue of accidents incidental to 
railroading. He was married in 1866, to Miss Ann Colbert. By the 
union the have seven children, Mary, John, Thomas, Annie, Nellie, Nora, 
and Alice. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi- 
neers, St. Patrick's Benevolent Society and the Land League. 

JAMES H. PRATT, 

attorney. The subject of this sketch was born in Linn County, Mis- 
souri, in 1854. He had good school advantages, graduating in the State 
Normal School, and, afterwards, in Columbia State University. He is 
now engaged in the law business. Being an active, energetic young 
man, his efforts will undoubtedly be crowned with success. Law is his 
specialty, and all business entrusted to his care receives prompt atten- 
tion. 
^ PRAWITZ & HAEGELIN, 

manufacturers of carriages, omnibuses, truck and spring wagons. Louis 
Prawitz was born in Prussia, Germany, April 3, 1843. In his sixteenth 



ST. JOSEPH. 865 

year he came to America with his parents locating at Watertown, Wis- 
consin, where he learned the trade he now pursues, and resided there 
until 1864, when he came to St. Joseph. He was in the employ of Stude- 
baker Bros, until 1875 when, in company with Mr. Haegelin, he estab- 
lished the present business. He was married in 1868 to Miss Lena 
Fonx. They have six children, Louis, Felix, Louisa, Rosa, Tilla, and 
Mollie. He is a member of the German Benevolent Society. Richard 
Haegelin was born in Baden, Germany, in 1837, and when fourteen years 
of age came to America with his parents, locating in New York City. 
He learned the trade of carriage making in Manlius, Onondaga County, 
of that State, and after a residence of eight years returned to his native 
country, remaining until 1873. We then find him in Missouri located in 
St. Joseph. For a few years he was in the employ of Studebaker Bros., 
engaging in 1875 in present business in company with Mr. Prawitz. He 
has been twice married ; first, in 1864, to Miss Bertha Hug, whose death 
occurred July 24, 1874. He was again married in 1876 to Miss L. Hug. 
By his first wife has two children, Mary and Richard. He is a member 
of the German Benevolent Society. This firm make a specialty of spring 
and heavy truck wagons. 

W. H. PRINDLE, 

grocer, is a native of Ohio and was born in Seneca County, May 2, 1852. 
He was there reared and educated, and in 1869, went South and was 
engaged in lumbering in Tennessee until 1875, when he became a resi- 
dent of Buchanan County. He engaged in gardening on King Hill, 
where he owns a garden, and for several years assisted in supplying the 
St. Joseph market with vegetables. In April, 1881, he engaged in his 
present business. He is a live business man and well known for his 
uprightness. In 1867, he married Miss Natella Ray, of Ohio. They had 
one daughter, Eva Belle. Mrs. Prindle died in 1879. He is a Master 
Mason. 

S. PRYOR, 

leader and proprietor of Pryor's military band. St. Joseph, in music, as 
in all other arts, ranks among the first cities of her size in the West. 
Mr. S. Pryor has given the city a reputation in this respect that is envi- 
able. Mr. Pryor is a natural musician, and has devoted the greater por- 
tion of his life to the musical world. He was born in Liberty, Missouri, 
May 22, 1844, and came to St. Joseph with his parents in 1854. His 
father, D. Pryor, was favorably known in this city over twenty years ago, 
as an agriculturist and real estate dealer. The subject of our sketch was 
here reared, educated and took the initial steps in music, after which he 
studied under the best teachers and professors of St. Louis and Chicago. 



'866 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

He is one of the pioneer band leaders of the city, and is known far and 
near. For three years he was leader in the Lincoln Opera House, Lin- 
coln, Nebraska, and has made several professional tours. His present 
band was organized in 1865, and reorganized in 1876, under the style of 
Pryor's Military Band. Every member is an expert, and it has few 
•equals in the country. In 1880, the Military Band was in attendance at 
the Knights Templar conclave at Chicago, and received the highest 
•commendation of the press and people. He was married November 29, 
1866, to Miss M. A Coker. They have three children, Walter D., Arthur 
W. and Samuel'O. Walter and Arthur are conceded by all to be among 
the finest musicans of the day, regardless of age, and have made remark- 
able progress in the science. Mr. Pryor is a member of Enterprise 
Lodge, I. O. O. F., in the City of St. Joseph. 

MICHAEL PURCELL, M. D., 

was born in Ireland, in 1820. He came to this country in 1839, and set- 
tled in Rhode Island, remaining until 1848, when he went to Indiana, 
and two years afterwards to St. Joseph. He had fine opportunities for 
obtaining an education, which were eagerly embraced. He studied med- 
icine with some of the best physicians in France and Belgium, and took 
a regular course at the University of Luvanne, where he was graduated, 
receiving the degree of M. D. In his practice he has made very little 
noise or ado, but those who employ him have always found him skilled 
and successful. Was married to Mary Jane Mitchell, in St. Joseph, in 
1855. They have had twelve children. Of these, John, Seeley, Molly, 
William, Frank and George are living. 

JOHN QUIGLEY. 

■civil engineer, etc., was born in the State of Maine in the year 1827. In 
-early boyhood he moved to Pennsylvania, settling in Susquehanna 
County, where he received his literary and scientific education, acquir- 
ing a thorough knowledge of practical engineering and surveying under 
the instruction of the distinguished Professor King. In 1847, he moved 
to Dubuque, Iowa, and in the following year entered the government 
employ as a surveyor, a business which he pursued for many years with 
marked success. Many of the important lines in the State of Iowa were 
run by him. In this experience, in common with his associates, he 
encountered many difficulties and dangers from the hostilities of the 
Indians, who harassed and often destroyed the settlers, but seemed 
•especially inimical to the surveying parties. In his capacity as civil 
^engineer he has done a vast amount of work on different railroads in 
the West. In 1854, he took a contract of subdivisions, and so well 
.and faithfully was the work performed that he was complimented by 



ST. JOSEPH. 867 

the Inspector of Public Surveys on the efficiency of his work, and 
declared to have done the best surveying accomplished that year. In 
consequence of danger from the ^treachery of the Indians, the business 
of surveying was temporarily suspended. He was then offered a part- 
nership in the large mercantile house of his brother-in-law, Lawrence 
Maloney, of Dubuque, Iowa. In view, however, of his prospects of 
securing a large contract in his own line of business, he decided to 
decline the proposition, and continued the pursuit of his profession. In 
J865, he came to St. Joseph. 

JULIAN RABADEUX, 

foreman of the machine shops of the St. Joseph & Western Railway 
is a native of Rense, France, and was born December 22, 1848. When 
quite young his father died, and he came to the United States with his 
mother, locating at Madison, Indiana, where he was reared and educated. 
At seventeen years of age he commenced to learn his trade in the shops 
of the Terre Haute & Indianapolis Railroad at Terre Haute, after which 
he was employed for a time at Vincennes, Indiana-, with the Ohio & 
Mississippi Company, and afterwards returned to the Terre Haute & 
Indianapolis Railroad. In 1872 he came to St. Joseph, and for three 
years was in the employ of the St. Joseph & Denver, when he removed 
to Effingham, Illinois, and was connected with the St. Louis, Vincennes 
& Terre Haute Railroad three years. He again became a resident of 
this city, entering the employ of his present company. He has had the 
practical experience and is one of the most skilled iron workers to be 
found in railroad works. He was married in December, 1875, to Miss 
Clara Richards, of Pennsylvania. They have one child, Perene. Mr. 
. R. is a member of the United Ancient Order of Druids. 

HENRY M. RAMEY. 

now a prominent attorney of St. Joseph, was born in Oktibbeha Count)', 
Mississippi, February 14, 1844. He lived on a plantation till the break- 
ing out of the civil war, when he left his home and enlisted in the Con- 
federate service, joining the Ouachita Blues, then attached to the Fourth 
Louisiana Battalion. He served in many of the most important battles 
of the war, and was wounded in the terrible action of Franklin, Tennes- 
see. The command in which he served surrendered at Greensboro, 
North Carolina, in the spring of 1865, when he returned to his native 
state and spent the remaining months of the year at school. He then 
turned his attention to farming, a business in which he engaged during 
the years 1866 and 1867. This proving unprofitable, he determined to 
try his fortune in the West. His first experience in that, to him, new 



868 EIOHRAPHICAL. 

country, was in trading along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad. Iii 
1868, he landed in St. Joseph, an utter .stranger, and in almost bankrupt 
condition. He, however, had the fortunf to secure employment in a hat 
store, and at the same time began, with that spirit of determination 
which always ensures success, the study of law. His preceptors were 
Judge Henry M. and Allen Vories. By assiduous and laborious applica- 
tion, he soon succeeded in qualifying himself for the bar, and was admit- 
ted to practice in the fall of 1869. As a practitioner, he has met with 
encouraging success, and achieved a reputation which secured, in 1874,. 
his election to the office of prosecuting attorney, a position the duties 
of which he filled with credit to himself, and to the general satisfaction 
of his constituents. As a man, he enjoys that respect which ability and 
integrity always command. Politically he has ever been a zealous Dem- 
ocrat. He was married October 3, 1876, to Miss Adela Vegely, daughter 
of Augustus Vegely, a representative citizen of St. Joseph. They have 
two children. 

JOHN T. RANSOM, 



county treasurer, was born in Lee County, Virginia, December i, 18 19,, 
and came to St. Joseph in the spring of 1857. While a small boy he 
manifested great taste for the mercantile business. He entered a store 
in his native county as clerk, in which position he remained six years. 
At the age of twenty years, in consideration of the value of his services, 
he was taken into partnership, and remained in the business for seven 
years. In the meantime, he bought the interest of his partner in the 
concern. This he afterwards sold out and moved West, coming to St. 
Joseph. He brought a considerable amount of money with him, a part 
of which he loaned at a good rate of interest. He also bought a fine 
farm near the city. He became Deputy County Collector under T. J.. 
Burgess, served through his term, and afterwards for M. M. Claggett,. 
taking the entire charge of the business of the office, which he finally- 
closed up to the entire satisfaction of the county. The ability with 
which he conducted the collector's very difficult duties brought him very 
prominently before the people, and in the fall of 1880 he was elected 
Treasurer of the county. No man stands higher in the estimation ot 
those who have the pleasure of knowing him, or by the tax-payers of the 
county than does Mr. Ransom. He married Martha Fulkerson, in Lee 
County, Virginia, July 7, 1846. They have no children of their own,, 
but Mrs. Ransom lost a sister who left an infant daughter, Letta Poteet. 
They cared for and educated her as their own child. She grew up an 
accomplished lady, and was married to A. Kirkpatrick, of this city. She 
died January, 1876. 



ST. JOSEPH. 869 

E. W. RAY, 

of the firm of Dougherty, Ray & Co., lumber dealers, St. Joseph, was 
born in Randolph County, North Carolina, July 2d, 1832. His parents 
emigrated to Missouri, settling on a farm in Buchanan County in 1841. 
Inclined by nature to mercantile rather than to agricultural pursuits, he 
determined to abandon the plow, and in 1866, embarked in general mer- 
chandise, in partnership with Mr. Morris, in St. Joseph. After a suc- 
cessful and highly satisfactory experience of four years in this connec- 
tion he sold out his interest in the same, and associated himself in the 
lumber trade with Dougherty and others, thus instituting the firm of 
Dougherty, Ray & Co., now (1881) one of the representative firms of 
St. Joseph. November 18, 1858. Mr. Ray married Miss Fannie J. Sny- 
der, a native of Indiana, born in 1838. The result of this union was two 
children: Mary F., born August 5th, 1859, died July 13, 1870, and Mark 
E., born November 3d, 1861. Mr. Ray had the misfortune to lose his 
first wife. June 24, 1879, he married Miss India Cowden, a native of 
Indiana, and a lady who achieved an enviable reputation as an instruc- 
tor of youth. She went to St. Joseph in i860, and there opened a pri- 
vate school, which she taught with success till 1864. She afterwards 
accepted a position in the public schools of St. Joseph, discharging, with 
distinguished ability, the duties of principal of the Everett School in 
that city, during a period of seven years, retiring from the profession 
in 1879, to the universal regret of the many who knew and appreciate 
her sterling worth. 

W. J. REA. 

'■ If yourself correct you'd see, 
Have the photo taken by Rea " 

This gentleman is a native of Canada, and was born May 8, 1838. Was 
there reared and educated, learning his profession in the State of New- 
York, and there he conducted studies for a number of years ; also, in 
Canada and Michigan. Previous to this he was in the employ of some 
of the brightest lights of the photographic world. In 1876, he located in 
St. Joseph. He does all kinds of photo work — India ink, crayon, etc., 
and has well appointed and furnished rooms. He is a member of the I. 
O. O. F. Encampment. 

REV. T. S. REEVE 

was born in Massachusetts October 5, 1806, and resided there till he was 
twenty-one years of age when he emigrated to the state of Vermont, 
where he was engaged in farming for the space of three years. At the 
end of this period, he returned to his native state, and entered as a 
student a school at Wilbraham where he remained one \ear, when he 



870 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

went to Hartford, where he attended school two years. He then located 
in Troy, where he began his first experience as a teacher, continuing for 
two years, when he removed to Vermont, where he took charge of 
another school. His next move was to Richmond, Virginia, where he 
enlisted as city missionary, serving one year. He then took up his 
abode in Stanton, and from that place moved to Roanoke. After a 
brief residence in the latter town, he moved to Louisburg, where he 
engaged in the study of law and practice of the same till 1840. In 1837^ 
he was married to Miss Elizabeth J. Huff, a native of Virgina, and 
daughter of James P. and Elizabeth Huff They have had five children^ 
of whom two are (1881) living, James E., a druggist of Kansas City^ 
and Mary B. Reeve, who continues to reside with her parents. In 1840, 
Mr. Reeve moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he practiced his pro- 
fession till 1843, in the fall of which year he abandoned the law and was 
licensed by the Palmyra Presbytery to preach. He immediately moved 
to Gentry County, serving there and in Holt County as an itinerant 
minister till the spring of 1844, when he moved to St. Joseph, where he 
located, in company with a number of others, and immediately set to 
work to build a church out of logs, which they cut in the neighboring 
woods. This primitive structure was the "old log church" referred to 
in the body of this history, and the first ecclesiastical structure ever 
erected within the limits of the town. During the building of this 
church, and till the following year, Mr. Reeve, with his family, lived in a 
stable. He then cut, with his own hands, the timbers and reared a little 
log hut for a residence for himself and family. His entire capital in 
money amounted, at that time, to but three dollars. He subsequently 
received a salary of two hundred dollars per annum from the American 
Missionary Society. He discharged, during the space of twelve suc- 
ceeding years, the duties of pastor of this church, during which period 
he had the satisfaction of noting the development of the obscure village 
into the great and prosperous city of St. Joseph. In the fall of 1855, he 
moved to St. Louis, Missouri; thence to Syracuse, New York, where he 
was pastor of a Presbyterian Church one year. He then returned to 
Missouri and located at St. Charles. At the end of two years he 
removed to St. Louis, and thence to Ironton, Ohio, where he remained 
in charge of a church four years. His next move was to Hannibal, Mis- 
souri, where he resided six months in the capacity of agent for a mission- 
ary society. He subsequently moved to Rushville, Illinois; thence to 
Lincoln, Illinois, where he had charge of a Congregational Church one 
year, when he moved to Savannah, Missouri, and there became pastor 
of the Presbyterian Church. At the end of two years, the church 
becoming financially embarrassed, he resigned, and moved to Kansas 
City, where he erected a dwelling house and store in which he embarked 
in the drug and dry goods trade with his son, James E., to whom, at the 



ST. JOSEPH. 871 

end of a year, he sold out. He has since continued to live in Kansas 
City a quiet and retired life. 

REESE & McMACHEN, 

house, sign and ornamental painters and paper hangers. V. C. Reese 
was born in Wayne County, Kentucky, October 17, 1843, ^^^ ^^as 
reared and educated in that state, learning his trade at Louisville. He 
afterwards migrated to Kansas, residing there for seventeen years, and 
in 1874, took up his abode in St. Joseph. In 1865, Miss Matilda T. Her- 
bert became his wife. They have six children: Camile G., Lillian L., 
Edna A., Edith E., Vincent and Parish G. S. D. MacMachen was born 
in Baltimore, Maryland, December 28, 1853, and in 1858, came to St. 
Joseph with his parents, and here his father, John H., is well known as 
a carpenter and builder. Sam. passed his boyhood days, was educated 
and learned his profession in this city. In 1878, he married Miss Jose- 
phine Kinsley, of St. Joseph. They have one daughter, Cristenia C. 
Messrs. Reese & McMachen are first-class workmen, gentlemen of the 
truest type, and command a large patronage. 

H. C. REGISTER, 

architect and builder, was born in New Hanover County, North Carolina, 
August 5, 1844, the place of his birth being near Moore's Creek, of Rev- 
olutionary War fame. He here spent his boyhood days on a farm, and 
upon reaching his majority in 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Sixty- 
sixth North Carolina, and participated at the engagements of Peters- 
burg, Appomattox, forks of the James River and others ; was wounded 
May 27, 1864, after which he returned home. He learned his trade in 
the Mississippi Valley and Texas, doing bridge building, and came to 
St. Joseph in 1867, since which time he has done a large amount of work, 
both in the city and county. He has natural ability as a draughtsman 
and makes most of his designs. In 1877, he married Miss Martha J 
Montgomery. By this union they have one son — William Lee. 

MRS. MORANDA REID, 

section 27, Postoffice St. Joseph, is a daughter of Major William C. Con- 
nett, of whom mention is made elsewhere, and was born in Fayette 
County, Kentucky, January 20, 1828. She was there partly reared, and 
in Scott County, Kentucky, and was educated in the common schools, 
and also attended the convent at Lexington, Kentucky. In the spring 
of 1839, she came with her parents to Buchanan County, Missouri. 
April 5, 1855, she was married to Walker G. Reid, who was born August 
16, 1814, in Loudoun County, Virginia. When five years of age his 



8/2 BIOGRAPHICAI.. 

parents moved to Mason County, Kentucky. In r835 he was married to 
Miss Lustey, who died fourteen months afterwards, and he then spent 
several months steamboating on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. In 
the spring of 1843 he married Miss Sarah Burgess, and in the spring of 
1844 came to Missouri and located in Buchanan County. In 1850 he 
went to California and returned in 1852, and in 1854 his second wife 
died. By his third wife he had eight children, six now living, John, born 
June II, 1857; Benjamin F., born November 5. 1859; Charles W., born 
March 25, 1862 ; Alverda W. (known as Birtie Reid), born November 5, 
1864; Gertrude G., born August 2, 1868, and Stella S., born in 1871. 
The farm which Mrs. R. now occupies contains three hundred acres, 
being mostly improved. Since the death of her husband she has carried 
on the farm. She takes considerable interest in the education of her 
children in both science and music. 

G. A. RIBLET. 

of the firm of Niles, Riblet & Co., proprietors of the Vulcan Machine 
Shop, was born in West Virginia, July 14, 1846, and there reared, edu- 
cated, and learned his trade. In 1869, he came to Nebraska, and for 
three years conducted a blacksmith shop at Tecumseh. In 1873, he took 
up his abode in St. Joseph, and for six years was in the employ of the 
Union Foundry, after which he became one of the firm of Chase, Riblet 
& Co., which was changed to the present firm name. He is an accom- 
plished workman, and numbered among the leading iron-workers of the 
city. 

JOHN D. RICHARDSON. 

merchant, was born in Clark County, Virginia, in 1849. Received a col- 
legiate education at Hampden Sidney College, in Prince Edward 
County, Virginia, and came to St. Joseph in 187 1. Here he engaged 
with R. L. McDonald & Co. as stock clerk, remaining in their employ 
until the spring of 1874. Was then employed by Fallis, Trice & Co. as 
salesman. In 1876, Henderson & Co. bought out the firm of Fallis, 
Trice & Co., when Mr. Richardson and Mr. Wyatt took charge of the 
business for the company. In July, 1876, the present well known and 
popular firm of Townsend, Wyatt & Co. bought out the store, the busi- 
ness of which they have since continued to conduct. Mr. Richardson 
married Miss Mary C. Furguson in 1874. They have two boys, John 
H., and Herbert PVeddie. 

THOMAS L. RICKETTS. 

carpenter and builder, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 
7, 1S16, andwas reared and learned his trade principally in his native 



ST. JOSEPH. 873 

city. In 1834, the subject of this sketch removed to Ohio, and in 1836 
located in Indiana. For several years he was in the employ of the Mad- 
ison and Indianapolis Railroad, in the car department, and in 185 i came 
to Holt County, Missouri, and pursued his trade until 1855, when he 
removed to Brownville, Nebraska, and built the first frame house in that 
town. He also erected a saw mill for Ben. Frazer & Co. In 1864, he 
came to St. Joseph, and the same year enlisted in Company C, Forty- 
fourth Missouri, serving one year. He participated at the battle of 
Spanish Fort and other engagements. In 1837, Miss Sarah J. Robinson 
became his wife. They have six children — Charles Wesley, John, George, 
Benjamin, Robert and Mary. 

WILLIAM RIDENBAUGH. 

Wm. Ridenbaugh was born in Bedford, Pennsylvania, on the 19th day of 
February, 182 1. He was apprenticed to the printing business at an ear- 
ly age, and learned the trade thoroughly. In 1843 he came to Liberty, 
Missouri, and engaged in the publication of a paper at that place. In 
the spring of 1845 he came to St. Joseph, and issued the first number of 
the first paper ever published in this city — the St. Joseph Weekly Ga- 
zette, moving his printing office from Liberty for that purpose. In Au- 
gust, 1852, he sold the office to Charles F. Holly, of Savannah, who sub- 
sequently sold an interest in it to Gen. L. J. Eastin, and then bought it 
back again, and finally, on the nth of October, 1854, sold the office to 
Pfouts & Cundiff, who continued the publication of the paper until the 
breaking out of the rebellion. On the 28th of June, 1868, the publica- 
tion of the paper was resumed by Mr. Ridenbaugh, Col. Cundiff and 
Peter Nugent, who continued to publish it until 1872, when the interest 
of the former was disposed of to his son. In August. 1852, Mr. Riden- 
baugh was elected to the office of Clerk of the Circuit Court, a position 
he held for twelve years. In November, 1870, he was re-elected to the 
same position, which he continued to hold up to the time of his death. 
He was also at one time Judge of the County Court for a brief period, 
and served as member of the City Council for two years. He was for 
years Chairman of the Democratic Central Committee, and always took 
an active part in the management of every political campaign. He was 
also twice a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions. He was 
for many years a Director of the Northwestern Fair Association, and at 
different times occupied a prominent position in almost every compan}- 
that has ever been organized in St. Joseph. In 1846, Mr. Ridenbaugh 
was married to Miss Hannah Creal, daughter of H^ S. Creal, Esq., of 
Wathena, who died in 1866, leaving six children. In 1870 Mr. Riden- 
baugh was again married to Mrs. Mary Baker, daughter of Major George 

Young, who survives him. The issue of the marriage was one son, 

54 



874 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

George. For nearly thirty years he was a citizen of St. Joseph, and his 
name has been identified with almost every public enterprise that con- 
tributed to its prosperity. He was the foremost in every movement that 
his own judgment induced him to believe was right, and adhered to his 
principles with a tenacity strong as life itself. Warm-hearted, impul- 
sive, generous almost to a fault, his house was always a home for those 
who stood in need ; his purse was ever open for the relief of the suffer- 
ing. No man who ever resided in St. Joseph has given more in public 
or private charity, and none ever gave more willingly. As a friend he 
was staunch and true to the last. A hundred acts of kindness on his 
part remain to be remembered in all the years to come, and the more 
to be remembered, probably, because they were the less deserved. He 
died October i8th, 1874. 

ISAAC VAN RILEY, 

son of Isaac V. and Matilda Riley, was born in 1830, in Montgomery 
County, Maryland. He was the third of a family of six children. He 
was raised a farmer, and educated in his native county. In 1850, he 
moved to Missouri, and settled in St. Joseph, where he engaged as clerk 
in the general store of Middleton & Riley, first in St. Joseph, and after- 
wards in Weston, where he remained in business about three years, at 
the end of which period he returned to St. Joseph. In 1858, he was 
elected Clerk of the County Court of Buchanan County, a position the 
duties of which he discharged so acceptably that, at the close of his 
official term, in 1862, he was again elected to the position, which he filled 
during another four years' term. In 1867, he took charge of the City 
Mills, in St. Joseph, which he continued to operate several years. In 
1868, he was elected a member of the City Council of St. Joseph, serv-* 
ing two years. In 1874, he was, for the third time, elected. Clerk of the 
County Court. The duties of this position he discharged with his. usual 
ability, from January, 1875, to April of the same year, on the 24th of 
which month he died, after a short illness. Few men have enjoyed so 
large a share of personal popularity, in St. Joseph, as did Isaac Van 
Riley. So great was the esteem and regard in which he was held in the 
county, that the Governor was petitioned to appoint, as his successor, 
his son Edward V., the present popular clerk, requesting, at the same 
time, to defer the apointment a week or two, till he (the son) should 
achieve his majority, the young man, not being, at the time of his father's 
death, of eligible age. This, in obedience to the wish of the large num- 
ber of petitioners, was done. As an evidence that none who signed his 
petition have had cause to regret their act, after a service of three years 
and nine months, Mr. Riley was elected to the office by a large majority. 
Isaac Van Riley was married in St. Joseph, in 1852, to Miss Frances N 



ST. JOSEPH. 875 

Johnson, daughter of Nels'^n Johnson, Esq., of Shelbyville, Kentucky. 
He left four children : Edward V., above referred to, born in 1854 ; Nel- 
son J., the present popular Deputy County Clerk, born in 1858 ; Fannie 
S., born in 1862, and Amos W., born in 1869. 

JAMES H. RINGO, 

was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, September 25, 1834. He came 
to Platte County, Missouri, with his father, David P. Ringo, in Novem- 
ber, 1844, and to Buchanan County in the fall of 1845, where he has 
resided all the time since. By hard work, and under adverse circum- 
stances, he received a liberal education, and at twenty years of age began 
teaching school, receiving his first certificate as a teacher from Judge 
William C. Toole, who was then Superintendent of Public Schools in 
Buchanan County. He was regarded as a very successful teacher, and can 
point to a number of young men in the county who have arrived at distinc- 
tion among whom are R. H. Thomas, present Sheriff of Buchanan County ; 
Stephen C. Woods, a prominent lawyer of Platte County: Dr. J. R. Wood- 
son, now a successful practitioner at Agency, Missouri ; Benjamin Wood- 
son, a member of the Missouri Legislature in 1880 and 1881, and O. M. 
Spencer, Jr., now prosecuting attorney for Buchanan County. In the 
capacity of teacher he was really an educator, a maker of men, as his 
labors in the school successfully show. June 24, 1858, he was married to 
Miss Sara C. Spencer, daughter of O. M. Spencer, Sr., then residing in 
the lower part of Buchanan County. In 1857, he began reading law, as 
he could spare the time from other duties, and in 1862, he removed with 
his family to St. Joseph, and completed his law studies with Judge Sam- 
uel Ensworth, and began the practice of law in St. Joseph, where he con- 
tinued until July, 1878, when he began the publication of an evening 
newspaper, called the Evening Post, which was afterwards changed to 
the Evening Chronicle. As an editorial writer he is clear, plain, forcible 
and fearless. After running his paper a few months, he sold it to other 
parties, and took a position on the editorial staff of the St. Joseph Daily 
Gazette, where he continued until April, 1880, when he was elected to 
the office of City Register, for the City of St. Joseph, for the term of two 
years which he now holds. While engaged in the practice of law he was 
very successful, very seldom losing a case, and won many important 
cases in the Supreme Court of the State. To show his energy and deter- 
mination in the interest of his clients, he fought one single case for seven 
years, reversing it three times in the Supreme Court, on account of incor- 
rect instructions given by the Circuit Judge. Out of the number of cases 
he tried in the Supreme Court, the records show that he lost one. In 
1874, he was selected by the Democratic Congressional Convention as 
chairman of the Democratic Congressional Committee, for the Ninth 



8/6 IJIOGRAPHICAL. 

Congressional District, and was successful in electing Hon. Dalvid Rea 
to Congress from that district, the first Democratic congressman the dis- 
trict had elected for fourteen years. He was prominent!}' spoken of as 
a candidate for Congress from his district, but gave no encouragement 
to it, upon the ground that he could do the party more good as Chairman 
of the Congressional Committee than as a candidate for Congress. Under 
his administration as Chairman of the Committee, Hon. David Rea was 
elected to the second term by a largeh' increased majorit}- over his first 
vote. Mr. and Mrs. R. have seven children— Martin D., Allie L., Enzie 
O., Samuel E., Oliver N., Lina C. and Leona B. 

ROBERTS & HALL, 

dealers in groceries, boots, shoes and general merchandise. This firm 
commenced business in St. Joseph during the earl}' part of 1881. Their 
stock is among the most select to be found, and being courteous and 
affable gentlemen, they command a liberal trade. Edgar Roberts was 
born in Harrison County, Missouri, November 17. 1855. His father, W. 
W. Roberts, was an early settler of that county, and soon after the war 
migrated to Buchanan County, locating five miles southeast of St. Joseph, 
engaging in agricultural pursuits. Here Edgar was educated, raised and 
resided until he embarked in trade. R. P. Hall is a nati\'e of Missouri, 
and was born in Harrison County, November 11, 1852. When compara- 
tively young his father, \V. P. Hall, removed with his family, including 
R. P., to Buchanan County, locating in Washington Township, east of 
St. Joseph, where he engaged in farming, and our subject here developed 
into manhood and was educated and remained, pursuing the vocation of 
his boyhood days until he made his departure in rriercantile pursuits. 

ERASTUS ROBINSON. 

yard master of the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R. Co., was born in Nauvoo, 
Hancock County, Illinois, November 7, 1843. His father, Josiah, removed 
with the family to Ouincv', Illinois, when our subject was quite }'oung. 
He commenced railroading with the H. & St. J. Co. when a mere bo}', 
and worked in various departments for ten years, as baggageman, freight 
and passenger conductor, etc. Was in the emplo}' of the St. L., K. C. & 
N. R. R. for a time, and in 1874 entered the emplo}- of the K. C, St. J. 
& C. B. R. R. Co. as freight conductor. When the yard was opened in 
St. Joseph, he took his present position. In 1879, he embarked in the 
coal oil trade, delivering oil in small and large quantities, to any part of 
the city. It is a great con\'enience to the consumers, and Mr. R. has 
secured a substantial trade in the enterprise. He married in 1866, Miss 
Elizabeth Lewis. They have one son — P>astus Wyman. Mr. R. is a 
member of the Masons, K. of H., and a charter member of St. Johns 
Lodge, Hannibal. 



ST. JOSEPH. 877 

WILLIAM ROBERTSON, 

dealer in furniture. One of the pioneer physicians of Buchanan County, 
and one who figured more or less prominently with the medical fratern- 
ity, was Dr. A. H. Robertson, who took up his residence in St. Joseph in 
1853. He practiced his profession up to the time of his demise, which 
occurred in 1870. His son, William, the subject of this sketch, is a native 
of Missouri, and was born in Boone County, on November 25, 1837. Was 
there reared, educated and resided until he came to St. Joseph, in the 
spring of 1853, and soon after his arrival engaged in the grocery trade. 
This he continued until the breaking out of the rebellion. After the war 
again engaged in the grocery trade in this city, continuing up to 1877,. 
when he commenced his present business. Mr. Robertson is an unas- 
suming, courteous gentleman, and commands the respect of a wide circle 
of acquaintances. 

W. J. ROBERTSON, 

head engineer of the Glucose W^orks, is a native of Aberdeen, Scotland, 
and was born August 25, 1855. When twelve years of age he emigrated 
to Canada with his parents, locating in Belleville. His father, John Rob- 
ertson, was a machinist, and for a number of years, has been superin- 
tendent of the gas works in that city. W. J. was there educated and 
learned his trade, and eventually migrated to Detroit, Michigan, 
where he worked as journeyman for several years. In 1878, he 
became a resident of this city, and for some time was a machin- 
ist in the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Rail- 
road. Upon the opening of the Glucose Works he took his present posi- 
tion. He is a machinist and engineer of more than ordinary skill, and 
keeps familiarized with the new ideas in the mechanical world. 

HERMAN ROSENBLATT, 

musician and dealer in dry goods and notions, was born December 3, 
1829, at Hansen, Bavaria, where he was raised and received a good mus- 
ical education. In 1853 he emigrated to America, arriving at New 
York City. Soon after he went to Albany, New York, where he ac- 
cepted an engagement as a musician in Utica. There he staid one year, 
and also learned the trade of cigar manufacturing. In 1854 he came to 
St. Joseph and joined partnership with his two brothers, Samuel and 
Levi, in the grocery business. This was continued up to 1861. In 
1862, with his brother-in-law, Leopold Cohen, he opened a dry goods 
and grocey store, which they kept for one year. In 1865 he was enabled 
to engage in business on his own account and one year later engaged 
exclusively in the dry goods and notions trade. Since his arrival in St. 



8/8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Joseph Mr. R. has devoted the greatest part of his time to musical af- 
fairs. In 1854 he formed the St. Joseph Band, known then by every- 
body under the name of Rosenblatt's Band. He married March 4, 1861, 
Miss Minnie Cohen, a native of Bristol, England. They had eight chil- 
dren — Julius, born May 24, 1862; Fanny, born January i, 1864, died in 
1865; Frank, born September 10, 1866; Henry, born September 19, 
1867; Leopold, born April 22, 1870, died in six months ; Emma, born 
February 14, 1872; Rose, born November 2, 1876; Herbert, born Octo- 
ber 19, 1879. 

WILLIAM DOUGHERTY RUSK, 

born in Woodford County, Kentucky, on the 15th day of June, 1850, came 
to Missouri at an early age with his parents, who settled in St. Joseph. 
He was a member of the first class graduated from the St. Joseph High 
School, the other male members of the class being Dr. Wm. R, Hall, 
Assistant Surgeon U. S. A., and W. P. Hall, Jr., late Prosecuting Attor- 
ney for Buchanan County. Soon after graduating he went to New Eng- 
land for the purpose of pursuing an extended course of study, a pur- 
pose, however, which he was compelled to forgo by an affection of the 
eyes, for which the most eminent oculists he could consult told him 
nothing could be done, and which for a time threatened him with per- 
manent blindness. In 1871, not yet being able to use his eyes, he was 
appointed teacher of mathematics in the St. Joseph High School, a posi- 
tion for which he was eminently fitted by reason not only of his natural 
aptitude and fondness for that branch, but also of the thorough and 
comprehensive course of study he had given it. But he soon discovered 
qualities far more important to the teacher of the young than the posses- 
sion of knowledge or even the ability to impart it, the rare faculty of 
arousing in others a thirst for wisdom. An unvarying modesty of man- 
ner, united with a quiet firmness, secured for him at once the respect and 
obedience of his pupils, who could not fail to be more honest and frank 
from their association with one whose every word and act gave evidence 
of the most unselfish honesty of purpose. As soon as his eyes w&uld 
permit, he resumed a systematic course of reading and study, which he 
has since pursued with an assiduity and ardor equalled only by his earn- 
est and conscientious discharge of the laborious duties of teacher. His 
own habits of study have doubtless done much to inspire his pupils, for 
it is pleasanter to drink from a running stream than a stagnant pool, 
however deep the latter may be. Upon the resignation of the former 
principal of the school, Mr. Rusk was appointed to fill the vacancy, and 
the success crowning his efforts in that arduous and responsible position 
proves the wisdom of the appointment. He has shown not only unusual 
executive ability, but also an appreciation of the fact that the art of edu- 
cation is as yet in its infancy, and a commendable desire and readiness 



ST. JOSEPH. 879 

to make every practicable endeavor to leave the ruts which it is often 
easier to follow than it is to originate and develop new and improved 
methods of instruction. He is especially interested is devising how to 
make the public school system more potent in the formation of manly 
character. It is to the interest of every community to see that the pro- 
fession of teaching be made sufficiently remunerative to retain, if possi- 
ble, such instructors within its ranks from which they are continually 
enticed by the more promising rewards offered by other professions and 
callings, 

GEORGE W. RUSCO, 

carpenter and builder, is a native of the State of New York, where he 
was born, September 3, 1833. He was there raised until he attained his 
eighteenth year, when he migrated to Wisconsin, living in different parts 
of that state, until 1864, learning his trade in the meantime. In 1864, 
he came to St. Joseph, and has devoted his attention to his profession, 
erecting many fine and imposing edifices, which indicates that he is no 
amateur. He was married, in Wisconsin, to Miss M. F.- Saunders, a 
native of New York. They have four children : Charles, Alice, Elmer, 
and Lydia. 

H. A. RUSSELL, 

general agent for the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company, 
was b.orn in Akron, Ohio, August 30, 1840, and was there reared until he 
attained his fifteenth year, when his father, H. F. Russell, who was a 
miller, removed to Monmouth, Illinois. There he engaged in the mill- 
ing business. The senior Russell was among the early settlers of the 
Buckeye state, locating there in 1822, The subject of this sketch at the 
breaking out of the rebellion tendered his services to the Union cause, 
enlisting in Company F, Seventeenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The 
greater portion of the time he was on detached service ; was special pos- 
tal agent at General Grant's headquarters, and had charge of eastern 
military mail for division of the Mississippi. He participated in the 
battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and other notable engagements ; was 
honorably discharged in 1864. Returning to Illinois, he engaged in the 
milling business with his father, continuing until 1867, when he came to 
Kansas City, and, until 1869, was bookkeeper for the Novelty Milling 
Company. After this, he was in the employ of his present company 
then known as the North Missouri Railroad. On the ist of Ju»ly, 1875^ 
he was stationed at St. Joseph. Mr. Russell has a host of friends in this 
city, and among the masses of the traveling public. He was married, in 
1869, to Miss Agnes R. Anderson, a native of Ohio. They have four 
children : Maggie, George, Frank and Fred. He is a Mason, and a 
member of I. O. U. W. 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 

O. RUST, 

manufacturer of well augers and drills, is a native of Oakland County,. 
Michigan, and was born November 21, 1828. Was there reared, edu- 
cated, learned, and, afterwards conducted, the marble trade for a num- 
ber of years. He operated the same business in Wisconsin, Illinois,. 
Indiana, and, in 1870, came to Macon City, Missouri, where he engaged 
in business. In 1873, he commenced operating a well auger. Being a 
man possessed of a large amount of inventiveness, he set to work to- 
produce an auger that would economize on time and labor, and the result 
of his ideas was in placing before the world the Old Reliable Rust 
Auger. He continued still in sinking wells, and, in 1876, commenced to- 
manufacture at Macon City, Missouri. The merits of this good article 
soon became known, and the demand was so great that, in the spring of 
1880, he commenced to manufacture in St. Joseph, where better facilities 
were offered. Also, for one and one-half years his maaiufacturing was 
done at Fort Wayne, Indiana. Some estimate of his business may be 
inferred from the fact, that his sales, in 1880, footed upwards of $25,000. 
His trade extends into nearly every state in America. The Eagle Drill- 
ing Machine, another of his patents, although but recently placed on the 
market, is rapidly becoming popular in the mining regions of the West,, 
as well as Eastern States. Mr. R.'s father, Clement Porter Rust, was a 
prominent citizen, and figured conspicuously and successfully in Michi- 
gan politics. Our subject was married, in 1S55, to Miss Helen Porter, of 
Vermont. They have four children ; Ida M, Kittie, Clara and Frank. 

WILLIAM SALLEE, 

farmer, Section 15, Postoffice St. Joseph, was born ia Green County, Ken- 
tucky, May 6, i82i,and when twelve years of age, his parents removed to 
Morgan County, Illinois, where they remained eighteen months, and 
then removed to Lee County, Iowa. Here his father,. John, died in 1841,. 
and in 1842 Mrs. S. and her family returned to Morgan County, Illinois, 
where she died in 1852. William came from Lee County, Iowa, to Mis- 
souri in the fall of 1838, and in the fall of 1839 came to Buchanan County. 
He w-as reared on a farm, and has followed farming during life. His 
landed estate consists of 800 acres, of which 310 are in the home farm. 
He was married December 25, 1845, to Miss Josephine Hunter. She was 
born in Cumberland Cou^ity, Kentucky, October 31, 1828. They have 
had twelve children, seven of whom are living— Joseph H., born Novem- 
ber 13, 1849; William M., born February 24, 1853 ; George A., born Feb- 
ruary 4, 1855; Mollie L., born July 17, 1859; PLmily J., born November 
27, 1861 ; Margery M., socially known as Nattie,, born June 11, 1863;, 
and Ouantrell, born I-^ebruary 10, 1867.. 



ST. JOSEPH. 88 1 

GEORGE W. SAMUEL 

was born June 4, 1810, at Newcastle, Henry County, Kentucky. At the 
age of seventeen he left school, for want of means to further prosecute his 
studies, owing to his father's reverses in business, whereby he lost his once 
ample fortune. In feeble and delicate health, he started to seek his for- 
tune in the West, and reached Fayette, Howard County, in November, 
1828, his capital at this time being fifty cents, his mother's parting bless- 
ing, and a clear conscience. He entered the mercantile house of Harrison, 
Glasgow & Ross. After remaining with them two years, he had so won 
the comfidence of his employers that, with their aid and commendation, 
he embarked in business in Chariton, Missouri, but on account of 
unhealthiness of the location, he removed to Huntsville, Randolph 
County. The settlement, not affording trade enough for his energies, 
he formed a partnership with the Lawrences, of Columbia, in 1834. In 
1835, they erected the first paper mill west of the State of Ohio, at 
Rockbridge, Boone County. The depreciation of state banks, at this 
time, produced a panic, which, added to the burning of their paper mill, 
brought the firm into depressed circumstances. Mr. Samuel's declining 
health required a change of climate, and a sea voyage was recommended. 
The vessel, upon which he took passage, was wrecked near the Bemici 
Islands, on Moselle Rock. He managed to get back to Missouri, a mere 
skeleton, and penniless. Through the assistance of a friend, he embarked 
in the packing business, but the experiment was unfavorable. He next 
engaged in steamboating on the river, but this proved disastrous. Mr. 
Samuel's reverses emboldened him to try other fields, with new hope,, 
and, in 1838, removed to Platte City. In Martinsville he erected a neat, 
plain cottage, the first house upon which a saw, hammer and plane were 
used in the Platte Country. This house was occupied afterwards by 
Hon. David R. Atchison, for one day President of the United States. 
He was one who foresaw the great future of the site upon which the City 
of St. Joseph now stands. A company was formed to buy it, a bargain 
for the pre-emption right, for $1,600, made between them and the pro- 
prietor, but for a trivial offence, given by one of the party, the owner 
refused to carry out his agreement. Mr. Samuel then embarked in the 
mercantile business in Savannah, Missouri, where he remained until 
i860, at which time he found his fortune again restored. Being driven 
out by the war, after suffering great loss, he removed to St. Joseph, in 
1868, and organized the St. Joseph Fire and Marine Insurance Company, 
and, for a time, was its President. He has been interested in stores, in 
the Counties of Howard, Boone, Clay, Chariton, Randolph, Ray, Lafay- 
ette, Clinton, Caldwell and Andrew, and has always been noted for his 
indomitable energy and integrity, passing through all the panics from 
1837 to 1877, making no compromise with his creditors, but paying 



■"882 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

always one hundred cents on the dollar, and it is a well known fact that 
he owes no man a just debt, and that, to his knowledge, never wronged 
a fellow creature. Mr. Samuel is one of nature's noblemen, a friend in 
need, a counsellor in trouble, and a sympathizer in sorrow's dark hour. 
His business tact and commercial integrity are too well known to need 
mention. Mr. Samuel was married, in 1838, to Miss Rebecca T. Todd, 
daughter of the late Judge Todd, early in life a Captain under General 
Harrison, in the war of 1812. She died on the 26th day of July, 1865. 
A month later, on the 26th of August, his only son, Colonel David Todd 
Samuel, was killed at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain. Mr. Samuel has 
three daughters : Eliza B., wife of Henry W. Yates, of Omaha ; Annie 
I, now Mrs. John S. Lemon, and Florence T., now Mrs. T. Johnson. 

JOHN SANDERS, 

of the firm of Sanders & Hawman, merchants, was born in Toronto, Can- 
ada, February 24, 1838, and was there reared and educated. For a num- 
ber of years he pursued the vocation of school teaching. In 1861, went 
to California, and engaged in mining, and also for a time worked on the 
Comstock Lode, at Virginia City. After five years, he returned to Can- 
ada. Sojourned a short time there, and then came to Stewartsville, 
Missouri, and engaged in merchandising, the firm being McCrosky & 
Sanders, afterwards Sanders & McCrosky, and later Mr. Sanders became 
sole proprietor. In the spring of 1880, he came to St. Joseph, and during 
the winter of 188 1 engaged in trade. He was married in 1868, to Miss 
Emily Johnson. They have three children — Mabel, Luella and Annie. 
His father, Henry, and his forefathers, were natives of New York. Mr. 
.Sanders is a member of the I. O. O. F. 

ANTON SANNER, 

•contractor in stone masonry, is a native of Switzerland, and was born 
July 17, 183 1. His education was received in his native country, and he 
there learned the stone mason's trade. In 185 1, he came to America, 
locating in Detroit, Michigan, where he became proficient in brick 
masonry, and there resided for several years. He thence removed to 
St. Paul, Minnesota, remaining thirteen years, and during his sojourn 
was identified with the prominent contractors of that city. In 1868, he 
came to St. Joseph. For seven years he devoted his attention to rail- 
road work, and had over one hundred miles of the stone work on the 
A. & N., and seven miles on the Denver Road. Mr. Sanner is a skilled 
workman, and is favorably known in building and contracting circles. 
He was married in 185 1, to Miss Francisca Tryer. They have seven 
children, Mollie, Sophie, Anton, Philip, Charlie, Frank and John. 



ST. JOSEPH. 883 

ALBE M. SAXTON 

was born near Cleveland, Ohio, February 12, 182 1. He received his ed- 
ucation at the common schools and at a private academy in Cleveland. 
In 1841 he went to St. Louis, but not finding the employment he ex- 
pected, he commenced trading in country produce on a capital of $56, 
(all the money he possessed) a venture which proved successful and was 
the first of a long series of commercial operations which have been the 
means of building up an ample fortune. During the summer of 1842 he 
was clerk in a steamboat running up the Illinois River. He lost no op- 
portunity of improving his mind and fitting himself for business. In 
the winter of 1841, he attended the night session of a commercial col- 
lege in St. Louis and graduated from the institution. In April, 1843, 
meeting in St. Louis Charles A. Perry, who was desirous of starting a 
mercantile business at the Black Snake Hills, as the site of St. Joseph 
was then called, in connection with C. Perry's younger brother, Elias H. 
lie went to that point, and, May i, 1843, opened a store there. It was 
the first store established in St. Joseph for the purpose of trading .with 
white inhabitants. In 1843, he pre-empted a quarter-section of land near 
the lunatic asylum, which he entered at $1.25 per acre. This land he 
afterwards sold for $100 per acre. In 1848 he formed a partnership with 
Robert W. Donnell, now a banker of New York City, and with him con- 
tinued the mercantile business. This partnership continued until 1858 
at which time the transactions of the firm had grown from a retail trade 
to a large wholesale business, the most extensive at that time conducted 
in St. Joseph. Closing up the mercantile business in 1858, the branch of 
the Bank of the State of Missouri at St. Joseph was organized, of which 
Mr. Saxton was made cashier. This institution was merged into a na- 
tional bank in 1865, under the title of the State National Bank, Mr. Sax- 
ton retaining the position of Cashier. In 1870 the affairs of the State 
National were closed up voluntarily and profitably and the State Sav- 
ings Bank was organized with Mr. Saxton as President, a position which 
he retained until the summer of 1881. Besides his connection with 
banking and mercantile business he has been interested in other public 
enterprises. In partnership with T. D. Hastings he built some eighty 
miles of the Kansas City and Northwestern Railroad, and 239 of the St. 
Joseph and Denver. In company with Milton Tootle and others in 1853 
he built and launched on the Missouri River two steamboats, the Silver 
Heels and Omaha. Mr. Saxton has never aspired to a public position, 
but in 1874 when the State was building the Lunatic Asylum No. 2, he 
was appointed treasurer and still retains the office. His residence is 
near Saxton Station, on the H. & St. Jo. R. R., where he owns a large 
body of land, well improved, making one of the finest farms in the Platte 
Purchase. His business career has been an enviable one, confining him- 



884 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

self to regular transactions. Speculations have never tempted him. He 
has always aimed to be safe and cautious, deeming it the greatest 
credit which any business man can claim to go through life without fail- 
ure. He married Mrs. Sarah E. Flint, of Dorchester County, Maryland 
in 1856. 

JOHN SAXTON, 

architect, carpenter and builder, was born in Ulster County, New York, 
August 7, 1838, and was there reared to manhood and educated. His 
father, John Saxton, was a carpenter, and the son adopted and learned 
that trade. In 1868, he came to St. Joseph, where he has since been 
prominent among our carpenters and builders. Was married, in New 
York, to Miss Nancy Bloomer, of that state. They have seven children: 
Charles W., Frank P., Grace A., Liddie, Katie M., Lizzie and Fannie. 
Mr. Saxton is a member of Columbia Lodge of Masons No. 38, of Tut- 
tletown. New York. 

COLONEL A. N. SCHUSTER. 

One of the representative men, not only of St. Joseph, but of the great 
and growing West, is Colonel Schuster. Although a native of Rheinish 
Prussia, where he was born January i, 1837, and educated in accordance 
with the strict regulations of that country, dreams of the New World 
early dazzled his imagination, and in 1857, when he was just out of his 
teens, he crossed the ocean and came directly west to Savannah. He 
immediately accepted a position in the store of his uncle, Mr. August 
Schuster, and gave his days to business and by far the larger portions of 
his nights to the study of the English language, in which his powers of 
apprehension, coupled with his unremitting perseverance, soon rendered 
him proficient. May i, 1862, he married the accomplished Miss Lucretia 
Price, daughter of W. A. Price, a representative business man of Savan- 
nah. By this marriage he has three daughters, Luada, Florence and 
Edna. In 1865, he removed to St. Joseph and took charge of the 
United States Collector's office as deputy collector, his father-in-law, Mr. 
Price, being collector. In 1866, he engaged in mercantile business for 
himself. For the ne.\t six years he was very active and enterprising in 
the retail trade, being connected with four different stores. At the end 
of that time he went to wholesaling. From 1869 to 1871 he was United 
States Collector for what is now two Congressional districts, embracing 
twenty-five counties. In 1872, he was elector of this district to the cel- 
ebrated electoral college which had such stormy discussions over the. 
enfranchising of the so-called rebel element. Colonel Schuster warmly 
advocated enfranchisement and had an honest and decided difference of 
opinion from certain of the Republican party to which he belonged. 



ST. JOSEPH. 885 

He has since had the satisfaction of seeing his views fully endorsed. 
Nine years ago he went into the wholesale business under the firm name 
of Schuster, Ketcham & Co. Afterwards the firm was Tootle, Schuster 
& Co., now it is A. N. Schuster & Co. In addition he is connected with 
the bank of Schuster, Hax & Co., is president of four Kansas banks, and 
is largel}" interested in stock raising in Texas and Arizona. 

JOSEPH SCHENECKER, 

grocer, was born in Prussia, August 9, 1827, and was there reared, edu- 
cated and learned the blacksmith's trade. He came to the United 
States in 1852, locating in LaFayette, Indiana, and there engaged in 
working at his trade. He resided for a time in Wisconsin and Minne- 
sota, and in May, 1856, took up his abode in St. Joseph. He com- 
menced to work as journeyman, and soon opened a shop, which he 
operated for a number of years. He engaged in his present business in 
1870. Mr. Schenecker is well known throughout the county. As a black- 
smith he was among our best, and as a merchant has attained a good 
reputation for square dealing. He was married May 5, 1856, to Miss 
Gertrude Robling. They have seven children, Annie, Charles, George, 
Edward, Olive, Joseph and Frank. 

OSCAR SCHRAMM, 

vinegar and cider manufacturer, was born at Culmbach, Bavaria, August 
24, 1837, and came with his family in 1841 to New York city. From 
there he went to Circleville, Ohio, where his father, John G. Schramm, 
who was a merchant and vinegar manufacturer, had settled, and there he 
remained for two years. Thence to Chillicothe, Ohio, from which place 
he went with his grandparents in 1849 to Iowa, remaining one year. 
His father had opened a business at Burlington, Iowa, and Oscar went 
to this place and worked with him up to 1853, when the father died. 
The responsibility for the support of the family rested on Oscar, who 
was the oldest son, but with restless activity and energy he successfull}- 
carried on the business. In 1856 he moved to Keokuk, Iowa, where he 
engaged in business with his next younger brother. Having heard fav- 
orably of St. Joseph, he came here in 1859. With a limited capital, but 
supported by his experience and thorough knowledge of his business, he 
opened at once a vinegar manufactory. Soon his vinegar gained a wide 
reputation, and he was obliged to enlarge his business every year. From 
1872 to 1876 he was a member of the City Council of St. Joseph, for two 
terms, and in the second year of his second term he was elected presid- 
ing officer. From June to August, during the absence of Mayor Hosea, 
he acted as Mayor of St. Joseph. He always used his whole influence in 



886 BIOGRAPHIiTAL. 

the interest of the city, and had the satisfaction to be rewarded by the 
request of the citizens of his ward to become a candidate for a third 
term in 1876. He married, January 12, i860, Miss Lida Cole, of Keo- 
kuk, Iowa. Her death occurred June 29, 1864. They had two children^ 
Oscar Heinrich, born March 16, 1861. and Edward, born December 28, 
1862. His second marriage was March 20, 1866, to Miss Carrie V. Yant, 
born at Louisville, Kentucky, July 17, 1839. They had eight children, 
Benjamin F., born June 22, 1867, died November 3, 1868 ; Katharina S., 
born June 14, 1869, died October 3, 1870; Wilhelm A., born November 

5, 1870, died August i, 1871 ; Louis H., born January 28, 1872, died July 

6, 1873 ; Rosine A., born August 28, 1873 ; Caroline E., born July 31,. 
1875 ; Nellie L, born August 19, 1878 ; Minnie J., born October 17, 1880. 

ULRICH SCHNEIDER, 

general insurance agent and notary public, was born March 30, 1837, ^t 
Wurtemberg, South Germany, where he was raised. When fifteen years 
old, he came with his parents to America, and arrived in 1852, at Balti- 
more, from which city he went to Weinsberg, Holmes County, Ohio, 
where he learned the trade of a shoemaker, and remained five years. In 
1857, he visited the states of Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa, purchasing 
land in the former state. In 1861, he came to St. Joseph, and was 
employed in the shoe trade. When the war broke out he served three 
years in the enrolled militia, where he was promoted to Second Lieu- 
tent of Company B, and in August, 1864, he enlisted in the Forty-third 
Missouri Volunteer Regiment. After peace was declared and our sub- 
ject honorably discharged, he went to DeKalb, Buchanan County, in 
1866, where he remained four years, being engaged in the boot and shoe 
trade. In 1871, he returned to St. Joseph, and was appointed Deputy 
County Clerk, which position he filled for four years. In 1875, he accepted 
a position as Secretary of the Home Loan and Building Association. 
When their charter expired he engaged in the general insurance busi- 
ness, and became a notary public. He was married July 24, 1861, to 
Miss Katharina Schott, who died April 10, 1880, leaving twelve children, 
John G., born May 12, 1862 ; Maria A., born December 3, 1863, died May 
20, 1873 ; Ulrich, born February 3, 1865, died February 17, 1865 ; Eliza- 
beth M., born May 4, 1866; Christopher M., born September 5, 1867, 
died October 10, 1867; Ellen, born November 3, 1868; Amanda, born 
November 4, 1870; Laura A., born February 22, 1872; Mary A., born 
July 29, 1873 ; Lilly M., born February 8, 1875 ; Bertha E., born Decem- 
ber 23, 1877; Carl U., born November 29, 1878. 

WILLIAM SCHINDLER, 

farmer and stock raiser, Section 29, Postoffice St. Joseph, was born 
December 7, 1838, in Holmes County, Ohio, and was reared there until 



ST. JOSEPH. 887 

ten years of age, spending his boyhood days on a farm and attending 
school. Emigrated west with his parents in 1848, and assisted his father 
in clearing a farm, and has made agricultural pursuits his occupation 
through life. During the late war he served three months in the enrolled 
Missouri militia. Went to California in 1868, and remained there eight 
years, engaged in farming, and then returned to this county and settled 
where he now resides, where he owns a farm of 230 acres, well improved- 
Was married July 3, 1863, to Miss Elizabeth Lehman, who is a native of 
Switzerland, and was brought to this country when about five years of 
age. They have had seven children, five of whom are living — Nora R.,. 
William T., Henry T., John A. and Alice A. Himself and wife are mem- 
bers of the Evangelical Association. 

JOHN C. SCHMIDT, 

manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes, was born in Saxon, Ger- 
many, and when six years of age came to the United States with his 
parents. His father, Henry was a wagon maker, and after a six years 
residence in the East, the family migrated to Kansas, and soon after to 
St. Joseph, where John developed into manhood, learning his trade with 
Mr. Ernst Wenz. After this, for eight years, he was in the employ of 
Mr. F. Wenz. He embarked in trade October ist, 1880, and is a thor- 
oughly drilled workman. In 1876, he married Miss Mary S. Bode, of 
St. Joseph. They have two children, William Heinrich and Oscar Fred- 
erick. He is a member of the Encampment I. O. O. F., Court of Amer- 
ica No. I, Foresters, and belongs to the German Lutheran Church. 

GEORGE F. SCH^FFER, 

dealer in general merchandise, was born March 27, 1842, in Alcis, near 
Strausburg, Germany, which at that time belonged to France. His 
father, Jacob, emigrated with his family to Canada, when George was 
eleven years of age, residing there until 1865, when he ciame to the 
United States, locating in Pennsylvania. In the autumn of 1869, he 
came to St. Joseph. For two years was connected with Charles Burri. 
In the autumn of 1871, he embarked in trade, which has rapidly and sol- 
idly increased, his store being commodious and the stock complete in all 
its appointments. Was married in 1871, to Miss Pauline Klink, of 
Buchanan County. They have four children — Henry, Annie, Albert and 
Nellie. 

J. A. SCHROER, 

cooper. In the manufacture of pork and flour barrels Mr. Schroer 
stands among the leaders. He was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1855, 



888 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

and at the age of eleven years removed to Pennsylvania, thence to Vir- 
ginia and Ohio, locating with his parents in St. Joseph in the autumn of 
1872. His father, Phillip Schroer, was also a cooper, and was engaged 
in trade, and J. A. became his partner in 1876. They are both skilled 
workmen, and in everything in cooperage do a good business. He mar- 
ried Mary Wurthner, of New York, an estimable lady. They have one 
daughter, Esther Annie. 

W. W. SCOTT, 

of the firm of W. W. Scott & Co., gravel, slate and iron roofers, was 
born in Ontario, Canada, August 12, 1843, and when sixteen years of 
age he came to Chicago and learned the roofing business. In i860 he 
went to California, and in 1861 enlisted in Company A, First California 
cavalry. He passed through the usual routine of promotion and was 
mustered out as First Lieutenant. He then returned to Chicago and up 
to 1872 was engaged in the tobacco and cigar trade, was burnt out, which 
proved very disastrous financially. He next engaged in the roofing bus- 
iness and in the autumn of 1873 located in Topeka, Kansas. Came to 
St. Joseph in the spring of 1875, where he has since been actively en- 
gaged in his present business. He is an experienced workman and com- 
mands a large trade, not only in St. Joseph but adjoining towns. He is 
a Master Mason and member of the Chapter. 

CHARLES SEAMAN, 

dealer in stoves, tinware, groceries and notions, was born in Birming- 
ham, England, March 24, 1830, and there he was reared, educated and 
learned the tinner's trade. In 1853, he emigrated to New York, where 
for fifteen years he was manager of the tinware factory of Musgrove & 
Young. Then .formed a partnership with a gentleman, and engaged in 
trade ; but in a short time, found that he had been basely and systemat- 
ically swindled, and was obliged to quit business, with limited resources. 
In 1870, he drifted west, taking up his residence in St. Joseph, July 2d, 
and in September engaged in business. In tin roofing and general work 
he has attained considerable celebrity. At the Buchanan County Agri- 
cultural Exposition, in 1874, he was awarded a silver medal for superior 
workmanship. Recommendations from prominent houses in England and 
America, indicate that he is a master of his profession. Commenced life 
a poor boy, and although meeting with many drawbacks, has, by industry 
and perseverance, secured a competency. Mr. S. was married in P^ng- 
land. to Miss Emma Shaw. They have had six children, two of whom 
are living — Charles H. and Elizabeth C. Is a Mason and Knight of 
Honor. 



ST. JOSEPH. 889 

JOHN SEBUS . 

is a native of Platte County, Missouri, and was born in Weston June 24, 
1856. He was there raised, educated and resided, until 1879, spending 
his early days in tilling the soil. In the summer of 1879, he engaged in 
trade, in St. Joseph, with Mr. Danckmeyer. He is a young man, of good 
business qualifications, and commands the respect of his fellow citizens. 
He was married in June, 1879, to Miss Christena Thinnes. They have 
one daughter, Olga Mary. His father is still a resident of Weston. At 
an early age he used to transfer goods from Leavenworth to Weston by 
ox team. He is well known among the first settlers of Northwestern 
Missouri. 

H. J. SKIP, 

of the firm of H. J. Seip.& Co., wholesale and retail dealers in hard and 
soft coal, was born in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in 1842, and in 
1859, came to St. Joseph, where he has since been actively engaged in 
various pursuits. For a number of years he was in the employ of the 
United States Express Company, after which, until 1868, he was clerk 
for the Hannibal Packet Company. In that year he embarked in his 
present business, and until 1872 was agent for the Central Coal and 
Mining Company, when the present company was organized, which 
comprises Mr. Seip, J. S. Hughes, W. D. Rankin, of Richmond, Mo., and 
S. W. Slayden, of the same place. They do the largest wholesale and 
retail trade in Northwest Missouri, their trade extending into the Far 
West and north into Iowa. He is a Master Mason, companion of the 
Royal Arch Chapter and Knight Templar, also a member of the 
Knights of Honor, A. O. U. W., and the I. O. O. F. 

M. SHANNON 

was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, November i, 1833. His father, 
James Shannon, was a miller by occupation, and brought up his son to 
that calling. In 1853, Mr. M. Shannon came to America, locating, for a 
time, in Philadelphia, and then to Lacon, Marshall County, Illinois, where, 
for fifteen years, he superintended two large flouring mills. He after- 
wards went to Kansas City, residing there one year, when he took 
charge of the Perry Mill, at Weston, in Platte County, conducting the same 
two years. He came to St. Joseph in January, 1876, where he has since 
been in the milling business with R. T. Davis, having the entire charge 
of the mill. He owns a house and lot, corner Third and Isabelle Streets. 
He has been twice married : First, in April, 1853, to Miss Bridget 
Downey, a native of the Emerald Isle. She died in January, 1870, and 
left a family of eight children : James T., Maggie, Annie, William, 



890 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Lizzie and George, living, and two deceased : Ellen and John. His 
second wife was Liddie A. Biggs, by whom he has five children : Liddie, 
Lucy and Kate, living, and Charles and Henry, deceased. Mr. S. was 
baptized in the Catholic Church, and his family are also members of that, 
denomination. During the persecution in England his forefathers wor- 
shiped with the same body. 

WILLIAM H. SHERMAN 

was born at Homer, Michigan, in 1844. His ancestors, for several gen- 
erations, lived in Connecticut and Vermont. He received a classical 
education and was graduated from the law department of Michigan 
University in 1863. He moved to Missouri in 1865, and for eighteen 
months was editor of the Herald and of the Union, newspapers in St. 
Joseph, and was at the same time deputy and acting clerk of the 
Supreme Court. Mr. Sherman was in 1867 elected City Attorney for St. 
Joseph, and for some years subsequently served as City Counsellor. He 
has been a zealous and diligent student in his profession, aiming to 
deserve a respectable standing among his professional brethren. His 
efforts have been crowned with success, and he ranks with the represent- 
ative lawyers of Northwest Missouri. In 1880 he was elected judge of 
this judicial circuit. 

WILLIS M. SHERWOOD 

is a native of Orleans County, New York, born November 15, 1818, and 
was there raised and educated. His father, John, was a farmer, and 
Willis' early days were spent in agricultural pursuits. At an early age 
he determined to become a physician, and with that object in view, 
attended the Livingstown County Academy, also the West Lynn Semi- 
nary, and for a few years attended the Crosby Street Medical College, 
New York. In 1839, he went South for a short period, and again in 1843, 
when he located in Duplin County, North Carolina, where he practiced 
for fifteen years. In 1857, he came North, locating in Otoe City, 
Nebraska, where he was Postmaster one year, when he became a resi- 
dent of St. Joseph. After coming to this city, was appointed Justice of 
the Peace, and served one year, and it is conceded by those who know, 
that he did the largest business in the city ever done by one official. 
During the war he was appointed First Quartermaster of the state troops 
in the Northwest, with the rank of First Lieutenant. Served in this 
capacity until the disbanding of the state troops, when he enlisted, and 
was assigned the duty of Quartermaster Assistant by General Benjamin 
Loan, under Colonel George H. Hall. After the war he was a candidate 
for Clerk of Courts, was elected, and while serving his term of two years 
was ousted from the office, caused by a party clause in the Constitution ; 



ST. JOSEPH. 891 

was re-appointed by the Governor ; served his term, and was re-elected 
for four years. During his occupancy of the Clerk's office, was also 
Clerk of Probate Court. During the war he was also a stockholder in 
the St. Joseph Union, and his pon was wielded with a will in defense of 
the Union cause. He has frequently been called to Jefferson City as a 
juror in the United States Court, and has been honored by the foreman- 
ship. On the 28th of May, 1875, as a testimonial of their esteem, the 
Buchanan County bar tendered him a license to practice. In educational 
affairs Mr. Sherwood has always been among the foremost, and to him 
the citizens of St. Joseph are indebted to a considerable extent for its 
well appointed and flourishing schools. Religiously he is a Presbyterian, 
in which church he has been an active worker for fifty years. In him the 
Sabbath Schools have always found a willing and powerful assistant. 
Was married in 1844, to Miss Charlotte C. Hall, of New York, daughter 
of Samuel B. Hall. They have five children — M. K., Willis H., David 
F., Mary G. and Ella G. 

COL. N. Y. SELLECK, 

manager of the Glucose Works, was born in Utica, New York, Jan. 5, 
1832, and when quite young removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where he was 
raised to manhood and educated. For a time he was a resident of Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin. On the i6th of April, 1861, he tendered his services to 
the Union cause, and served during the war. He was military agent for 
the State of Wisconsin, and afterwards was inspector of military hospi- 
tals and prisons of the East, receiving his appointment from E. M. Stan- 
ton. Was also for a term in active service on the field. Colonel Selleck 
has always been devoted to the Union cause, and since the war has not 
been lost sight of by those who control the affairs of the country. In 1869 
he was consul to Europe, and for four years was quartered at Bradford, 
England, after which he spent one year in London. Returned to his native 
country in 1875, and for a number of years has given the business he 
now pursues his entire attention. For several years he was interested in 
the grape sugar and glucose business at Buffalo, New York. He came 
to St. Joseph in 1880 and took the management and an interest in the 
works. He married in 1857 Miss M. E. Smith, of New York. They 
have two children, C. Y. and Adelade. 

JOHN SEYFRIED 

was born in Germany, in 1848, and there received a good education. 
He came to America, in 1873, landing in New York May 3, and from 
thence came direct to St. Joseph, Missouri. He remained there two 
years, and then went to the South, and returned in 1878. He was mar- 
ried, in 1873, to Sophia Zimmerer. They had one child. His wife and 



89:: r.iOGRArnicAL. 

child died in 1874. He was attain married in 1878, to Mrs. Minnie 
Ackleman. He is a Mason, and an Encampment member of the Odd 
l'\'llo\vs Order. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of Druids. 

CHARLES H. SHULTZ. 

of the firm of Shultz & Hosea, wholesale dealers in foreign and domes- 
tic hardware, is a native of Ohio. He emigrated to St. Joseph in 1865. 
In 1877, the above named partnership was formed. Their business has 
increased, and is of such magnitude as to require rooms 60x140 feet, three 
stories high, with basement under entire building. They give emplo}-- 
ment to sixty-five men. In addition to the above they manufacture tin 
ware and run a retail store at No. 108 South Eourth Street. The room 
is 20x120 feet, four stories high, with basement. Both branches are pro- 
ducing ver}- satisfactory- results. 

WILLIAM SEIDENFADEN. 

undertaker, was born September 10, 1829, at Koelleda, Prussia, and there 
received his school education and learned the trade of cabinet maker- 
Then he served two years in the Prussian arm)-, and after being honora- 
bly discharged, he opened in business. In 1855 he emigrated to Amer- 
ica and visited New York and Chicago and from there came to St. 
Joseph in 1857. Here he embarked in the furniture business in 1861, 
which he carried on successfully for five }-ears. In 1866 he sold out and 
engaged exclusiveh- in the undertaking business, giving it his entire 
attention and energy. He was married December 3, 1 861, to Miss Emi- 
lie Hunderle. They have seven children. William, born November 24, 
1863 ; Emma, born November 12, 1865 ; Joseph, born November 1, 
1867 ; Edward, born January 4, 1869; Herrmann, born October 18, 1873 ; 
Henry, born May 18, 1876; PVank, born January 13. 1879. 

Dr. FRANCIS ARMSTRONG SIMMONS 

was born in Surr\- Count}-, North Carolina, on the 17th day of March, 
1830. His father's name was Peter Pruett Simmons. His mother's 
maiden name was Nancy Armstrong. His father was well off, owned an 
iron works, and was a merchant. His parents came to Missouri in 1841. 
His father died August, 1841, and his mother April, 1842. He had foin- 
sisters living then : Mar\- A., Sarah J., Martha D and Senah N. All arc 
now living in Nebraska. He also had fi\e brothers : Hugh A., Peter P. 
(who died, in 1865, in this cit\-\ James I. and Thomas A. He was mar- 
ried to Miss Lucy A. Holbert, in Platte County, Missouri, May 12, 1853. 
Of this union he has had four daughters, and one little granddaughter. 
In the order of their birth, his children's names are : l^^lora L., now Mrs. 



ST. JOSEPH. 893 

Jas. S. Blount, Mary E., Nannie A., and Clara Lavinia. All are now liv- 
ing with him, in St. Joseph. He received a collegiate education at Chapel 
Hill College, Lafayette County, Missouri. He studied medicine, and 
commenced practicing in 1855. Moved to Cass County, Nebraska, in 
1856. Moved to Rochester, Andrew County, Missouri, April 26, 1864. 
March 12, 1879, nioved to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he now lives. 
While living at Rochester, he was one of the founders of, and President 
of the Andrew County Medical Society. He is a member of the Dis- 
trict Medical Association of Northwest Missouri ; was one of its Vice 
Presidents, and represented it in the American Medical Association, 
that met in Farwell Hall, Chicago, Illinois, in 1877, where 760 repre- 
sentative men convened from all the States, and from Canada. He was 
a member of the State Medical Association, and was one of the found- 
ers and incorporators of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of this 
city, and Professor of Physiology and Diseases of the Nervous System, 
and Clinical Lecturer on the General Diseases of Women, for nearly two 
years, in this institution. After severing his connection with this school, 
last January, he became one of the organizers and incorporators of the 
Northwestern Medical College, and is now President of, and Professor 
of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, in this college. While living 
at Rochester, he urged the necessity of the publication of a medical 
journal in this city, and partly through his influence the St. Joseph Medi- 
cal and Surgical Reporter was started, edited by Dr. J. P. Chesney, in 
July, 1880. He contributed to this journal articles upon cerebral anae- 
mia of infants, headaches, and about doctors. He has been a large con- 
tributor to other medical journals, upon various subjects, and has been 
an active worker in the transactions of all the medical societies with 
which he has been connected. He has by earnest work and constant 
study endeavored to keep well up with the progress of the profession. 
He is extensively acquainted throughout the Northwest and with the 
rise and progress of the Platte Purchase. He saw this city rise from an 
Indian trading post, a mere village, and attire herself in the beauty and 
gradeur of the " Queen City of the West." 

E. SLEPPY, 

master mechanic for the St. Joseph & Western Railroad Company, is a 
native of Penn.sylvania, and was born in Wilkesbarre, Luzerne County, 
April II, 1833. He received the benefits of the common sehools, and 
attended Danas academy six months. He was employed for a time as 
brakeman on the Pennsylvania Coal Company Railroad. In 1852 he was 
rodman on the survey of the Northern Pennsylvania Railroad. He 
learned the machinist trade in the shops of the Beaver Meadow Rail- 
road, and in 1854 the West attracted his attention and he came to 



894 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Springfield, Illinois, and afterwards to Alton. Returning East in 1856, 
he was in the employ of the Lake Shore Railroad at White Haven in 
1857 ; came West again, and in 1858 located in St. Joseph, and was 
employed on the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad as engineer, continu- 
ing until 1861, when he was for a time connected with the Platte Country 
Railroad. From that time until 1871 he was assistant master mechanic 
of the Hannibal & St. Joseph. In that year he joined his present com- 
pany. Mr. Sleppy is a finished workman and keeps pace with the 
mechanical world. He is one of the original stockholders and vice- 
president of the St. Joseph Steam Printing Company, one of the most 
creditable industries in the city. He is also a member of the firm of E. 
Davis & Co., druggists, corner Tenth and Olive. For two terms he was 
a member of the St. Joseph school board. Miss C. Balentine, of Penn- 
sylvania, became his wife. By this union they have six children, E. W,, 
Emma C, Mary F., Willie E., Carrie, Nellie M. 

FREDERICK W. SMITH, 

was born in Prussia, October 3, 181 5. He received his early education in 
his native town, and afterwards entered a military academy, where he 
was engaged as a civil engineer. When eighteen years of age he emi- 
grated to America. Landing in New York in 1833, he remained there 
almost a year, and then removed to New Orleans, where he was employed 
in a cotton press. Owing to the breaking out of yellow fever in that 
city, he embarked on the Mississippi River, and came to St. Louis, where 
soon after his arrival he was appointed Deputy City Surveyor. In 1838, 
or 1839, he left St. Louis for the Platte Purchase, and settled at Black- 
snake Hills (now St. Joseph). Here he engaged in farming and survey- 
ing, having made the original maps of St. Joseph, and named it after the 
founder of the city, Joseph Robidoux. Mr. Smith pre-empted 160 acres 
of land, upon which the city now stands, and which has been divided 
and subdivided and sold at different times. ,Mr. Smith was a Captain 
of the militia for a number of years, and was afterwards made a Major of 
the State Volunteers. He was appointed the first Postmaster of the 
City of St. Joseph. In 1861, he was elected Mayor of the City. His last 
office was that of Judge of the Buchanan County Court, his term ending 
in 1876. He married Miss Jane Tolin, of Davis County, Missouri, in 
1843. They have three children, Frederick, Augustus M., and a daugh- 
ter, the wife of John A. Duncan, of Kansas City. 

O. M. SMITH, 

merchant, was born in Maryland, September, 1836, and came to St. 
Joseph in i860, where he at once engaged in mercantile business. He 



ST. JOSEPH. 895 

was very successful, gaining the confidence and good will of the people 
by his fair dealing and affable manners. He continued in business for 
seventeen years, being one of the few who did so uninterruptedly through 
•the war. He sold out his business in 1878, since which period he has 
'devoted his time to real estate transactions, the settling of estates, 
as administrator, and various other kinds of business. He has accumu- 
lated a competency, has a fine house, hosts of friends, and enjoys the con- 
.'fidence and respect of his neighbors. He married Miss Jane E. Ivery, 
in St. Joseph, May 27, 1862. She was from Cambria County, Pennsyl- 
vania. They iiave one daughter, Mary C, born September 13, 1864. 

C. D. SMITH 

was born in Virginia, April 22, 1807, and emigrated to Boonville, Cooper 
County, Missouri, in 1838, where he worked at tanning for two years. 
He then moved to the neighborhood of Otterville, where he carried on 
tanning, making a new and complete tan yard, which he operated for 
about twelve years. In 1856 he quit the tanning business and went to 
farming. He remained on a farm until 1869, when he sold out and moved 
to Otterville, where he lived with his son-in-law, Mr. T. V. Ellis, nearly 
twelve years. During 1861 he took to his bed with chronic rheumatism, 
■and was not out of bed for three years. Ever since he has walked on 
crutches. He sustained loss by the war, in negroes and stock, to the 
amount of about $2,000. His son, C. Q. Smith, was in the Confederate 
service about two years, and was under General Cockerel, and taken pris- 
oner and put in prison at St. Lous. His sister, Mrs. Ellis, secured his 
release. Mr. Smith was married November, 1835, to Miss Mary A. 
Thompson, a native of Virginia. She had seven children, one died in 
itnfancy. The others are alive and doing well, and all married except 
the youngest daughter. He is a member of the Missionary Baptist 
Church, and has donated toward building several churches. He has 
never regretted moving to Missouri, where he has had nothing to encoun- 
ter except that which is incident to pioneer life. Mr. Smith, although a 
cripple, is cheerful and happy, truly resigned to his condition, and does 
not utter a single complaint. 

A. T. SMITH, 

of the firm of Smith, Frazer & Co., wholesale dealers in boots and shoes, 
was born August 14, 1839, ^^ Cooper County, Missouri. Up to the age 
of fifteen he worked on a farm and in a tanyard. In 1866, he commenced 
clerking for H. K. Judd & Co., and in 1869 engaged in the wholesale 
boot and shoe business. Mr, Smith married Miss Louise Wise, a native 
of Missouri, May 13, 1873. She was born in St. Louis, December 25, 



896 bio(;rai'hicai.. 

1848, and was raised in San Francisco, California. They have one child 
— George A., born September 6, 1878. Mrs. S. is a member of the Epis- 
copal Church. Mr. Smith has assisted liberally in building churches and 
school houses. He lost considerably by the late war. He has all through 
life extended a helping hand to the needy and unfortunate. Mr. Smith 
is one of the fortunate business men of St. Joseph, starting out in life a 
poor boy. He has achieved a success in business which ranks him finan- 
cially with the representative wholesale merchants of the city. 

J. M. SMITH, 

of the firm of J. M. Smith & Co., dealers in staple and fancy groceries, 
foreign and domestic fruits and Dozier & Weyl Cracker Co. crackers 
and fancy buiscuits, was born in Virginia in 1834, where he received 
good common school advantages. Emigrated to Indiana in 1854, locat- 
ing in Perryville, Vermillion County. Here he followed general mer- 
chandising. From thence he moved to Terre Haute in 1876, and trav- 
eled for Hulman & Cox, wholesale grocers. In 1880, he emigrated to- 
St. Joseph and engaged in the above named business, in a room 22x140' 
feet, two stories high and cellar, giving employment to five men. At 
the breaking out of the civil war he enlisted in the One Hundred and. 
Fifteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Lew Wallace. 
Entering the service as a private, he came out as first lieutenant on Gen- 
eral Smith's staff. Was in the service two and a half years. He has 
five children living and doing well : Harry A., Lewis W., Lenora, Doyne 
and Kate H. Is a Mason and Knight of Pythias. 

A. M. SMITH & CO., 

proprietors of Excelsior Soap Works and manufacturers of Turkish 
White, and other celebrated brands of soap. Among the representative 
manufacturing industries of the Northwest, the above firm occupies a 
front rank. It is composed of Dr. A. M. Smith, of Nebraska City, and 
L. L. McBride, of St. Joseph. The latter is thoroughly conversant with 
the soap trade, and has charge of the works. The superiority of their 
celebrated Turkish White, and toilet brands is well known far and near, 
and their trade is constantly on the increase, extending throughout the 
adjoining states and territories. Few enterprises in St. Joseph are more 
favorably known abroad. 

G. T. SMITH, 

dealer in White sewing machines, was born fn Muskingiam, Ohio, June 
20, 1846. His father, Thomas, was an agriculturist and a native of the 
Buckeye State. When G. T. was in his tenth year he removed with his, 



ST. JOSEPH. 897 

parents to Cincinnati, where he resided until 1864, when he enlisted in 
Company I, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry. Was in the Army of the Plains, at 
Ft. Laramie and other points in the West, serving until July, 1866, 
when he was honorably discharged. Returning to Ohio, he located in 
Vinton County, and for five years was engaged in merchandising at 
Eagle Mills. Thence he removed to Hamilton, Caldwell County, Mis- 
souri, where he was engaged in the furniture business until 1877, when 
he came to St. Joseph, and has since been engaged in the sewing 
machine business. He controls four counties, and being a first-class 
salesman, combined with the unquestioned merits of the White machine, 
does a large business. Was married, in 1872, to Miss C. E. Bray, of 
Ohio. They have had four children, three of whom are living: Melville, 
Alice and Clyde. Nora died in August, 1874. Mr. S. is a member of 
the I. O. O. F., and also the A. O. U. W. 

F. L. SOMMER, 

of the firm of F. L. Sommer & C(^, manufacturers of fine crackers and 
confectionery, and wholesale dealers in fruits, nuts, etc., was born and 
received his elementary and business education in West Virginia. He 
left his native home in 1869, and settled in St. Joseph. His first experi- 
ence there was in the capacity of clerk for the firm of Townsend & 
Wood, in whose employ he remained till 1873, when he first attempted 
his present business, then on a comparatively small scale. Few men in 
legitimate business in the West have met with more signal and rapid 
success. The building occupied by the sales room, office and ware 
rooms includes four stories and measures forty by one hundred and forty 
feet. The factory, which also includes four floors, is sixty by one hun- 
dred and forty feet. It affords employment to from seventy-five to one 
hundred hands, exclusive of the twelve traveling men constantly on the 
road. The business of this house amounted in 1873, to $50,000. In 
1880, the same amounted to $400,000. It extends over a great part of 
Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Dakota Territory. The 
firm manufactures its own packing boxes and barrels ; this department 
of the business alone affording constant employment to eight men. In 
1873, F. L. Sommer was married to Miss Carrie Finger. They have had 
four children, three of whom are living. 

PHILIP SOMMER, 

is a popular representative of the drug trade in St. Joseph. He is a Vir- 
ginian by birth, and became proficient in pharmacy in the City of 
Wheeling. His store is centrally located, and he being the most genial 
of gentlemen, does a lucrative business. He is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. 



898 BIOGRAPHICAL. ' 

S. H. SOMMERS, . 

was born June 22, 1818, in Schoharie County, New York, where he was 
raised. In 1849, he went to Albany, and there became connected with 
a railroad company as pattern maker, car builder, and also in locomotive 
work. In 1854, he went to Bloomington, Illinois, where he carried on the 
same business for two years. Attracted by the news of the West, he 
went to Geary City, Kansas, where he staid one year. In 1857, he came 
to St. Joseph, and opened the Merchants' Hotel, which he conducted 
with great success. In 1878, he sold out to Mr. Wagner, who changed 
the name of the hotel to Atlantic Hotel, and Mr. S. retired from busi- 
ness. He was married in 1835, to Miss Charlotte Amy Riltse, of New 
York. They have had twelve children, Gertrude L. born October 22, 
1836, married S. L. Bean, August i, 1854, and died July 22, 1868 ; Charlotte 
M., born May 12, 1839, married George Fanning, July 12, i860; Irvin J. 
iborn June 16, 1842 ; Alzina, born September 7, 1844, died May 27, 1847; 
Alvina, born November 6, 1847, rnarried to George H. Packard, Decem- 
iber 30, 1879; Anliza, born Septen>ber 7, 1851, died May 10, 1852; 
'Estela and Arbel, twins, born June 10, 1855, Estela died October 12. 
and Arbel died November 5, 1855 ; Howard, born September 2, 1858, 
died August 2, 1859 ! Adia and Idea, twins, born May 8, i860, both died 
September 18^ i860; Emma, born August 7, 1862, died May 12, 1863. 

W. L. SOMMER^ 

foreman and manager of F. L, Sdnarrtdf & Co. '9 Cracker Factory, is a 
native of Pennsylvania, and was born in Philadelphia July 16, 1853. At 
an early age he remove with his parents to Wheeling, Virginia, residing 
there for a number of years, and also, for a time, lived in Columbus, 
Ohio. In 1868, he became a resident of St. Joseph. He was married, 
in 1876, to Miss Eliza Bowen. They have two children, Beatrice and 
Gertrude. 

OSCAR SORGE, 

baker and dealer in groceries, is a native of Saxon, Germany, and was 
born August 12, 1829. He was there reared, educated and learned the 
harness making trade, and came to America in 1854, locating in New 
Jersey, where he resided two years ; thence to Illinois, locating in White- 
sides County, for a time, after which he came to Farmington, Van Buren 
County, Iowa, and there lived until 1861. He enlisted in Company B, 
Third Iowa Cavalry, was elected sergeant, and passed through the usual 
routine of promotion and was honorably discharged as First Lieutenant. 
He participated in the battles of Pea Ridge, Helena (Arkansas), and all 
the principal engagements of the Potomac, and served until the rebel- 



ST. JOSEPH. 899 

lion was suppressed. He returned to St. Louis and then went to Tren- 
ton, Grundy County, Missouri, and engaged in the hotel business, keep- 
ing the Bismarck House for four years ; also kept the Palace Hotel at 
Gallatin, Missouri. He next engaged in the hotel business at Atchison, 
Kansas, and was burned out, which proved disastrous financially. Came 
to St. Joseph in January, 1880, worked at the harness making trade for 
Mr, Landis and Mr. Haspel, and in June, 1880, engaged in trade. He 
was married in 1857 to Miss Elizabeth Shaffer. They have seven child- 
ren, Annie, Bertha, Lena, Dora, Minnie, Laura, and Blanche. Mr. S. was 
an Encampment Odd Fellow, and was a charter member of Grand River 
Lodge No. 53, of Trenton, Missouri. 

J. H. SOUTHWORTH, 

engineer with Louis Hax, was born in Orleans County, New York, Octo- 
ber 12, 1838, and there raised to manhood, educated, and learned the 
carpenter trade. Darius, his father, also pursued that vocation. In 
1864, our subject removed to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Being of a 
mechanical turn of mind, he adapted himself to and learned engineer- 
ing. After remaining three years, he located at Whitewater, Wiscon- 
sin, in the capacity of engineer in the paper mill, which was soon after 
demolished by fire, when, upon its being rebuilt, Mr. S. took the same 
position, and remained in Whitewater four years. In 1871, he went to 
Nebraska, and engage in farming, which undertaking proved somewhat 
'disastrous, on account of the grasshoppers. In 1875, he came to this 
city, but previous to coming here, was engineer in a mill at Hiawatha. 
He has been in the employ of L. Hax for five years. In May, 1869, he 
was married to Miss Jennie M. Penny, of Whitewater, Wisconsin. 
They have one child, J. D., and one adopted. Amy Belle. Mr. S. is a 
member of the I. O. O. F. 

D. L. SOUTHWORTH, 

blacksmith, was born in Medina, New York, September 27, 1836, and 
was there reared, educated and learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1864, 
he went to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and for four years worked as a 
journeyman, after which he returned to New York and for several years 
did business in Medina. Was also for a couple of years in Knowlesville. 
Came to St. Joseph in December, 1880, engaging in trade. Is a practi- 
cal workmen in all branches. Was married, in 1859, to Miss J. P. Mor- 
gan, of New York. They have one daughter, Minnie. 

J. L. SPALDING, 

engineer on the K. C, St. J. & C. B. R. R., was born in Claremont, Sulli- 
van County, New Hampshire, August 30, 1833. His father, Sanford Spald- 
ing, was a farmer in that state, and his grandfather, Dyer Spalding, was 



900 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War, under Ethan Allen. Our sub- 
ject, when seventeen years of age, commenced railroading as fireman on 
the Vermont Central, continuing until 1853, the latter part of the time 
being engineer. In that year he came to Ohio, and engaged as an engi- 
neer in the construction of the Ohio Central Railroad for eighteen 
months. In the fall of 1854, he went on the C, R. I. & P. R. R., and ia 
1855 we find him with the Illinois Central as engineer, and with this 
company he remained for over a quarter of a century, being in their 
employ until March, 1881. Then commenced work for the K. C, St. J. 
& C. B. R. R. Although but a short time in St. Joseph, Mr. S, has 
gained the esteem of all who have formed his acquaintance. Was married 
in i860, to Miss Ruth Hiles, a native of England. They have one son — 
James S.— a promising young man, who is a telegraph operator, at Am- 
boy, Illinois. Mr. S. is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive 
Engineers, and is a Master Mason. 

SPALSBURY BROS., 

dealers in stoves, tinware and hardware. O. M. Spalsbury is a native of 
New York, and was born in 1849. At an early age he removed from the 
Empire State to Michigan, where he was raised and educated. In 1863, 
for a time, he was a resident of Chicago, after which he emigrated to 
Kansas, coming to St. Joseph in 1865, and has since principally made it 
his home. For a time he was in the lumber trade at Hiawatha, Kansas, 
and Maryville, Missouri. In the autumn of 1877 ^^e engaged in his 
present business. He is a member of the Mason's Blue Lodge. E. A. 
Spalsbury is a native of Jefferson County, New York, and was born in 
1855. He came to Missouri with his parents, taking up his abode in St. 
Joseph, and here he was raised and educated. He is numbered among 
the popular and promising young men of the city. 

JAMES M. SPANGLER, 

foreman with R. K. Allen, was born in Clay County, Missouri, March 
24, 1845. His father, William H. was among the early settlers in the 
state, and of Clay County. Our subject was raised and learned his trade 
in Ray, Andrew and DeKalb Counties. He was a resident of Savannah 
and Andrew County, for thirteen years. In 1863, he enlisted in the 
Union cause in Company M, Ninth Missouri Cavalry, serving in the 
capacity of Corporal for two years. In 1879, he took up his residence in 
St. Joseph, and has since been in the employ of R. K. Allen. He is one 
of the most thoroughly skilled workmen in the city, and favorably known 
among the mechanics. He was married in 1865, to Miss Agnes P^lliott,. 
of Savannah. They have four children, Charles E., Carrie, Gertrude and 
Louie. Mr. S. is a member of the I. O. O. F. 



ST. JOSEPH. 901 

O. M. SPENCER, Jr., 

was born on the 23d day of August, 1850, in Missouri, and is the son of 
O. M. Spencer, who emigrated from the State of Kentucky and located 
on the Platte Purchase in 1846. He passed his boyhood days, until he 
arrived at the age of eighteen, upon a farm, at which time he laid aside 
the implements of husbandry and left the labors of the field in order to 
enter the public schools of St. Joseph, where he fitted himself for col- 
lege. He afterwards attended Christian University, where he graduated 
in 1872 with the second honors, and by virtue of those honors was rep- 
resentative of the class. Having chosen the profession of law for his 
avocation in life, he entered the office of a distinguished attorney in 
Leavenworth, Kansas, where he pursued his legal studies until he was 
admitted to the bar. In order to become still more proficient and to 
gain that scientific knowledge of the fundamental principles of the com- 
mon law which distingushes the true lawyer, he entered the law depart- 
ment of Harvard College, and completed his education under the 
instruction of those venerable and profound expounders of the law. 
With a mind full of learning and a future full of promise, he returned to 
his favorite city of the West, and located in the practice of his profes- 
sion, and shortly after he met the accomplished Miss Lillian Tootle, 
whom, in the winter of 1875, he led to the marriage altar. In 1880 came 
the interesting election of officers for the Twelfth Judicial Circuit and 
for the county of Buchanan. Mr. Spencer vvas nominated on the Dem- 
ocratic ticket for Prosecuting Attorney, and after an exciting contest 
was elected to that position, which he now holds, and the duties of 
which he performs to the satisfaction of all but the criminals. 

€. G. STALL, 

was born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, May 7, 1829. He was the 
last child but one of a family of six sons and three daughters, all but 
one of whom, a brother, are living. He was educated in his native 
county, and soon after leaving school engaged in railroading in Mis- 
souri and other western states, and in hotel keeping. April 16, 1877, he 
took charge of the Saunders House in St. Joseph. The reputation of 
this well-known hotel he has continued to sustain, and it is now (1881) 
recognized as one of the best kept and most popular houses in this sec- 
tion of country. 

DUDLEY M. STEELE, 

was born in Jessamine County, Kentucky, February 18, 1821. His 
mother died when he was quite young, and when si.xteen he buried his 
father. By this time he had a good English and fair classical education,. 



902 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

and commenced clerking in a wholesale and retail dry goods house in 
Lexington, Kentucky. His health becoming impaired, and having heard 
glowing accounts of the rich Platte purchase, and of Missouri, he in the 
spring of 1842 started on horseback for the West. At Louisville he took 
passage for St. Louis and thence to Columbia, Missouri, where he spent 
several days with a relative, David S. Lamb, and proceeded to what was 
then Robidoux Landing, now St. Joseph. Captivated by the fertility of 
the soil, he purchased land five miles east of Savannah, and became a 
farmer. In August, 1848, he was married to Miss Mary E. Mitchum, 
formerly of Woodford County, Kentucky. Mrs. Steele died in 1849. In 
the fall of 1849 he engaged in merchandising in St. Joseph. He subse- 
quently determined to visit California, and in the spring of 1850 started 
with an ox team and small herd of cattle to cross the plains. The 
Indians were numerous, and frequently troublesome, and emigrants 
therefore traveled in companies sufficiently strong for self-protection. A 
company of twenty men and ten wagons, principally from Andrew 
County, was formed, and Mr. Steele was selected as the manager. They 
traveled with but few adventures. Mr. Steele, desirous of visiting Salt 
Lake, arranged a series of signals by which he could join the train west 
of that point, and in company with a Mr. McClain, started on horseback 
for the great Salt Lake Valley, where they spent two weeks. They 
joined their comrades as arranged, having successfully traversed that 
wild Indian country a distance of five hundred miles. They arrived at 
their destination after a four months' journey, and Mr. Steele immedi- 
ately engaged in the stock business. In the spring of 1852 Mr. Steele 
formed a co-partnership with Messrs. McCord, Nave, and Clark, under 
the firm name ol Steele, McCord & Co. This firm afterwards became 
one of the most prominent as dealers in and raisers of American stock 
in Upper California. In 1856 Mr. Steele was elected by the counties of 
Colusa and Tehama to represent them in the California State Legisla- 
ture, receiving the largest Democratic vote ever cast in the district. He 
continued in the California cattle trade until 1857, during which time he 
crossed the plains three times in a " prairie schooner," and made nine 
trips across the Isthmus, sometimes by the Panama, and at others by 
the Nicaragua route. In 1857 he returned to St. Joseph, where the mem- 
bers of the firm of Steele, McCord & Co. entered the wholesale grocery 
trade, under the firm name of Nave, McCord & Co. In May 1858 Mr. 
Steele was married to Miss Eliza May, of Washington County, Ken- 
tucky, by whom he had two children, who were left motherless by the 
death of Mrs. Steele in the spring of 1861. In consequence of the dis- 
turbed state of the country during the civil war, Nave, McCord & Co. 
deemed it advisable to move part of their goods to Omaha, then a small 
village. Mr. Steele took the management of this consignment, and of 
the branch house shortly afterwards established there. In the spring of 



ST. JOSEPH; 903 

1862 he again visited California to close up the unsettled business of 
Steele, McCord &^ Co., and remained there till September, 1863, when 
he returned to St; Joseph and again resumed his active interest in the 
grocery trade, which he continued until 1867. In March, 1868, he was 
married to Miss Minnie Withers, of Clay County, Missouri. In June of 
the same year he was elected president of the St. Joseph Fire and 
Marine Insurance Company, to which position he was re-elected in 
i869-'70. During the same time he was the vice-president and manager 
of the Merchants' Insurance Company of St. Joseph, and conducted the 
business of both companies in the same office. In the fall of 1868 Mr. 
Steele formed a partnership in the wholesale grocery business with Sam- 
uel R. Johnson, of Council Bluffs. In 1870 he was elected president of 
the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad, and re-elected in 1871. The 
pressure of business was so great that he on September 13, 1870, 
resigned the presidency of the St. Joseph Fire and Marine Insurance 
Company, and in November, 1872, after one hundred and fifty miles of the 
railroad had been built under his management, resigned his position as 
president. In 1872 he was elected president of the Merchants' Insur- 
ance Company of St. Joseph. In 1873 Mr. Steele, W. B. Kemper and 
others entered the wholesale grocery trade, under the firm name of D. 
M. Steele & Co. In 1876 he was elected president of the St. Joseph 
Board of Trade. The same year he was elected a director of the St. 
Joseph Bridge Company, and re-elected in 1877. Mr. Steele was born 
and brought up in the Presbyterian faith, and has been a constant sup- 
porter of and general attendant upon the services of that denomination. 

N. STEEN. 



carpenter and builder, was born in Buffalo, New York, October 28, 1837, 
and removed to Wisconsin with his parents at an early age, locating in 
Waukesha County, where he was raised to manhood, educated and 
learned his trade. At the breaking out of the war he enlisted in Com- 
pany F, Fifth Wisconsin, and was soon promoted to first sergeant. Was 
at the engagements of Peach Orchard, Williamsburg, White Oak 
Swamp, Fredericksburg, Antietam, and all the general engagements of 
the Potomac. Was slightly wounded, and for six weeks was an occu- 
pant of Libby Prison. Was in New York City during the riots, going 
there from Gettysburg. Was honorably discharged at the expiration of 
his term, and returned to Wisconsin, and after a short sojourn came to 
to St. Joseph. Was married, in Wisconsin, in 1864, to Miss Susan Sceets. 
They have a family of five children, Nellie, Susan, May, Ada and Wil- 
liam Irving. Mr. Steen has contributed an ample share towards the 
cause of the Union, and as a mechanic and citizen occupies a front rank. 



904 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

FRED STEFFEN, 

carpenter, was born in Prussia, Germany, April 22, 1855, and came to 
the United States when young, his father, Carl, taking up his abode in 
St. Joseph. He is well known in this city as a dairyman. Fred was 
here reared, and learned his trade. For a number of years he was in 
the employ of the K. C. Railroad, in the capacity of bridge builder. He 
is among the well known mechanics of the city. 

J. O. STEPHENS, 

restaurateur and proprietor of fish, oyster and produce market, was 
born in Monroe County, Indiana, November 20, 1844. His father, David, 
was a circuit minister of the Methodist denomination, and migrated 
from Ohio to Indiana at an early day, and was also closely identified 
with the educational interests of that locality up to the time of his 
demise, which occurred when J. O. was quite young. His grandfather, 
John, was a soldier in the war of 18 12, and he was born in Boonsborough, 
Kentucky, in 1781. He married a sister of Daniel Boone, and migrated 
to Ohio, in 1801, locating near where the City of Columbus now stands. 
J. O.'s mother was again married, and with them he lived until fourteen 
years of age. tilling the soil. Then came west, and located in Nebraska, 
and after a short sojourn, returned to Indiana for a time. Subsequently 
he located in Doniphan County, Kansas, residing there until December 
12, 1862, when he enlisted in Company E, Twenty-fifth Missouri Volun- 
teer Infantry. Was at the battle of Shiloh and many other stirring 
events ; served three years and seven months, when he was honorably 
discharged, and returned to Doniphan County. For a time he was 
engaged in merchandising, at Wathena and Troy, and came to St. Joseph 
in the autumn of 1865. Embarked in the fish and oyster business, after- 
wards in butchering, eventually turning his attention to his present 
vocation. In 1866, he married Miss Sarah J. Dinkle. Mr. Stephens has 
built up a large and lucrati\e business by sagacity and fair dealing. 

\V. F. STEPHENS, 

merchant, the subject of this notice, is a native of Randolph County, 
Missouri, and was born April 2, 1842. When three years of age he 
removed to Callaway County, with his parents, and there resided a few 
years, when the family located in Andrew County, remaining six years, 
thence to Buchanan County. During the war our subject was engaged 
in freighting in the West, and for two years was a resident of Kansas. 
He engaged in his present business in March, 1880, and carries a well 
selected stock of goods, and b\' square dealing and his affable demeanor 
has built up a substantial business. In the spring of 1867, Miss Margaret 



ST. JOSEPH. 905 

E. Maxwell became his wife. They have five children, John, Tabitha, 
Mollie, FranT< and Jessie. 

JOSEPH STEMLER, 

carpenter and builder, is one of the leaders in this important industry. 
He was born in Gasconade County, Missouri, July 25, 1853, and removed 
to St. Joseph at an early age. His father, John T., who was a carpenter, 
here engaged at his trade. Joseph was here raised and learned his trade, 
and is now an accomplished mechanic. Was married December 31, 
1880, to Miss Minnie Breuninger, of St. Joseph. 

WILLIAM STEWART, 

foreman for J. W. Ambrose & Co., was born in Salisbury, Connecticut, 
June 21, 18 14, and, upon becoming of age, he went to Wilbraham, Mas- 
sachusetts, where he received the benefits of a good education. After 
this, he went to Pittsford, Vermont, and learned the moulder's trade, and 
then went to Plymouth, Vermont, and worked at his trade seven years. 
Thence to Providence, Rhode Island, remaining about two years, having 
the management of the shops. He next returned to Vermont, and for 
eight years had charge of the shops at Windsor. For six years he was 
foreman in the foundry of Hartshorn & Ames, at Nashua, New Hamp- 
shire, after which, in company with two other gentlemen, he engaged in 
the foundry business at South Reading, Massachusetts. It was finally 
converted into a joint stock company, and Mr. Stewart continued in the 
capacity as foreman for six years. He next went to Connecticut, staying 
for a time, after which he entered the foundry of Morrison & Colwell, at 
Troy, New York, as foreman, remaining three years. He filled the same 
position with Wager & Pales for several years ; that company eventu- 
ally dissolved, and he continued to hold the same situation with Mr. 
Pales for five years. Subsequently he came to Rock Island, Illinois, and 
for one year was foreman in the stove works, in that city. Returned to 
Troy, and, in 1878, came to St. Joseph, and entered the employ of J. W. 
Ambrose & Co. as foreman. Mr. S. has been a foreman for thirty-five 
years, and is thoroughly conversant with the general details of foundry 
work. He has been twice married : Pirst, to Miss Clara Pollard, of Ver- 
mont ; she died June 11, 1879, leaving two sons, W. J. and George P. 
In the autumn of 1880, Mrs. Mary J. Reed became his wife. He is a 
Master Mason. 

CHRISTOP STEINBRENNER, 

farmer, section 26, post office St. Joseph, was born in Germany, Novem- 
ber 16, 1833, and received a good education. He came to America, 
April 15, 1853, locating in Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned the black- 



906 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

smith trade and followed it for a livelihood. In 1861, he emigrated to 
Buchanan County, since which time he has farmed. By his own industry 
he has secured seventy acres of land, all under fence and in a good state 
of cultivation. Was married, October 17, 1858, to Miss Lizzie Wiess, 
who was born in Germany, December 31. 1834. They have a family of 
five children: Phillip, born September 18, i860, died May 21, 1868; 
George, born October 25, 1862; John A., born November 30, 1864; 
Frederick and Lotta, twins, born June 22, 1866; William, born April 19, 
1871. Mr. S. is a member of Humboldt Lodge No. 130 L O. O. F., and 
also belongs to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is a school 
trustee. His mother-in-law lives with him. She was born in Germany, 
November 10, 1800, and had a common school education. Was married 
in 1824, to Jacob Wiess. They had five children: Amos, Charlotta, Phil- 
lip, Elizabeth and John. Her husband died in 1876. They lived a 
happy life and celebrated their golden wedding before his death. The 
old lady is healthy and active and would walk to St. Joseph if the family 
would let her, 

THEODORE STEINACKER, 

County Surveyor, was born in St. Louis, in May, 1853, and came to this 
city in 1858. Attended the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, 
N. Y., in 1873, and received a finished education in civil engineering 
and surveying, and in 1880 was elected County Surveyor. His superior 
qualifications and strict attention to business of the county is a guar- 
antee that the people's interests will not be neglected. 

PHILIP STIMMEL, 

manager of the St. Joseph branch of B. D. Buford & Co's agrfcultural 
implement works, is a native of Pennsylvania, and originally did busi- 
ness in Philadelphia, where he received an excellent commercial educa- 
tion. He has been twelve years in the agricultural implement business? 
a calling in which he is thoroughly versed. He was formerly connected 
with an agricultural house established in St. Joseph in 1870, and con- 
ducted under the firm name of Buford & Warren. On the death of Cap- 
tain Warren, which occurred in a railroad accident, September, 1875, this 
firm was dissolved, but the business has since continued to be conducted 
by the original house, and managed in St. Joseph by Mr. Philip Stimmel, 
whose excellent business qualifications, and great personal popularity 
have contributed in no small degree to extend the territory of its pat- 
ronage. Basie D. Buford, the head of the firm of B. D. Buford & Co., 
Rock Island, Illinois, one of the largest manufacturing concerns in the 
West, is a member of the well known Kentucky family of Bufords. He 
moved to Rock Island when a small boy, and is now about forty-five 



ST. JOSEPH. 907 

years of age. The establishment of which he constitutes the head does 
an annual business of one million and a half of dollars. Besides the 
branch house managed in St. Joseph by Mr. Stimmel, and which alone 
does an annual business of two hundred thousand dollars, there are 
other branches of this immense business in St. Louis, Kansas City and 
St. Paul. The celebrated Rock Island plow works of D. B. Buford & Co., 
turn out Clipper plows, Buford-Brown sulky and gang plows, Black 
Hawk and Defiance cultivators, etc. 

L. S. STIGERS, 

architect, a pioneer in this branch, is the subject. Was born in Greene 
County, Pennsylvania, February 27, 1817, and when young migrated to 
Ohio with his parents, where he was reared, educated and learned the 
carpenter's trade, at Mt. Vernon, Kent County. Followed his vocation 
there until 1844, when he came to St. Joseph, and rented a residence and 
commenced business as a builder. Drafted the plans and built the Patee 
House, and many other buildings which to-day are old landmarks. For 
a time he was in partnership with F. R. Bcettner, and a fair specimen of 
their architectural skill is the Market House, Saxton & Russell's build- 
ing, occupied by Baldwin, the jeweler, A. N. Shuster's residence and 
numerous store buildings and residences. Mr. Stigers superintended the 
erecting of Asylum No. 2. In the private and business walks of life he 
commands the respect of a large circle of acquaintances. Was married 
on the 28th of November, 1840, to Miss Harriet Gooding, of St. Clair 
County, Illinois. She was born June ii, 1815, and died May 25, 1874, 
leaving five children, of whom four are living — Mary E., born Septem- 
ber 24, 1841 ; Robert G., born March 16, 1845 ; Laura B., born June 14, 
1849, and died September 21, 1850; Orren and Warren, (twins), born 
June 4, 1852. 

JAMES A. STORM 

was born in Emmittsburg, Fredericks County, Maryland, June 26, 1823, 
and was there reared, educated and became proficient in architecture, 
his father, James, being a prominent member of the profession in that 
state. In 1846, James A. removed to Baltimore, where he remained 
engaged in his profession and building until 1850, when he took up his 
abode at Berkeley Springs, Virginia, where he followed contracting and 
building, and he also became proprietor of a livery stable. To him much 
credit is due for giving the locality of Berkeley Springs the reputation it 
afterwards attained as a watering place. There he constructed and oper- 
ated swimming pools and a ten-pin alley, and was general manager of 
amusement. Mr. David H. Crawther, well known as a correspondent 
for Harper's Magazine, under the, nom de plume of Port Crayon, was 



908 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

associated with him for a time in this business. In 1857, Mr. Storm 
settled in St. Joseph. He drafted the design and superiHtended the 
building of the Pacific House. Was also superintendent of construction 
of the Buchanan County Court House and other important structures in 
St. Joseph. For a considerable length of time he was a partner in con- 
tracting and building with John C. Evans, the style being Storm & Evans. 
In 1862, they dissolved partnership, and Mr. S. turned his attention to 
the manufacture of ox yokes, tents, and necessaries for outfitting adven- 
turers for the West. His establishment was Avhat is known as the St. 
Joseph planing mill. Also manufactured extensively the old-fashioned 
spinning wheel, looms, etc. In 1865, he sold out to DeClue & Shivel, 
and for one season, in company with W. Angelo Powell, conducted a real 
estate and architect's office. His ne.xt move was to engage in the fruit 
and produce business, which so rapidly increased that he was obliged to 
open a branch house at Omaha to accommodate his western trade. 
During one summer he shipped upwards of 30,0CXD bushels of apples 
and other products in proportion. In 1867, he opened a house and 
made a specialty of buying and selling game. He has done much 
toward improving the breeds of fowls, and in this important branch has 
achieved a wide reputation. Is the inventor of a fountain for the benefit 
of the breeders of fowls that will keep water from freezing in winter and 
keep it cool in summer. On this he was awarded the highest prize at 
the Centennial. Is a member of the State Horticultural Society and of 
the Missouri Valley Horticultural Society. Mr. Storm is a man of con- 
siderable taste in antiquarian curiosities, and is the possessor of a rare 
collection of ancient coins and fossils. Was married in 1844, to Miss 
Margaret A. Baumgardner, at P^mmittsburg, Maryland. They have had 
seven children — John F, (now Deputy Assessor in St. Louis), James A., 
Joseph A., Charlie K., William M. and Louisa M.. living; and Mary A., 
deceased. 

WILLIAM STRIBLEN 

was born in the City of Cassel, P^lectorate of Hessen-Cassel, Germany, 
on the i6th of May, 1837, where his father held an official position in the 
civil service. After receiving a liberal education, William set out for the 
United States, arriving at New Orleans, Louisiana, on January i, 1850. 
He then went to St. Louis, Missouri, and at once entered the drug busi- 
ness, paying close attention to pharmacy and chemistry. In March, 
1853, he removed to Cincinnati, clerked several years in the drug busi- 
ness, in that city, afterwards at Indianapolis, Indiana, Covington, Ken- 
tucky, and Chicago, Illinois, until January, 1857, when he started West, 
landing in Keokuk, Iowa, where he established his own drug store. He 
continued to practice his profession until the war of the rebellion broke 
out in 1 861, when he enlisted in the United States army, was promoted 



ST. JOSEPH. 909 

to hospital steward Twenty-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 
afterwards to Lieutenant Sixty-third Regiment U. S. Colored Infantry, 
and finally to Captain in the Sixty-ninth Regiment United States 
Colored Infantry. While in the army he was at various times danger- 
ously wounded, in the headj a bayonet thrust in right lung, and shot in 
the instep of right foot. On the 5th of May, 1865, he was honorably dis- 
charged from the United States service by reason of wounds received 
while in duty. After his discharge, he traveled to regain his health, 
which had suffered from the effects of his wounds. A strong and robust 
constitution helped him to recuperate his former good health. In April, 
1866, he arrived at St. Joseph, where he engaged in clerking until he 
established his own drug store in January, 1867, and has been carrying 
on the same business ever since. He was married December 21, 1866, 
to Miss Martha L. Walker, of Highland County, Ohio. She died in Feb- 
ruary, 1869. Mattie W. Striblen, born on December 15, 1867, was the 
fruit of this marriage. William Striblen, on the 21st April, 1870, was 
married to Miss Sallie B. Tracy, his present wife. There were born unto 
them Lena, April 17, 1871, died October 14, 1872 ; Frederick, born Jan- 
uary 7, 1873; Nellie, born November 28, 1875; Laura, born September 
30, 1877, died March 24, 1880; Stella, born December 25, 1879. 

GEORGE STROP, 

brick manufacturer, was born August 5, 1837, at Tuscarawas, Ohio, and 
from there he went, when eight years old, with his family to the State 
of Kentucky, where he was raised, and remained up to 1865. He then 
came West, and located in this city, and worked at different brick yards. 
After three years, in 1868, he was enabled to open a brick yard on his 
own account, and carried on the same successfully. In 1877, he pur- 
chased a farm of 120 acres in Andrew County, Missouri, where his 
family resides. This he improves, besides tending to his brick yard at 
St. Joseph. In 1861, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Conrad, of Ken- 
tucky. They have had ten children, seven of whom are living. 

STUPPY & REICHARD, 

proprietors of the Central Green Houses in St. Joseph, bear the reputa- 
tion of skilled florists. L. J. Stuppy, the head of the firm, was born in 
Saint Genevieve County, Missouri, in September, 1849. He came with 
his parents to St. Joseph in the spring of 1850. His father, F. X. Stuppy, 
was one of the pioneer druggists of the place. L. J. was raised in St. 
Joseph and, in due time, educated in his father's calling. In obedience 
to the promptings of a natural taste, in 1875, he engaged in his present 
business, of which he has made a success. In 1876, he married Miss 



9IO BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Annie Schiesl. They have two children, F. X., Jr., and Annie E. David 
M. Reichard, his partner in the business, was born near Martinsburg, in 
Berkeley County, Virginia, August 8, 1830, and, at an early age, moved 
with his parents to Maryland, where his father engaged in the nursery 
business. Brought up in his father's avocation, he early acquired a taste 
for floriculture. On attaining his majority, he moved to Washington, 
D. C, where he remained engaged in the nursery business till 1865, 
when he determined to try his fortune in the West, and settled in St. 
Joseph. In 1858, he married Miss Rebecca Boyd. They have four chil- 
dren, Milton, Walter, Howard and Willie. Mr. Reichard and family are 
members of the Presbyterian Church. 

JACOB STUSSI, 

farmer and dairyman, Riverton, was born October 9, 1832, in Switzer- 
land, and was reared at his birthplace and received the benefits of an 
education. It might be said that he was literally brought up in the 
dairy business. He understands it thoroughly and has followed it 
through life. In the spring of 1863, he emigrated to the United States, 
and landed at New York city. He first settled in Brooklyn, where he 
remained two years and then came west to St. Louis, where he resided 
three years, and afterwards moved to Andrew County, and engaged in 
the dairy and cheese making business. Remained there six years, and 
came to Buchanan County in 1878. He first settled east of Platte 
River, and moved to the place he now occupies in the spring of 1880. 
He was the founder of the town of Riverton, which formerly existed 
under the name of Bridgeport, but it had nearly died out. Mr. S. bought 
several pieces of land there, and started the town anew. He built a 
two-story hotel and other buildings and is erecting a dwelling house for 
himself The town is situated on the line of the Narrow Gauge road, 
and has the prospect of becoming a lively place, and it is due to Mr. S.'s 
untiring efforts. He commenced life a poor boy and has been the archi- 
tect of his own fortune. Was married, in 1862, to Miss Frances Mier, a 
native of Switzerland. 

JOHN R. SUTHERLAND, 

carpenter, is a native of Shelby County, Indiana, born August i, 1846. 
His father, Woodward, was a carpenter by trade, and migrated with his 
family to Illinois in 1857. In 1858, they came to Missouri, locating in 
Columbia, Boone County, where our subject resided until 1862, when he 
enlisted in Company B, 9th Missouri Cavalry. He passed through the 
usual routine of warfare, and was honorably discharged July 14, 1865. 
In 1866, he came to St. Joseph and engaged in working at the carpenter 
trade, having adopted the proicssion of his father. During his sojourn 



ST. JOSEPH. 911 

in the city he has been classed among its first class mechanics. He was 
married in 1869 to Miss Charity Brainerd, of St. Joseph. They have 
four children, Stella May. Birdie, John Franklin, and an infant. He is a 
member of the I. O. O. F., King Hill Lodge. 

CONRAD TANNER, 

was born in Switzerland, May 5, 1834, and when seventeen years of age 
came to America, and after a short sojourn in Ohio, removed to St. Jos- 
eph. He here learned the wagonmaker's trade, and in 1866, opened a shop, 
the style of the firm being Tanner Bros. He afterward erected the pres- 
ent shop. His long sojourn in this county, and his reputation for first class 
work, gives him a reputation that is well merited. Some specimens of 
his work are the wagons of the St. Joseph and New Ulm breweries. He 
was married in 1857, to Miss Genevieve Harman. They have had ten 
children, six of whom are living, Conrad, Adolph, Edward, Pauline, Wil- 
liam and Clara. Mr. Tanner is a member of the Druids, German Benev- 
olent Society, Greeklie Verein and Swiss Verein. 

THEODORE TEXTOR, 

liquor and cigar dealer, was born July 13, 1839, at Hofgeismer, Germany, 
and after having received his education at the high school, he went to 
Rassal, Hessen, where he studied at the Polytechnic School, and gradu- 
ated with honor in 1853. Then accepted an offer as superintendent of 
the distilleries and general management of large farms, which occupa- 
tion he held for five years, when he served three years in the Prussian 
army. When discharged he returned to his old work. Having had for 
a long time the desire to go to the United States, he left Europe and 
arrived in 1863 at New York City, where he only stopped a few weeks, 
and then came to St. Joseph, where he arrived in July, 1863. Obtained 
a situation as clerk in a hardware store, which place he filled two years, 
and afterward became clerk with Diedmann & Fuelling, cigar dealers. 
In 1868, he opened the cigar business on his own account, and removed 
September i, 1880, to 310 Felix Street, and opened a store for the sale 
of liquors, cigars and smoking articles. Was married December i, 1868, 
to Miss Minnie Deichmann. They have had four children — Oscar and 
Hermann, deceased, and Mathilde and Charles, living. 

LOUIS THEIP, 

Principal of the German-English School, was born in Prussia in 1831, 
and came to the United States in 1866. He received a good education 
in his native country, and afterwards taught for fourteen years. Since 
coming to this country he has taught fourteen years. Thus teaching 



912 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

has been his ambition and life work. He lived in Milwaukee, Wiscon- 
sin, for twelve years, and in San Antonio, Texas, one year. In 1880, he 
came to St. Joseph, and was soon employed as Principal of the German- 
English School, a position he continues (1881) to fill satisfactorily. Mar- 
ried Miss Lizzie Blummoth in Germany, in i860. They have two child- 
ren, Emil and Jonathan. Emil is at the naval school in Annapolis, Mary- 
land, in his fourth year, and about to become an assistant engineer. Mr. 
Theip is a fine scholar, a successful teacher, and a man whose moral 
character is above reproach. 

GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON 

was born at Harper's Ferry, Va., January, 1826. His father Capt. Merri- 
weather Thompson, a prominent citizens of that place, was a native of 
Hanover County, Virginia. He was for years in the paymaster's depart- 
ment of the United States Army at Harper's Ferry. The proper name 
of the subject of this sketch was Merriweather. The appellation "Jeff'" 
was a nick-name applied in childhood, and constitutes one of the very 
many instances of the absurdity of applying to children such names 
with the expectation of their remaining only temporary designations. 
The manner in which he acquired his middle name is somewhat amus- 
ing. It appears that in early life, the future General was anything but a 
studious child, indeed, was sorely addicted to playing truant, and having 
in numerous instances of desertion from school been found perched on 
the top of a scavenger's cart driven by an ancient darkey, who rejoiced 
in the name of Jeff Carlyle. By way of shaming the young runaway and 
reclaiming him from his objectionable habit, his friends called him "Jeff 
Carlyle." Whether or not this had the desired effect we are not 
informed ; the name, however, clung to him through life, and after he 
had attained to manhood, and emigrated from, his native home to St. 
Joseph, many who knew him as "Jeff," and were ignorant or oblivious of 
the fact that it was but a nick-name, continued so to address him. 
Powers of attorney were made out to him in this name under which, of 
course, he could not act, and in consequence he obtained an act of the 
legislature granting the additional " Jeff" to his name. On leaving home 
in 1846, he stopped in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri, where he clerked 
in a store about a year, at the end of which period he moved to St. 
Joseph and engaged as a clerk in the house of Middleton & Riley,, 
remaining in the store till 1852, when he went in their interest to Great 
Salt Lake City. Returning in the fall, he started, in partnership with 
Major Bogle, a grocery store in St. Joseph. He subsequently closed out 
his store and accompanied, in the capacity of commissary, the surveyors 
of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. He afterwards returned from 
Hannibal in charge of a surveying party, having acquired during his 



ST. JOSEPH. 913 

trip by close application, a competent knowledge of practical surveying. 
He was entrusted with the task of constructing the western division of 
the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, and remained in that position up to 
the period of its completion in February, 1859. In 1858 he filled the 
office of City Engineer, and in 1859 was elected Mayor of the city of St. 
Joseph. In i860 he constituted one of the real estate firm of Harbine & 
Thompson, and was engaged in this business at the breaking out of the 
civil war. He was at that period, under the old state law, a Colonel of 
militia. He cast his fortunes with the South, and was among the earliest 
and most active to engage in the great struggle. He attained the rank 
of Brigadier General in the Confederate service, in which he acquired, 
among other appellations, the name of " the Swamp Fox." His career 
in the great struggle is now a part of our national history, and even an 
outline of its recital would exceed the limits of such a notice as this. 
At the close of the war, through the influence of General A. L. Lee. am 
officer of the Federal service, and formerly a banker of St. Joseph, Gen- 
eral Thompson obtained the appointment of Chief Engineer of the 
Board of Public Works of the State of Louisiana, with headquarters in 
the city of New Orleans, which position he continued to retain up to the 
period of his death. A short time previous to this, he had started a 
commission house in Memphis, Tennessee, but the venture proved a 
failure, and he went to New Orleans with the above mentioned results. 
M. Jeff Thompson married in Liberty, Missouri, in 1848, Miss Emma 
Hays, a native of Baltimore, Maryland. By this marriage they had five 
children, two of whom were boys. The General was the fourth of a 
family of si.x children. The eldest of these, Broaddus Thompson, form- 
erly a representative citizen and prominent lawyer of St. Joseph, was 
for many years widely distinguished for his refined culture and polished 
refinement of manner. Charles M. Thompson, the youngest^ at present 
(1881) Deputy Circuit Clerk of Buchanan County, was for years a popu- 
lar and well known newspaper man of St. Joseph. In the fall of 1876 
General Thompson retured to his old home, St. Joseph, and died at the 
Pacific House in that city. He was certainly a remarkable character, 
and in spite of his many eccentricities, it must be said that few men 
have lived in the world and filled as prominent positions as he did with 
as many fast friends and as few enemies. Peace to his ashes. 

CHARLES M. THOMPSON, 

was born at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, October, 1830, and came to St. 
Joseph, in 1849. He learned the printer's trade in Virginia, and his first 
business here was a position in the Gazette office. When but sixteen 
years old, he enlisted in the First Virginia Volunteer Infantry, for the 
Mexican War, and remained until the war closed. In 1863, with Mr. J. 



'914 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

T. Childs, he started the Evening News. This he afterwards sold to 
parties who changed it to the Tribune. In 1869, he was elected City 
Recorder, a position which he filled six years. He is now (1881) Deputy 
Circuit Clerk, and a very capable officer. In 1853, he married Miss Jane 
Lyon, daughter of A. B. Lyon, one of the old merchants of this city. 
They have six children living — Sally D., John H., Laura A., Betta L., 
Mary L. and Charles M. May 3, 1881, Sally D. married Professor Rich- 
ard M. Proctor, the distinguished astronomer and author of England, 
when they immediately left for their home in London, England. Louis 
M., their eldest son, married Miss Jennie Hundley, daughter of J. B. Hund- 
ley, and moved to Hastings, Nebraska, where he died in 1878, aged 
twenty-five years. Before going to Nebraska, he was for many years 
engaged as ticket agent in the Kansas City railroad office. While in 
Nebraska he was engaged in merchandising. 

ISAAC B. THOMPSON, 

was born in Pennsylvania, July 3d, 1838. Learned the marble business 
in Pennsylvania, and on coming to St. Joseph, in January, 1864, estab- 
lished himself there in that business, purchasing the shop of E. K. Bed- 
well, a representative marble worker in that city. This he has enlarged 
to meet the demands of his increasing trade. By his skill as an artist 
and the aid of the best workmen he is enabled to turn out a superior 
■quality of work, as many of his beautiful monuments attest. He was 
elected councilman of the second ward in 1879, ^rid also in 188 1, and is 
among the most useful and intelligent aldermen on the board. As he 
is enterprising and successful in his own business, so he is in advancing 
the interests of the city, ably advocating those measures which arc cal- 
culated to promote her advancement. Married Catherine Coleman, of 
Iowa, in January, 1865. They have four children living, Edgar, Charley, 
William and Minnie. 

ROBERT H. THOMAS 

was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1839. In 1844, his father, 
Robert B. Thomas, moved to Jackson County, Missouri, and thence in 
1846 to Buchanan County, where he bought a farm and raised his family 
to work. The country being new, the facilities for obtaining an educa- 
tion were limited. Robert H., however, succeeded in obtaining a com- 
mon school education. His father is one of the respected old settlers of 
the county, and was married to Miss Mary Ann P^walt, of an old and 
highly respected family of Bourbon County, Kentucky. Not long since 
he moved to Platte County, Missouri, where he purchased a fine farm. 
E-obert H. married in 1863, Miss Rebecca Foster, daughter of Thomas 
E'oster, Esq., of Platte County. They have six children — Amon, John 



ST. JOSEPH. 915 

W., Emma, Henry L., Franklin Everett and Kelley. Mr. Thomas pur- 
chased a farm of 160 acres in Crawford Township, and for the past fifteen 
or twenty years has been improving this property and dealing largely 
in live stock. In 1880, he was elected by a large majority Sheriff of 
Buchanan County, a position the duties of which he continues (1881) to 
discharge with ability. 

A. D. THOMAS, 

carpenter, was born in Ross County, Ohio, January 9, 1825, and was 
reared and learned his trade principally in Sciota County. His father, 
Nathan, was a chairmaker by trade. In i860, our subject moved to St. 
Louis, residing there until 1865, when he took up his abode in St. Joseph. 
For a number of years he was a burner of charcoal, was a contractor on 
the St. Joseph bridge, the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad, and did a 
large amount of city work. Was married, in 1847, to Miss Ann M. Long, 
of Kentucky. They have four children, Kate, Rebecca, Rosa aad Belle. 

WILLIAM TIBBETTS, 

of the firm of John Tibbetts & Son, contractors and builders. A well 
known builder of this city, and one who is deserving of special mention, 
is Mr. John Tibbetts. The city hall, and many of the imposing edifices 
in the city are specimens of his w^ork. William, the subject of this 
sketch, w^as born in New York City, December 22, 1859. Was raised to 
manhood and educated in St. Joseph. He also became proficient in the 
trade of building brick structures and as a manager and contractor. 
Mr. John Tibbetts located here in i860, and few contractors have con- 
tributed as much to the upbuilding of the city. Tibbetts & Son are 
thoroughly skilled workmen and have a large trade. 

ELIAS TIMERSON, 

engineer on the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad, is 
a native of New York, and was born in Auburn, October 22, 1841. He 
was educated in his native state, and at an early age became news agent 
on the New York Central Railroad. In 1863, he came to St. Joseph, and 
entered the employ of Luke Benham, as wagon master, and for seven 
years continued in this capacity, superintending freighting across the 
plains. We next find him in this city with the United States Express 
Company, as deliverer. The duties of this position he discharged satis- 
factorily to his employers and the public until 1870, when he commenced 
railroading on the K. C. St. Jo. & C. B., as brakeman. For some years 
he was conductor on a freight, then a fireman, and eventually engineer. 
Mr. Timerson fully realizes the responsibility which rests upon him, and 



9l6 BIOGRAPIIICAT.. 

uses the utmost care and discretion in handling his locomotive. In 1875, 
Miss Dora Amos became his wife. They have two children, Delbert and 
Carrie. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers^ 
and an Encampment member of the I. O. O. E. 

W. G. TIRRELL, 

proprietor of the Inter-Ocean boot and shoe store, was born in Wey- 
mouth, Massachusetts, September 18, 1847, and when quite young he 
was deprived of the care of a father by death. Came from Weymouth 
to Chicago, Illinois, where for a number of years he was engaged as 
a salesman in the well known boot and shoe house of Bullock Bros. In 
1872, he embarked in business in St. Louis, and in 1874 he came to St. 
Joseph and engaged in his present business, in which he has been emi- 
nently successful. His stock embraces the product of the leading and 
best manufacturers in his line, and the liberal treatment of his patrons 
and his fair dealing have secured for him a large and constantly increas- 
ing patronage. 

W. J. TODD, 

grocer, is a native of Andrew County, Missouri, and was born July 29,. 
1849. His father, Zaphnath Todd, was a native of Southern Missouri,, 
and one of the first settlers of Andrew County, and was closely identified 
with its growth and prosperity until his death in August, 1878. W. J. 
was raised to manhood and educated in his native county, spending his 
boyhood days tilling the soil, with the exception of a short time spent in 
DeKalb County, where he was engaged in the general merchandise busi- 
ness, and followed farming in Andrew County, until 1880, when he engaged 
in trade in St. Joseph. In 1869, Miss Zarilda Thornton, of DeKalb 
County, became his wife. They have two children living, Edna and 
Nellie. Himself and family are active members of the Primitive Baptist 
Church. 

MILTON TOOTLE, 

a merchant whose name is so familiar throughout the West, Northwest 
and Southwest, was born in Ross County, Ohio, February 26, 1823, and 
received a good common school education in his youth. In 1836, his 
father removed to Jersey County, Illinois, and here the subject of our 
sketch commenced his mercantile experience, in which he has been so 
eminently successful. Entered the employ of Mr. George Smith, and in 
1842 accompanied him to Savannah, Andrew County, Missouri. In 1844^ 
Mr. Smith opened a store in Atchison County, of which Mr. Tootle had 
entire charge, and after remaining in this capacity one year he returned 
to Savannah, and took charge of the house at this place, Mr. Smith hav- 



ST. JOSEPH. 917 

Ing removed to St. Joseph. In 1848, he embarked in business for him- 
self in Oregon, Holt County, and here he evinced that tact, ingenuity, 
integrity and industry which have been marked features of his commer- 
cial life. In 1849, ^^ the request of Mr. Smith, he came to St. Joseph, 
and was given an interest in the house that subsequently became Smith, 
Bedford & Tootle. Soon after this arrangement Mr. Smith died, and 
Mr. Tootle, in connection with his two brothers and W. G. Fairleigh, 
purchased the stock and commenced business, under the firm name of 
Tootles & Fairleigh. In a short time Mr. Tootle established dry goods 
houses in Omaha, Sioux City and Council Bluffs, the two former at the 
present time being among the prominent and successful houses in the 
West. In i860, his brother Joseph died, and soon after his brother 
Thomas withdrew from the partnership. The business was conducted 
under the name of Tootle & Fairleigh until 1873, when Mr. Fairleigh 
withdrew his interest. Other partners were admitted, and the firm style 
became Tootle, Craig & Co., under which title it continued until 1877. 
when a change was again made, and the firm of Tootle, Hosea & Co. 
was formed, and are at the present time conducting a heavy trade. They 
have recently erected a building for their business that is one of the 
largest and most conveniently arranged houses in the country. Mr. 
Tootle is a man of active enterprise, and has done much to enlarge, 
improve and beautify the city of his residence. In 1872, he erected a 
costly and magnificent temple of amusement, known as Tootle's Opera 
House, a building which is a pride to St. Joseph, and would be a credit to 
an)' city of the East. Was married in January, 1866, to Miss Kate 
O'Neill, daughter of James L. O'Neill, at one time Cashier of the West- 
ern Bank of Missouri. Mr. Tootle's success in life is largely due to the 
care with which he has superintended and directed the minutest details 
of business, and the constant and close attention he has given to every- 
thing connected with his numerous enterprises. He has been especially 
fortunate in attracting and retaining faithful and capable employes, whom 
he has inspired with his own indomitable courage and perseverance. Is 
financially interested in many business houses in St. Joseph, and his 
connection with any enterprise is a sure guarantee of success. He is a 
liberal, public spirited and enterprising citizen. The name of Milton 
Tootle and St. Joseph are inseparable. 

EDWIN TOOLE 

was born on the 23d of February, 1808, in Shelby County, Kentucky, 
is now in his seventy-fourth year, and perhaps looks as young and feels 
as stout and active as most men at the age of fifty. Between the ages of 
eighteen and twenty-three he taught several schools in both Shelby and 
Henry Counties, and at Newcastle, in the latter county, studied law and 



9l8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

was admitted- to the bar when about twenty-four years of age. Was 
married to Lucinda S. Porter, at Owenton, Kentucky, on the memorable 
1 2th of November, 1833, the night of which day will ever be remembered as 
of star shooting notoriety, or rather of meteoric showers. About the 1st 
of April, 1837, they left the State of Kentucky with two children — boys, 
one about three and the other about one year old — and embarked at Louis- 
ville for St. Louis by steamboat, thence up the Missouri River to Liberty 
Landing, at which place both of the children died and were there buried. 
They were detained at said landing some four or five weeks, and finally 
reached the point at which they located, at that time (loth of June, 
1837) about two miles south of where the city of Savannah now stands. 
At that time there were not exceeding fifteen or twenty families within 
the limits of what now constitutes Andrew County, who had pre- 
ceded them, and most, if not all, of them were living in tents and 
camps, but the country began to fill up very rapidly, and all the 
country lying west and northwest of Clinton County, including 
what now forms Andrew, Holt, Nodaway, Atchison and possibly 
Buchanan Counties, being attached to Clinton County for civil and 
military purposes. He was, during the following fall or winter, 
elected as a justice of the peace of his township (Washington), which 
then included all the territory now forming Judge Kelley's circuit, and 
possibly no inconsiderable part of Judge Sherman's. Soon after this, 
however, Platte and Buchanan Counties were organized, and the terri- 
tory now constituting Andrew, Holt, etc., was attached to Buchanan, 
and orders for the election of county officers made and published. 
Although now a citizen of Buchanan County, yet living in the territory 
attached to her, Mr. T. became a candidate for the office of Clerk of the 
Circuit Court, and was elected, William Fowler at the same time being a 
candidate for both Circuit and County Clerk, and was elected to the latter. 
At the next succeeding session of the Legislature, Andrew County was 
organized, and not being a resident and citizen within the chartered limits 
of Buchanan County, and having no desire at that time to change his resi- 
dence for the sake of said office, he let it slide, feeling assured chat the 
offices of both circuit and county clerkships in Andrew County were at 
his service, both of which he filled for many years, and resigned the 
former in the spring of 1858. Then removed to St. Joseph, where he 
resided until the spring of 1875, at which time he settled on a farm two 
miles east of Troy, in Kansas. In April, 1878, Mrs. T. died, and was 
buried in the cemetery at Troy, leaving him alone. In the month of 
August, following, he visited the city of Helena, Montana Territory, 
where he has two sons (E. W. and J. K.,) practicing law, and have been 
there engaged for a number of years. His two daughters (Mrs. Dr. 
Atchison and Mrs. R. P. Stout,) have, with their families, both followed 
him, and are settled there, and his two other sons (Ben. W. and C. B.,) 



ST. JOSEPH. 919 

may, ere long, do likewise. His youngest son (Oliver B.,) died at Hel- 
ena in October, 1877, of brain lever, soon alter his admission to the bar. 
Mr. Toole is a man of large frame. He has all his life enjoyed excel- 
lent health, and now (1881), in the seventy-fourth year of his age, is as 
stout and active as most men of fifty. During the period of his long and 
active life no man has enjoyed a higher degree of respect and of personal 
popularity. 

JUDGE W. C. TOOLE 

was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, March 28, 18 18. In 1834 he 
moved with kis father to Alton, Illinois, where he continued to reside 
till the year 1838, when he went to Buchanan County, Missouri. In 1841 
he married in Weston, Missouri, Miss E. Wiglesworth, of Greenup 
County, Kentucky, by whom he has had ten children, Kittie, Dickie, Octa- 
vius, Alice, William, Lizzie, Laura, Emma, Alpha, and Edwin. In 1848 
Mr. Toole was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law in St. 
Joseph. In 1852 he was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, a 
position which, after holding three years, he resigned. In 1856 he was 
appointed Register of the City of St. Joseph, and held the office unin- 
terruptedly for nine years. In 1864 he was elected City Recorder. This 
office he shortly after resigned, and during the same year was elected on 
the Republican ticket Circuit Clerk, serving in that capacity two years. 
In 1 87 1 he was elected on the Liberal ticket Judge of the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas, which office he continued to hold till its abolishment by the 
Legislature of 1875. Judge Toole first made his permanent home in St. 
Joseph in 1852. He has, in the years that have since elapsed, been 
prominently active in all public enterprises calculated to advance the 
interests of the city and county, and in the building of churches, school 
houses, and charitable institutions has ever been among the foremost to 
lend a helping hand. 

JOHN TOWNSEND 

was born in McLean County, Illinois, in 1837. In 1841, his father moved 
to this county. Young Townsend worked on the farm till fifteen years 
old, in the meantime acquiring a limited education. At fifteen he 
entered the store of I. & J. Curd, then one of the first firms who located 
here. He remained until Mr. Curd sold out and then, at the age of 
twenty-one, he went into the employ of Mr. McDonald, with whom he 
remained several years. He spent two years in Montana. Returning 
to St. Joseph, he commenced business in the spring of 1866, under the 
firm name of Townsend and Lowell. He finally purchased Mr. Lowell's 
interest, and Mr. William H. Wood engaged in partnership with him 
under the firm name of Townsend & Wood. In 1873, the firm of Bailey, 



920 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Townsend & Co. was formed, when they commenced the wholesale trade, 
continuing three years. Mr. Townsend then withdrew from the concern. 
After one year of recreation, in 1877, the present firm of Townsend, 
Wyatt & Co. was formed. This has become one of the leading retail 
dry goods houses of St. Joseph, being to St. Joseph what Stewart is to 
New York- Their sales having increased from $75,000 per year, to one 
quarter of a million. Mr. Townsend was also largely instrumental in 
establishing in 1875, the cracker and candy manufacturing house of F. L. 
Sommer & Co., of which he is one of the Co. This is one of the largest 
establishments of the kind in the West. Mr. Townsend commenced life 
without means, and with nothing but his good health, willing hands and 
hopeful heart, with which to pave his pathway to success. He has 
achieved an enviable reputation as a business man and public spirited 
citizen. He married Miss Anna R, Banes, of this city, in 1863. They 
have three children. 

COL. FRANK M. TRACY, 

present (1881) postmaster of St. Joseph, was born in Ralls County, Mis- 
souri, January 3, 1838. He is the fifth born and fourth son of a family of 
six sons and three daughters. His father, Lewis Tracy, long a repre- 
sentative citizen of St. Joseph, but now deceased, was a native of Jessa- 
mine County, Kentucky. His mother's maiden name was Sarah Krig- 
baum. She was also a native of Kentucky. In the sixth year of Frank's life 
his parents determined to move, and repaired to Platte City, Missouri? 
where they resided till March 12, 1847, when, moving to St. Joseph, he 
entered the office of the Gazette, then edited by General Eastin. Here 
he remained until he had mastered the art of printing. He then went 
to St. Louis, where he worked at his trade in the offices of Republican 
and the Democrat. In 1859 he established in St. Joseph, Missouri, the 
Free Democrat, an ably conducted journal, which he published success- 
fully till the breaking out of the civil war in 186 1. At this period he 
moved to Kansas, where he enlisted in the First Kansas Infantry, in 
which service he was shortly after promoted to the grade of Second 
Lieutenant. He was afterwards transferred to Company I, of the same 
Regiment, with the rank of Captain. He was almost constantly in 
active service during the war of the Rebellion. At the battle of Wilson 
Creek he was severely wounded, being pierced through the right lung 
with a ball which he still carries in his body. On account of disability 
consequent on this wound he was mustered out of the service. Return- 
ing to Doniphan County, Kansas, he afterwards raised a regiment of 
militia, consisting of ten companies o{ infantry and two of cavalry, of 
which command he was commissioned Colonel. This regiment did 
efficient service during Price's raid. He continued in command till the 



ST. JOSEPH. 921 

'Close of the war, when he returned to Kansas, and settled in Troy, where 
he engaged in milling and merchandising. He is a member of Troy 
Lodge, No. 55, A. F. and A. M. In 1864 Colonel Tracy was elected to 
the office of Treasurer of Doniphan County. At the expiration of his 
term in 1866, he was again elected, serving with ability and to the 
Tanqualified satisfaction of his constituents. He subsequently filled by 
appointment, an ad interim term of the same office. In September, 
1876, he moved to St. Joseph, and in company with others, purchased 
the Morning Herald, a journal long recognized as the leading Republi- 
can paper of the Northwest. The high character of this able sheet has 
since continued to be successfully maintained. In recognition of his 
services in behalf of his party, Colonel Tracy was appointed by Presi- 
dent Garfield, May 28, 1881, postmaster of St. Joseph, a position which 
he continues to fill to the satisfaction of all interested. June 30, 1862, 
he was married in Massachusetts to Miss Victoria Melvin, a native of 
Vermont. Their family includes one daughter, Veva Tracy. 

LEWIS TRACY 

was a pioneer in the settlement of Missouri, and one among the early 
residents of St. Joseph. Was born in Kentucky, in 1808, and married 
Miss Sarah Krigbaum, of the same state, and came to Missouri, settling 
in St. Louis when that place was comparatively a small town. From 
there he removed to New London, the county-seat of Ralls County, 
where he established himself in successful business; but in 1842, shortly 
after the opening of the Platte Purchase to settlement, he removed to 
Platte City, conducting the same business, that of a cabinet maker, for five 
years, whence he came with his family to St. Joseph, arriving here March 
12, 1847, and during the spring of the same year purchased a lot on the west 
side of Market Square, and erected thereon his furniture shop and sales- 
room. Up to this time the business of the town was altogether confined 
to Main Street, and Lewis Tracy's furniture shop was the first business 
establishment of any kind located east of Main Street. Lewis Tracy 
was elected Justice of the Peace shortly after he came to St. Joseph, 
which office he filled for twelve years, settling nearly all the cases of 
dispute arising between the citizens of Buchanan County during this 
time, and the writer is informed by an attorney who habitually practiced 
before him, that although his court was nearly continuous, cases being 
tried almost daily, his decisions were invariably sustained, not a single 
reversal having been made by the higher courts during the entire term 
of his official service. He was for several years one of the Town Trustees 
of St. Joseph, and was President of the Board. The subject of this sketch 
was a Democrat of the old school, and was a strong supporter of Thomas 

H. Benton. When the war of the rebellion was inaugurated, he said, "If 

57 



922 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

I must give up Democracy or the Union, I will give up Democracy." 
Five of his six sons did service in the Union army, the sixth and young- 
est being incapacitated by lameness. He made an effort himself to enlist 
under the first call for troops, but being over age, was rejected by the 
mustering officer. Undaunted, however, he succeeded in passing muster 
a few months later, upon the organization of the Tenth Regiment of 
Kansas Volunteers, which was recruited mainly in Doniphan County, in 
that state, and he passed through several hard-fought battles, among 
which were Cane Hill, Pea Ridge, etc. Was discharged after about two 
years' service, and later, in 1864, was called into active service again as 
Major of a Kansas militia regiment, of which his son, Frank M., was the 
Colonel. Lewis Tracy died at the residence of his son, John M., on a 
farm, near Elwood, Kansas, on October 21, 1864, his last sickness and 
that which caused his death being flux. He was a man of remarkable 
constitution, possessing great physical strength ; was very energetic, 
and made it the rule of his life "to never put off till to-morrow what can 
be done to-day." He was a member of the Christian Church and of the 
Masonic fraternity, and was honored and respected by all who knew him, 
and lived and died without a blemish on his character, having performed 
his duty to his family, to his neighbors and to his country faithfully and 
well. His family consisted of six sons and three daughters, all except 
one (his second daughter) now living, four sons and the two surviving 
daughters being at this time residents of St. Joseph, and two of his sons 
living in Kansas. Mrs. Sarah Tracy, his wife, died on March 12, 1858. 

P. W. TRENT, 

contractor and builder, was born in Patrick County, Virginia, where he was 
raised, educated and learned the trade he now pursues. This he followed 
in his native state until the spring of 1872, when he became a resident 
of St. Joseph. He is a mechanic of the highest type, possessing natural 
elements of ingenuity, and his record and progress in this city he may 
well be proud of. 

A. TUCKER, 

of the firm of Tucker Brothers, plain and ornamental plasterers, is a 
native of Morris County, New Jersey, and was born near Dover, in Feb- 
ruary, 1843. Was principally raised in Newark, and in 1862 enlisted in 
Company E, Eleventh New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and was promoted 
to First Sergeant. Served to the close of the war, participating in the 
engagements of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and other 
notable battles. After the war he returned to New Jersey, and worked 
at his trade there and in New York until 1877, when he became a resi- 
dent of St. Joseph. During his sojourn here he has done the work on 



ST. JOSEPH. 923 

some of the finest buildings in the city, such as those of R. L. McDonald,. 
J. G. Englehart, J. W. Bailey, etc. Was married in 1871, to Miss Lizzie 
Hall, daughter of Prof. Hall, of the Polytechnic Institute, of Orange^ 
New Jersey. They have three children — Willie, Harry and Clarence. 

ST. JOSEPH TRUNK FACTORY 

is conducted by F. Endebrock, a native of Prussia, Germany, who came 
to America in 1844, locating in Cincinnati, where he learned the busi- 
ness of trunk making, working at his trade in that city for a number of 
years and then removed to St. Louis, where he lived for ten years. In 
1870, he came to St. Joseph and established his present business., of 
manufacturing trunks, valises and satchels, and his business is the largest 
of the kind in the Northwest, extending into the adjoining states and 
territories. He gives the establishment his undivided attention, and 
he has built up a business alike creditable to himself and the city of St. 
Joseph. 

S. T. TURNER, 

car inspector and outside repairer for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and 
Council Bluffs Railroad, was born in Richmond, Virginia, November 14, 
1850, and was there partially reared and educated. In 1867, he came to 
St. Joseph, with his parents. His father, William, was a policeman in 
Richmond, and is well and favorably known in St. Joseph in the same 
capacity. S. T. commenced to learn the carpenter's trade in his native 
city, which he finished in St. Joseph. In 1871, he entered the employ of 
the K. C, St. Jo. & C. B. Co., as car builder, and in the autumn of 1879, 
accepted his present responsible and well merited position. He was 
married April 5, 1871, to Miss Eliza E. Hall, of Richmond, Virginia. 
They have two children, Mollie N., and Willie R. Mr. Turner is a 
Mason, of the Blue Lodge and Chapter, and an Odd Fellow. 

H. N. TURNER 

was born in Rochester, New York, October 24, 18 19, and with his 
father's family moved to Marshall, Michigan, in 1832, where he remained 
four years. He then moved to Connersville, Indiana, residing there 
until 1856, when he went to California, and in 1857 went to Omaha, 
Nebraska. In 1859 he came to St. Joseph and engaged in trade on the 
corner of Eleventh and Penn streets, building up a fine business which 
he continued until 1876, when he sold out. He then was elected city 
collector, which office he held four years. He is now (188 1) the oldest 
member of the city school board, having been continuously re-elected 
to the same for the past sixteen years. He has been a Mason for many 



924 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

years, and is now a Knight Templar. He married Miss Matilda New- 
land in Connersville, Indiana, in March, 1847. They had two children, 
Mary Ellen and Ira N. Mrs. Turner died in 185 1. Mary Ellen married 
William Morrison, and died in 1866, leaving two children, Mary Agnes 
and John. Ira, his son, is bookkeeper for Messrs. Kieffer & Co., and is 
a good business man. In politics Mr. Turner has always been an enthu- 
siastic Union man and a member of the Republican party. He raised 
and commanded a company of State militia during the war. 

T. H. TURNER, 

fqjeman of tin and copper shop for the Kansas City, St. Joseph and 
Council Bluffs Railroad, is a native of Missouri, and was born in Hanni- 
bal, October 26, 1846. He was reared, educated and learned his trade 
in his native city, and for a time was a resident of Iowa and Minnesota, 
remaining two years in St. Paul. He took up his abode in St. Joseph in 
the employ of the K. C, St. Jo. & C. B. R. R. Co., in 187S. He was 
married in 1873, to Miss Emma Disbrow, of Smith's Landing, New Jer- 
sey. Mr. Turner is a Mason, and belongs to St. John's Lodge, Hannibal. 
Himself and wife are members of the Episcopal Church. 

JUDGE HENRY TUTT 

was born in Culpepper County, Virginia, in February, 1803. The famil)' 
are of Welsh and Irish descent. Judge Tutt was the third of a family of 
eight children, four sons and four daughters. His father was a promi- 
nent citizen, having for many years filled the position of sheriff of the 
county, and other important offices. The judge was educated at Front 
Royal Academy. Resided, up to th& year 1835, in Culpepper, and at 
Mount Jackson, Shenandoah County. In 1824, he married Miss Anne 
Gatewood Conner, daughter of Uriel Conner, Esq., of Culpepper County. 
He had, by this marriage, six children, four sons and two daughters. 
Of these but two survive: John S., the eldest, born in 1825, and present 
(1881) assessor of Buchanan County, and Miss Lou. While still a resi- 
dent of Virginia he was elected captain of a militia company noted for 
the precision of its drill. In the spring of 1835, Captain Tutt moved 
West with many relatives of his own name. He first settled on Prairie 
Fork, and afterwards at Poitland, in Calloway County, Missouri. Here 
he engaged at different times in various pursuits, teaching, surveying, 
farming, etc. In 1840, he represented the county in the State Legislature. 
He was soon after commissioned major of militia, and was finally elected 
brigadier general in the same service. In 1844, he moved to Platte 
County, locating in what was known as the- Miller settlement, where, at 
first, he engaged in farming. He was, shortl\- after, admitted to the bar. 



ST. JOSEPH. 925 

and continued for many years to devote his time to the practice of law. 
In 1849, ^^^ moved to DeKalb, in Buchanan County, and the following 
year was elected from the same to the Legislature. In 1859, he was 
elected Judge of the Probate Court of Buchanan County, a position he 
has continued to fill uninterruptedly ever since. In person Judge Tutt 
is a man of unusual stature and commanding presence. Courteous and 
affable withal, few men have achieved with as little effort a higher 
degree of popularity than he enjoys. Though advanced in years he is 
still in full possession of his faculties, and is still the capable, efficient 
officer he was when first elected. 

COL. JOHN F. TYLER J 

was born in Lee County, Virginia, September 12, 1838. His father, 
Henry C. Tyler, was a merchant of Jonesville, and also operated stores at 
other points in Lee County. His mother's maiden name was Fulkerson, 
John F. was their only child. He was educated at the Virginia Military 
Institute, Lexington, at that time superintended by Gen. Francis H. 
Smith. He was graduated here ninth of a class of twenty-nine in 1859. 
In the same year he moved to Missouri, settling first at Lexington, 
where he engaged in teaching till the breaking out of the civil war. 
During the period that he was teaching he studied law in the office of 
Hon. John F. Ryland, of Lexington. He was a staunch L^nion man, and 
as such rendered himself so unpopular with the dominant party in that 
town that he was forced to enter the army. He enlisted in the Four- 
teenth Missouri Volunteers, commanded by Col. White. He was almost 
immediately after elected Major in that regiment, and was subsequently 
captured with Milligan's command in the battle of Lexington before 
being mustered into service. On being exchanged he was appointed 
Aid-de-Camp, with the rank of Major, on Gen. Schofield's staff. In 1862, 
he was promoted to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel of the First regi- 
ment of infantry of the Missouri State Militia. He was afterwards pro- 
moted to the rank of Colonel of this regiment, and remained in the 
service till near the close of the war, when he moved to St, Joseph and 
engaged in merchandising. He afterwards farmed for a short time. He 
has, for some time past, and is at present (1881) engaged in the practice 
of law and largely in the real estate business in St. Joseph. He was 
married November 9, 1862, to Miss Jane E. Spratt, of Lexington, Mis- 
souri. They have had four children, all of whom are dead. Col. Tyler 
is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and has been, for many years, 
an active Sunday School worker in the same. He has superintended 
some of the largest and most prosperous schools of this character in the 
city ; and it was through his efforts that the present flourishing Mission 
Sabbath School of South St. Joseph was organized. In politics he has 
always been a Democrat. 



926 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

B. ULLMAN, 

one of the most prominent men in his line in St. Joseph, is the subject of 
this sketch. He was born in Pennsylvania, August i, 1824, and was 
raised in Philadelphia. When very young, he commenced working at 
the butchering business, and has followed it, in connection with dealing 
in stock, all his life. In 1857, he decided to "go West," with the inten- 
tion of going to San Francisco, but after reaching St. Joseph, he con- 
cluded to remain. He married Miss Jane Besard, who died in 1877, 
leaving three children, John, William and Emma. 

RUDOLPH UHLMAN, 

photographer, was born April 5, 1829, at Chemnitz, Saxonia, where, 
after having received his education, he visited the weaving school. 
There he had occasion to develop his talent for drawing, which he had 
shown already when a child, and after having graduated, he accepted an 
offer as designer in a weaving factory, which position he kept up to 
April 12, 1853, when he emigrated to America. He went from New 
York to New Haven, Connecticut, where he was employed for three 
years as designer in a suspender factory. In 1856, he concluded to go 
West, and on his way he met the Massachusetts Aid Society, who went 
to Kansas. He joined them, and under General Jim Lane, took an 
active part in the skirmishes and battles fought during 1856 and 1857. 
Then he went to the mountains, where he kept with success for two 
years, a general merchandise store. In i860, he came to St. Joseph, 
and opened a photograph gallery, which he has carried on successfully, 
as he endeavors to execute his work in the most artistic style, and ever 
took hold immediately of any new improvement or invention in his line 
of business. He is an active member of the National Photographic 
Association of America. He was married in 1863, to Miss Lisette Doll, 
a native of Baden, Germany. They have four children, Willie, born 
September 30, 1865 ; P^red., born April 28, 1868 ; Emma, born May 4, 
1870; Louis, born September 17, 1873. 

WILLIAM ULLMAN 

is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born November 16, 1855. He 
received a good education, after which he came to St. Joseph, in 1857. 
March 29, 1880, he engaged in his present business, and has been doing 
a prosperous trade. 

WILLIAM VALENTINE, 

brick manufacturer, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, December 16, 
1850, and at an early age removed to Galena, Illinois, with his parents, 



ST. JOSEPH. 927 

where he was raised to manhood and educated. He learned locomotive 
engineering, and from 1868, to the present, has made St. Joseph his 
headquarters. For several years he engaged in different employments, 
and in 1877, engaged in his present vocation, which has proven success- 
ful under his skilled management. 

JAMES -W. VANCE, M. D., 

was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, September 16, 1845. His father, 
James Kincaid Vance, was a cotton planter. The Vance family are of 
Scotch-Irish extraction, and are among the earliest settlers of the 
county. Dr. Vance's great grandfather being a well known planter in the 
State before the Revolutionary war. His mother was a daughter of Dr. 
Watson, also of South Carolina. The doctor is the eldest of a family of 
thirteen children, seven sons and six daughters. Of these ten survive. 
He received an excellent education at the State Military Academy in 
Charleston, and during the last three years of the war served in the 
cadet corps in the Confederate army. He early resolved to make the 
profession of medicine the pursuit of his life, and determining to acquire 
a knowledge of the science in the first medical school of the world, he 
visited Scotland, and in 1866 entered the Royal College of Physicians 
and Surgeons of the University of Edinburgh. After four years of 
unremitting application, he w^as graduated in 1870 with honors in a class 
■of one hundred and fifty. He then returned to the United States and 
located in Greenville, South Carolina, where he practiced with great 
success for several years. In 1880 he moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, his 
present (1881) home where, establishing himself, he was soon in posses- 
sion of a lucrative practice. December 2, 1866, Dr. Vance was married 
to Miss Susan Shelby Vance, daughter of William L. Vance, Esq., of 
Memphis, Tennessee. They have one child living, a daughter, Leta. 
Mrs. Vance is known in the literary world as the authoress of a popular 
satire on New Orleans and Memphis society entitled "Lois Carroll; or 
Her Two Selves," besides many poems of acknowledged merit. 

AUGUSTUS VEGELY, 

AvTiolesale confectioner. Among the many successful business men who 
Tiave made their home in Buchanan County no one is deserving of spe- 
cial notice more than the subject of this sketch. He was born in Alsace, 
on the 9th day of June, 1826. His father was a contractor, and the son 
assisted him until 1847, w'hen he determined to avail himself of the 
advantages that America offered to men of energy and economy, when 
coupled with sterling honesty. He landed at New Orleans, where he 
remained only a short time, and then went to Galveston, Texas, and 



928 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

after a residence there of a few months, settled in St. Louis. In 1852,. 
he came to this county and engaged in his present business, and is the 
pioneer in his line now doing business, as well as one of the oldest firms 
in the city. His business at first was on a small scale and has grown 
year by year, and Mr. V. is a good illustration of what an industrious 
man can accomplish by giving his attention to one subject and bending 
his energies in one direction. He is eminently a self-made man, com- 
mencing with but little means, he has gained wealth and a prominent 
social position by preserving a straight-forward, true, honest and 
upright course, and has been eminently successful in all his undertak- 
ings. He has always shown a worthy public spiritedness and has 
heartily sympathized with all local improvements and enterprises. He 
built the first business building on Felix Street, on the corner of Fifth 
Street, on the lot where Baldwin & Co.'s jewelry store now stands. He 
has never been a political aspirant, preferring the peace and quiet of 
his legitimate business to the strifes and turmoils of public life. Was 
married to Miss A. Augustine, March 24, 1855. She is also a native of 
Alsace, and was born December 16, 1833. Their family consists of five 
children: Augustus, Adel, now Mrs. H. M. Ramey, Emma, Oliver R. 
and Norman O. They lost one son, Edward. 

: O' 

B. R. VINEYARD, 

attorney-at-law, was born upon what is known as the Platte Purchase, 
July 31, 1842, He was raised on a farm and educated at Pleasant Ridge 
College, near Weston, and at William Jewell College at Liberty, Clay 
County. In October, 1864, he began the study of law with Judge Henry 
M. Vories, at St. Joseph, and was admitted to the bar March, 1866. He 
established himself in the practice of his profession at St. Joseph, and in 
1868, formed a partnership with Silas Woodson and S. A. Young. He 
was married on the 19th day of May, 1868, to Miss Emma Hoagland,. 
daughter of Hon. George T. Hoagland, President of Buchanan Bank,, 
and by this union had three children. He is a member of the M. K. 
Church South, and was for two years member of the City Council. 
Since 1873 Mr. Vineyard has been alone in the practice, and has achieved 
an enviable rank among the best lawyers of St. Joseph. Politically he 
has always been a Democrat. 

HEINRICH VOSS, 

dealer in wall paper, window shades, manufacturer of mattresses, etc.,. 
was born August 9, 1831, at Pinneberg, Holstcin, where he was raised 
and learned the trade of upholsterer. In 1854 he emigrated to America 
and landed at New York city September i, from there going to Cincin- 



ST. JOSEPH. 929 

nati, Ohio, where he remained several months. Then went to New 
Orleans, and after seven months came to St. Joseph in April, 1855. 
Here he was employed at his trade for some years, and in 1862 estab- 
lished himself in business, keeping a full line of wall paper, window 
shades and baby carriages. Being an upholsterer, he added the manu- 
facture of mattresses, to which he paid his full attention. He married 
November 22, 1863, Miss Kathrina Ketzel, of Nebraska City. They 
have had seven children, Calvin, born in 1864, died July, 1865 ; Rose, 
born in 1867; George, born in 1869; Frank, born in 1871 ; Oscar, born 
in 1873 ; Katharina, born in 1875, died when three weeks old ; Adolph, 
born in 1876, died in 1881. 

EGID WAGNER 

was born in Bavaria, September 5, 1843. In 1859 he moved to the 
United States, and settled in St. Joseph, Missouri. Poor in purse, but 
rich in that indomitable spirit of enterprise and perseverance which 
always commands success, he started a bakery, and by strict attention 
to business soon built up the lucrative trade he still continues to enjoy. 
By industry, economy, and judicious management, he has^acquired val- 
uable property in the city, and now owns the substantial bl ick in which 
the Atlantic Hotel, which he formerly kept, and his bakery are located. 
A self-made man, he has succeeded, without effort, in impressing his fel- 
low-citizens with a sense of his personal judgment and ability in busi- 
ness affairs, and was elected by a large majority to the office of Council- 
man from the Fourth Ward. May, 1866, he married Miss Theraca Von 
Arx, of St. Joseph. They have seven children living : August, Jose- 
phine, Mary, Flora, Emma, Agnes and Rosa. 

CAPTAIN GEORGE WECKERLEN 

was born August 18, 1823, at Siblingen, Canton Schaffenhausen, Switzer- 
land, where he was educated. March 24, 1852, he left home, went to Havre, 
and took passage on a sailing vessel to New Orleans, which place he 
reached after fifty-six days' journey. Resting for two days, he went on 
to St. Louis, and thence to .St. Joseph, arriving May 28, 1852. He 
accepted the first offer of work as laborer. In 1857, he engaged in the 
grocery business, and in 1859, opened a saloon, which was burned out in 
1 86 1. When the war broke out he raised a cavalry company and was 
commissioned Captain, and attached to Colonel Peabody's regiment, 
which was captured at Lexington, Missouri. Weckerlen, being cut off* 
with his company, was successful in making his escape, and to reach 
Springfield and Sedalia, where thirty-five men of his company served as a 
body-guard of General Sturgis. January i, 1862, he returned to St. Jos- 



930 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

eph, and his company was mustered out. Then he raised a new com- 
pany and joined Colonel Penick's regiment, in which he served up to 
September, 1863, when he was honorably discharged. For about two 
years he bought horses and mules for the government. In 1865, he 
started a train of wagons loaded with general merchandise for Denver, 
Colorado. On the plains the news of the assassination of President Lin- 
coln and his death, reached them. The people in the far West were dis- 
couraged, no business was transacted, and Weckerlen had to dispose of 
his goods with great loss. When he returned, he commenced to deal in 
live stock, and has been very successful. He married February 3, 1848, 
in Germany, Miss Salomina Rueddi. They have had eight children — 
Jacob, born March 18, 1849; Louise, born in 185 1, died in three months; 
Heinrich, born in 1853, died in 1855 ; Adelheid, born in i860, died in 
1869; Lilly, born in 1862, died in two months; Lizzie, born July 24, 
1855 ; George, born June 27, 1865 ; Heinrich, born April 3, 1867, died in 
1869. 

' PHILIP WECKERLIN 

was born March 2i, 1838, at Siblingen, Switzerland, where he was 
raised. In 1855, he emigrated to the United States, and went from New 
Orleans to St. Louis, where he was employed as a baker for four years. 
In 1859, he came to this city, and found employment at his trade, at 
which he worked for three years. In 1862, he commenced business for 
himself, which he carried on with great success, and in 1865 opened a 
boarding house and saloon. By his industry he accumulated wealth and 
made good investments in real estate. He married, in 1862, Miss Eliz- 
abeth Knoth. They have had three children — Emma, born January 17, 
1863, died October 9, 1863 ; Anna, born July 29, 1867 ; and Philip Ferdi- 
nand, born May 29, 1871. 

JOHN T. WARBURTON 

was born in Bury, Lancashire, England, on the 22d day of November, 
1845, and lived in various parts of England until nearly ten years old. 
About May i, 1855, he sailed with his parents from Liverpool, England, 
and after a voyage of five weeks, landed at Boston, Massachusetts. 
Leaving that port two days after, he went to St. Louis, Missouri, remain- 
ing there until September, 1856, when he came with his parents .to St. 
Joseph, Missouri. In the spring of 1857 the Warburton family moved 
to Elwood, Kansas, and during the summers of 1857 and 1858, John T. 
peddled apples on the ferry boat running between St. Joseph and 
Elwood. During the year 1859 he commenced work on the Elwood 
Free Press as an apprentice at the printing business. Here he worked 
until in 1861, when the paper was suspended on account of the war, the 



ST. JOSEPH. 931 

proprietor and editor both enlisting in the Union army. John T. being too 
young to enlist, the publishers of the Free Press insisted on his going 
with them, anxious to have it said that the whole office had joined 
the army. After remaining with their regiment about six months and 
being with them during the raids through Jackson and Bates Counties, 
Missouri, and while his command was in camp at Lawrence, Kansas, 
young Warburton, not being an enlisted soldier, left and came home. 
During the months of July and August, 1862, he worked on the St. 
Joseph Morning Herald, and on the 1st day of September, of that yeaV, 
enlisted in Company I, Thirteenth Kansas Infantry Volunteers, at 
Elwood, the regiment being mustered into the service at Atchison, and 
immediately after was ordered South in General Blunt's command to the 
State of Arkansas, where he participated in several engagements. In 
consequence of his extreme youth he gained the designation of " the 
boy of the regiment." During the last eighteen months of service he 
was detailed clerk at regimental and post headquarters at Fort Smith, 
Arkansas. His regiment was mustered out of service at Little Rock, 
on 26th day of June, 1865, and he returned direct to St. Joseph. In the 
year 1866 Mr. W. commenced work in the Herald job office, of which 
the present St. Joseph Steam Printing Company is the out-growth. He 
has been steadily employed here for the past sixteen years. On the 20th 
of July, 1871, he married Miss Margaret E. Long. The fruits of their 
marriage are four children : Thomas, deceased, Katie L., Mary Jane 
and Nellie Elizabeth. He is a member of the following orders : St. 
Joseph Typographical Union, Knights of Pythias and Endowment 
Rank of same, Subordinate Lodge and Encampment of I. O. O. F. and 
U. A. O. D. Mrs. Warburton is Noble Grand of the Rebekah Lodge I. 
O. O. F. 

W. H. WATERS, 



is a native of Virginia, and was born at Faulquer's Court House May 
29, 1823. At an early age he removed to Henry County, Kentucky, 
with his parents, and was there reared and educated. In 1843 he 
came to Missouri, and was the first settler in the town of New Castle, 
Gentry County. He engaged in merchandising and resided there 
eighteen years, was postmaster, and for four years Justice of the Peace, 
and also for a number of years practiced law. In 1865 he came to St. 
Joseph, and for a time was engaged in trade, and has since been in 
the employ of different firms— R. L. McDonald, James Sanders, Kahn 
& Schloss, F. G. Hopkins & Co., and others. Mr. Waters is a gentle- 
man of wide experience in business, and is favorably known in commer- 
cial circles of St. Joseph. 



932 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOHN WARFIELD, 

grocer, was born on the 8th of October, 1825, in St. Louis County, Mis- 
souri, his father, John, Sr., being among the early settlers in the Terri- 
tory. He was a farmer by vocation, and young John spent his early 
days in tilling the soil. In 1841 he commenced to learn the tinner's 
trade in the establishment of David Andrews, at Boonville, Missouri, 
remaining six years, after which he went to St. Louis and worked as 
journeyman for a time. On the 5th of July, 1848, he became a resident 
of St. Joseph, which at that time was in its primitive state, and Mr. W, 
has since been a resident. He kept pace with its progress and grew 
solid like the city. He commenced as a journeyman with Messrs. Con- 
ner & Love, dealers in stoves and tinware. The firm was afterwards 
Kercheval & Welch, and later Kercheval Bros. In 1856 in company 
with R. F. Maxwell, he bought out this establishment, and the firm was 
well known until 1872 as Maxwell & Warfield. In that year Mr. W. 
engaged in his present business. He has been twice married ; first, in 
1849 to Miss Elizabeth Johnson, who died, leaving one son, William H. 
Mr. W. was again married in 1866 to Louisa Johnson, by whom he has 
one son, Lawrence E. 

FRED. WEDDLE, 

farmer, section 26, postoffice St. Joseph, was born May 31, 1830, and is 
a native of Denmark. Was reared in his native country, receiving a 
collegiate education. In 1846, he came to America, landing at New 
York, and from there to Weston, Platte County, Mo., and in a short time 
to Buchanan County. In 1849, he went to California, and was there 
engaged in mining and trading till 1854, when he returned to Buchanan 
County. His farm contains 150 acres. Was married May 22, 1861, to 
Miss M. C. Nelson, who is a native of Norway, and was born May 18, 
1834. They have seven children— Fred A., Peter N., Charlotte, Martha E., 
Valdemar, Harold and Nettie. 

JOHN WEEKLY, 

carpenter and builder, is a native of Hendricks County, Indiana, and 
was born at Danville, September 2, 1839. Was there a resident until he 
attained his eighteenth year, when he emigrated to Wintersct, Iowa. 
In 1859, he came to St. Joseph, and in 1861, tendered his services to the 
Union cause, enlisting in Company D., Twenty-fif^i Missouri Volunteer 
Infantry. He passed through the usual routine of warfare; was taken 
prisoner by General Price. Served three years when he was honorably 
discharged. Returned to St. Joseph and has since lived here with the 
exception of eight years spent in Kansas City. In 1870, Miss J. Julius 



ST. JOSEPH. 933 

became his wife. They have four children, Emma, Mabel, Lizzie and 
Fred. 

PHILIPP WEISS, 

farmer, section 25, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in Germany, July 24, 
1832, and had a good common school education. Emigrated to America 
in 1850; stopped at Economy, Pennsylvania, for six months, and then 
went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained nine years, following rail- 
roading most of the time. Came to Missouri in i860, locating in Buchanan 
County, where he bought a farm of twenty acres, which is all under fence 
and in a good state of cultivation. Was in the state militia during the 
war. Was married in 1865, to Catharine Schickanc, a native of Pennsyl- 
vania. She was born August 20, 1844. By this union they had eight 
children— Philipp, born January 18, 1866; Albert, born October 9, 1867; 
Mary, born May 13, 1869; Walter, born June 31, 1870; Viola, born May 
10, 1872; Lena, born September 12, 1873; Christian, born January 21, 
1875; and Clara, born February 21, 1878— all living. He is an Odd 
Fellow, School Director, Road Overseer, Clerk of School District and 
President of Directors. 

ISIDORE WEIL, 

of the firm of A. N. Schuster & Co., wholesale clothing dealers, was 
born in New Orleans, Louisiana, November 30, 1843, and lived in his 
native State until 1856, and then removed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
and after a residence of one year went to Newark, New Jersey, where 
he lived for four years. He was raised with a mercantile experience, 
and in 1861 came to Illinois and settled first in Monmouth, Warren 
County, and lived there four years and, thence tc Peoria, Illinois, and 
in 1866 came to St. Joseph, and for the greater portion of the time has 
been engaged in the wholesale clothing trade. He was one of the 
founders of the firm of A. N. Schuster & Co., and he has contributed a 
full share in sustaining and building up the enviable reputation the 
house enjoys. He has been twice married ; first, in 1868 to Miss 
Amanda Houser. She was a native of Europe. Mrs. Weil died in 
1878, leaving four children, Carrie, Jacob, Emil, and Herman. His 
second marriage occurred in November, 1879, to Miss Rosa May. 
Their family by this marriage is one child, Seymour. 

L. M. WELLS, 

collector on St. Joseph bridge. One of the first settlers in the Platte 
Purchase, and a man with an unlimited acquaintance is Captain J. B. 
Wells. He erected the first house in Weston, Platte County, where he 



934 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and for a number of years oper- 
ated the steam ferry at Riolta. His son, L. M., was born in Platte 
County, January i6, 184?, and was reared and educated in his native 
county. For a number of years he was interested with his father in the 
ferry business. After the Leavenworth bridge was built, in 1874, he 
took the steamer to Bismarck, Dakota Territory, and disposed of it. He 
is thoroughly conversant with the details of steamboating, having been 
engineer, pilot and captain. In 1874, he located in St. Joseph for a time^ 
and was engaged in the steam printing business. On the 27th of May, 
1878, he took his present position with the Bridge Company. Mr. Wells 
has a keen literary taste and keeps posted with the progress of the 
times. He is engaged extensively in stock herding in Nemaha County, 
Kansas, where he owns 320 acres of land. In 1869, Miss Elizabeth V. 
Ingram became his wife. He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and the 
National American Association. 

JOHN S. WELCH, 

of the firm of Studebaker & Welch, wholesale and retail dealers in car- 
riages and wagons, is a native of Ashland County, Ohio, and was born 
April I, 1844. He was raised to manhood and educated in South Bend, 
Indiana. In 1865, in company with the Studebaker Brothers, of wagon 
manufacturing celebrity, he established a repository in St. Joseph which 
Mr. Welch managed until 1871, when, in company with Studebaker 
Brothers he opened a factory, which for five years constituted one of the 
leading manufacturing industries of the city. They then ceased manu- 
facturing in St. Joseph and now have all their stock built at South Bend. 
Their repository is the largest in the Northwest, and their trade of cor- 
responding magnitude. Mr. Welch was married in 1867 to Miss Hattie 
Rathburn, of Missouri. They have four children : Philip, Edith, John 
S. and Oliver. Mr. Welch is a member of the Masonic Order. 

LAWRENCE WELCH, 

engineer on the St. Joseph and Western Railroad, was born in County 
Wexford, Ireland, October 8, 1835, and came to America with his parents 
when quite young, his father, Edwad, locating with the family in Loraine 
County, Ohio, engaging in agricultural pursuits. Lawrence spent his 
days in tilling the soil, until he attained his seventeenth year, when he 
became a brakcman on the old Cleveland and Toledo Railroad, in which 
capacity he continued for about two years, and then went in the employ 
of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, and afterwards was with the 
Chicago and Fort Wayne Company. In April, 1858, he became con- 
nected with the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, which at that time 



ST. JOSEPH, 935 

had but sixty miles of track, and remained with this company until 1866, 
working in different capacities. Next went in the employ of the Union 
Pacific, and was in various departments for that company a considerable 
length of time, when he went on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 
Railroad as conductor on a construction train. Remained one year, and 
then was in the employ of the St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad, 
continuing until December, 1869, when he went to work for the St. Joseph 
and Western, then the St. Joseph and Denver. Mr. W. has been a rail- 
road man for over a quarter of a century, and is thoroughly familiarized 
with the business. In February. 188 1, Mrs. Margaret Garey became his 
wife. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. 

H. W. WENNING, 

carpenter and contractor, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 20, 
1850, and was reared, educated, and learned his trade in his native city. 
In 1870, he became a resident of St. Joseph, and during his sojourn here 
has worked on a large portion of the finest buildings in the city. Was 
assistant foreman on the interior work in Tootle's Opera House, and for 
Herbst & Wiehl, on the Exposition building. Was married. May 9, 
1873, to Miss Julia Leibig, of St. Joseph. They have three children, 
Adolph, Willie and Lotta. 

F. WENZ, 

dealer in boots and shoes, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, July 6, 
1845, and was there raised until he attained his fourteenth year, when 
he came to America, taking up his abode in St. Joseph. Here he was 
educated and learned the trade of boot and shoe making. In 1866, he 
engaged in trade at Savannah, continuing until 1869, when he returned 
to this city. His store is double and all the available space is well 
filled. In the spring of 1881, in company with Mr. Christian Frenger 
and J. H. Igler, he opened a wholesale house and factory. He has an 
extended acquaintanceship, and is popularly known. Is a Master Mason 
and Odd Fellow, a member of the Druids, Foresters, Knights of Honor, 
and belongs to the German Benevolent Society. Miss Caroline Schinder 
became his wife in 1871. They have three children, Frederick J., Amelia 
and Louisa. 

HENRY W. WESTOVER, M. D. 

Among the prominent physicians of St. Joseph, may be mentioned the 
subject of this sketch. He was born near Cleveland, Ohio, July i, 1851, 
and was raised principally in Iowa. He in early life made choice of 
medicine as a profession, and was graduated from the Chicago Medical 
College, March 24, 1871. After practicing a short time in Chicago, he 



936 lU'OGRAPHICAL. 

went to New York, where he availed himself of the advantages of hos- 
pital experience, during which time he was graduated in the Homeopa- 
thic College, and abandoned allopathy, fully convinced that homeopathy 
was by far the most practical and consistent system. The knowledge 
thus obtained proved to be of incalculable benefit in his subsequent pro- 
fessional duties. He came to St. Joseph in 1874, at a time when there 
were only two physicians of the homeopathic school in the city. Since 
then, his practice has steadily increased, and through his efforts, as well 
as those of his professional brethren, the doctrine of Hahnemann is to-day 
accepted by many of the leading and most intelligent families of the 
city. Dr. Westover is a man of acknowledged ability as a physician, 
and his services as such are recognized by his numerous friends. His 
kind and sympathetic nature renders him a welcome visitor in the sick 
room, and to his most thorough qualifications as a physicians may be 
added promptness and energy in attending the calls of the sick and 
afflicted. He is a close student, being not only a subscriber to, but a 
careful reader of the leading medical journals of the day. He was one 
of the attending surgeons at Ophthalmic Hospital, in New York City, and 
makes a specialty of surgery. Dr. Westover was President of the Kan- 
sas and Missouri Valley Medical Society, and is Secretary of the Mis- 
souri State Medical Society. He is also a corresponding member of the 
New York Medical Society. He is a member of the Baptist Church. 
He was married to Miss Mollie L. Christopher, October 29, 1879. She 
was born in Missouri, October 4, 1856. 

SAMUEL WESTHEIMER 

was born in Germany, March 18, 1833, and with an older brother came 
to the United States in the fall of 1848, settling first in New York City. 
Remained there four years, learning the tinner's trade. In 1852, he 
moved to the interior of the state, where he took charge of a large man- 
ufacturing business, managing it for several years. Came to St. Joseph 
in 1859, ^^^ embarked in the grocery trade, for which he subsequently 
substituted the liquor business. In this, as well as all other of his enter- 
prises, he has been very successful. He has been elected for several 
terms Councilmen of the Third Ward, where he has gained much dis- 
tinction for his superior judgment in the difficult duties entrusted to 
him. He has also held the important position of President of the Jewish 
congregation for three terms, a marked evidence of his character for 
intelligence among the Israelites of the city. Mr. Westheimer is the 
architect of his own fortune. Recognized as self-reliant, honest and 
capable, no man in St. Joseph enjoys a fairer record. Was married to 
Johanna Haas, of Chicago, Illinois, April, 1866. They have eight chil- 
dren living — Yetta, Helen, Bettie, Sonora, Benny, Ophelia, Blanche and 
Junietta. 




"/^^ 



/SAj^ Oa/:/(o 




^-^£1^ 



ST. JOSEPH. 937 

J. F. WEST, 

•carpenter and builder, is a native of Bracken County, Kentucky, and 
was born August 29, 1838. Was there raised and learned his trade, his 
early days being spent in tilling the soil. In 1855, he came to Mercer 
County, Missouri, and followed agricultural pursuits for a time, thence 
to Andrew County engaged in various lines, and for a period was 
engaged in contracting and building. He came to St. Joseph in 1871, 
where he has been closely identified with its building interests. During 
the war he was a soldier in Company B, Fifty-first Missouri Volunteer 
Infantry as a non-commissioned Sergeant. A greater portion of the 
time was in the secret service department. Previous to going in the 
service was a member of the Missouri State Militia. In the autumn of 
1856, Miss Mary E. Litton became his wife. They have had five 
•children, one of whom is living, Correnia. Four are deceased : Mary L., 
R. B., Elijah and Sarah. Mr. West is a member of the I. O. O. F. 
Encampment. 

G. N. WHITE, 

Manager for the Consolidated Tank Line and the Detroit Safe Com- 
pany, was born in Loudoun County, Virginia, January 27, 1852. His 
father, Daniel T., was among the leading agriculturists of that state, 
known in commercial circles. White's Ferry, on the Potomac River, 
derived its name from him, he having operated a ferry there for a num- 
ber of years. During the rebellion his boats were used in transporting 
General Banks' troops. At the breaking out of the war the family 
migrated to Montgomery County, Maryland, where they resided six 
years. G. N. resided at different points until 1874, when he went to 
Washington, D. C, remaining until 1880, when he came to St. Joseph. 
Although but a short time in the city, he is well and popularly known. 
In 1877, Miss Fannie G. Walker, of Washington, D. C, became his wife. 
They have one daughter, Edna G. 

JULIUS WIEHL, 

■carriage painter, is a prominent and well known artist. His father, 
Joseph, was among the early settlers of Buchanan County, and Julius 
was born in St. Joseph, April 9, 1857. Was here reared, educated and 
learned his trade, and has principally made it his home, with the excep- 
tion of a short time at Sedalia, where he worked in the Missouri, Kansas 
and Texas Railroad shops, and also at Sweet Springs. He makes a spe- 
cialty of carriage work, but in sign and ornamental painting will compare 
favorably with many older and more experienced workmen. 

58 



938 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

WIEDMAIER & WILDBERGER, 

wagon manufacturers. Bartholomew Wiedmaier was born in Wurtem- 
berg, Germany, in 1832, and came to America in 1844, locating in 
Buchanan County, Missouri. His father, Joseph, here engaged in farming. 
In 1849 our subject commenced to learn the wagon making trade with 
Mr. J. A. Forrest, and his since devoted his entire attention to that busi- 
ness. His first shop was a cottonwood log building. In 1864 Mr. Wild- 
berger became his partner. He was married in i860 to Ursula Wild- 
berger. They have had seven children, five of whom are living : Clara 
E., now Mrs. C. Hartwig ; Frank Albert, deceased ; Theodore, deceased ; 
Josie E., Augusta B.^ Bertha L., and Flora T. He is a Knight of Honor 
and rnember of the Foresters and the German Benevolent Society. 
John Wildberger was born in Switzerland, February 25, 1839. I" his 
thirteenth year he came to America, his father, Adam, locating in St. 
Joseph, where John was educated, raised and learned the wagon making 
trade. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B, Thirteenth Missouri Volun- 
teer Infantry. After the battle of Lexington he was re-enlisted in the 
Twenty-fifth Missouri, participated at Shiloh and other engagements 
and was honorably discharged in 1864 at Nashville, Tennessee. He 
returned to this city and formed a partnership with Mr. Wiedmaier, which 
still exists. He was married in 1866 to Ann C. Knoth. They have 
one daughter living, Lizzie ; lost three children, Emma, Albert and an 
infant. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. Encampment, Foresters, 
Knight of Honor, and the German Benevolent Society. This firm is 
an old and well established one, and in the manufacture of lumber 
wagons do a good business. 

DANIEL W. WILDER 

was born in Blackstone, Massachusetts, July 15, 1832. He graduated at 
the Public Latin School, Boston, and received a Franklin medal ; at 
Harvard College and received the Bowdoin first prize gold medal ; 
attended the Harvard Law School and was admitted to the Boston bar. 
Came to Kansas in 1857; settled in Elwood in 1858 ; was elected Judge 
of Probate of Doniphan County ; came to St. Joseph in i860 and edited 
the Free Democrat ; went to Leavenworth and edited the Conservative 
till 1865 ; was Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska in i863-'64 — 
appointed by Mr. Lincoln ; editor of the Rochester (N. Y.) Express in 
i866-'67-'68 ; of the Leavenworth Conservative in i868-'69-'70 ; of the 
Fort Scott Monitor in 1871-72 ; was for two terms State Auditor of 
Kansas after two unanimous nominations. In 18715 he received the hon- 
orary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Kansas, and 
wrote the "Annals of Kansas," which was published at Topeka ; 
returned to St. Joseph in 1876 as the editor of the Herald. 



ST. JOSEPH. 939 

N. H. WILMOT, 

bookkeeper and general manager at Nash's elevator, was born in Massa- 
chusetts in 1843, and was there raised and received a good com- 
mon school education. In 1849, ^e went to St. Louis, and in 
1861 to St. Paul, Minnesota. Was three years in the army, serv- 
ing in the Sixth Minnesota Regiment. In 1865, he returned to St. 
Louis, and in 1867 married Miss Lina B. Salter, a native of New Jersey^ 
They have had three children, one of whom died. In 1868, he came to 
St. Joseph, where he was engaged in the old Colhoun Bank, and after- 
wards in the First National Bank. Since 1875 he has been at Nash's 
elevator. Is a Mason and District Deputy Grand Master of the Four- 
teenth District A. F. & A. M. He is a Knight Templar and has held 
prominent positions in other bodies of the order. 

G. J. WILMOT, 

manager of McCormick Agency, is a native of New York, where he 
received an academic education. He taught school in his young days 
and moved to Wisconsin in 1854, where he continued that business up 
to i860. He engaged in the hardware and agricultural business in 1866, 
He sold out in 1875. Was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate in 
1875-6. In 1880 he took charge of south one-half of Kansas for McCor- 
mick Reaper Company. In 1881 he was transferred to St. Joseph to 
manage the canvass of Buchanan County, in connection with nine other 
northwestern counties of Missouri, and seven northeastern counties of 
Kansas. This depot was established in 1875, carrying all iron mowers, 
combined mower and dropper, combined reaper and mower, harvesters 
and hand binders, and wire and twine self-binding harvesters. Also 
keep large supply of repairs to supply local agents. All goods disposed 
of at wholesale or retail. 

JOHN C. WILDBERGER, 

proprietor of the Platte River House, at Riverton, was born June I7» 
185 1, in Switzerland, and was brought to the United States by his 
parents, when about eighteen months old. They settled at St. Joseph, 
where John was reared, receiving the benefits of an education. He 
learned the harness-maker's trade, and worked at it five years, and then 
entered a wholesale liquor house, where he remained five years. He 
opened the Platte River House in October, 1880. The building is new 
and well fitted. He has a bar in connection with it, and a well assorted 
stock of groceries. He was married April 19, 1877, to Miss Mary Wie- 



940 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

man, a native of St. Louis, born August I2, 1855. They have two chil- 
dren, Edward and Henry. They are members of the Swiss Benefit 
Association. 

CHARLES BROWNELL WILKINSON, 

confessedly the ablest journalist ever connected with the newspaper 
press of Upper Missouri, and a man with scarcely a professional superior 
any where, was born in Waterville, Oneida County, N., Y., October 15, 
1827. His ancestors were people of gentle birth in England, and several 
of them served with distinction in the civil troubles of 1644. In 1645, one 
of them came to America, and settled in Rhode Island. Another mem- 
ber of the family came to America in the latter part of the seventeenth 
century and settled in Maryland. Many of the descendants of both 
branches of this family subsequently served with distinction in import- 
ant positions in the gift of the people. The subject of this sketch was 
educated at the Waterville Academy, New York, and at the age of eigh- 
teen was prepared to enter the junior class of Hamilton College ; but 
his father decided to place him in a law office, and, in 1846, he began 
his legal studies. In 1849, he was admitted at Albany to practice as an 
attorney and counselor. In the same year he was initiated into Water- 
ville Lodge, No. 240, I. O. O. F. In 1850, he was made a Master Mason 
by Sanger Lodge, No. 129, Waterville, in which he afterwards held high 
official position, and which he represented in the Grand Lodge of the 
state. September 10, 185 1, he was married to Miss Cornelia B. Hubbard, 
of Waterville, who died in St. Joseph, Missouri, December 2, 1865. In 
1854, he began the publication of the Waterville Journal, a weekly news- 
paper, which he sold in 1855, and removed to Toledo, Ohio. Here he 
was Presideiiit of the Toledo Nursery Association from June, 1855, to 
June, 1856. In August, of the same year, he went to Deansville, New 
York, where he erected a large flouring mill and distillery. In 1857, he 
issued the first number of the Waterville Times. This is still (1881) a 
prosperous and influential paper. In the fall of 1859, he was the Demo- 
cratic nominee for the Legislature in the Second District of Oneida 
County. He was defeated, but polled a larger Vote than his party in 
every town. In January, i860, he moved to St. Joseph, Missouri, where 
he resumed the practice of the law. He was an ardent supporter ot 
Stephen A. Douglas for the Presidency, and made many able speeches 
in his advocacy. During the civil war, he was a strong Union man. In 
February, 1862, he began the publication of the St. Joseph Morning Her- 
ald, a journal which immediately presented the stamp of his command- 
ing genius, and soon became what it is to-day, a representative journal 
and organ of the Republican party in this part of the state. In August, 
1862, he was appointed Internal Revenue Collector for the Third District 
of Missouri, embracing all that portion of the state lying north of the 



ST. JOSEPH. 941 

Missouri River, and including forty-four counties. The taxes collected 
amounted to about one million dollars per annum. December 27, 1866, 
he married Miss Elizabeth Smith, who is still (1881) living. A short 
time previously he had been elected a member of the Twenty-fourth 
General Assembly of Missouri. In 1875, while Collector of the Sixth 
District of Missouri, in consequence of the irregularities of some of his 
employes, he was charged with being connected with the whisky frauds. 
Despairing in the complications that existed of obtaining justice, he left 
the country and visited Australasia. In September, 1876, Mr. Wilkin- 
son having returned to Missouri, all the cases against him were dis- 
missed save the one for embezzlement, of which he was convicted on 
a technicality. Such was the nature of the case, however, that after a 
careful examination of the same by the Attorney General and the Presi- 
dent, a full pardon was granted as a matter of right. Neither Mr. Wil- 
kinson's political friends nor political enemies believed him guilty of 
any criminal intent. In June, 1878, he was given sole charge of the St. 
Joseph Gazette, which he continued to edit with his wonted ability for 
some time. He afterwards moved to Denver, Colorado, where he died 
January 14, 1881. Charles B.Wilkinson was certainly a man of versa- 
tile genius and remarkable mental resources, as well as of generous 
impulses. A finished and accurate scholar as well as an eminently 
practical man, as a journalist, he had no superior and few equals, any 
where. 

THOMAS WILDBAHN, 

was born in Piqua, Ohio, April 8, 1808, and received his education at the 
common schools of that place. At the age of eighteen he went to learn 
the blacksmith trade. When twenty-two years old moved to Portsmouth, 
Ohio, where he carried on a large shop until he came to St. Joseph in 
1845. He purchased the grist mill of Joseph Robidoux, which was the 
only one in the city, and continued to run it until 1854, when he sold 
out and went to Kansas, settling near Wathena. There he built a saw 
mill, which he operated for six years. Disposing of the mill, he returned 
to St. Joseph, where he has a good home, and continues to live in the 
enjoyment of the fruits of his labors. He married Miss R. Gharky, of 
Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1834. They have had three children, Sarah, 
Susanna and Charles Thomas. Sarah died in infancy. Susanna is the 
wife of J. W. Bailey, Esq., of St. Joseph, and Charles is a clerk in the 
house of J. W. Bailey & Co. 

SAMUEL WILDBAHN (Deceased), 

was born in Ohio, January 28, 1810, and came to Missouri in 1844, locat- 
ing at Lexington. A year later he came to St. Joseph, where he made 



942 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

his home till the Mexican war broke out. He fought through that war, 
and returned to St. Joseph, where he remained a short time and went to 
California, there residing one year. Returned to St. Joseph and was 
united in marriage to Miss Elzerie Connett, October i6, 1859. She was 
a daughter of Major William C. Connett. After their marriage he moved 
to Texas, and remained till the close of the late war, when he returned 
to Buchanan County, and settled on his farm, where Mrs. W. now resides, 
in section 34. The farm contains sixteen acres. Mr. W. was well and 
favorably known in St. Joseph and Buchanan County, and had a large 
circle of friends to mourn his loss. They had four children, three girls 
and one boy: Mattie A., born in Travers County, Texas, September 
10, i860, and married to William S. Ashton, December 15, 1880; Laura 
L., born in Travers County, Texas, December 7, 1862; Cassie, born 
in Buchanan County, October 6, 1866 ; Squire T.. born in Buchanan 
County, June 10, 1869. 

JOHN W. WILSON, 

contractor and builder, was born in Garrard County, Kentucky, Feb- 
ruary 2, 1830, but was principally reared in Washington County. He 
learned his trade with his father, G. B. Li 185 i the family came to St. 
Joseph, and after a short sojourn, John W. removed to Andrew County, 
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, returning in 1863 and for 
seven or eight years pursued his trade. He then again returned to 
Andrew County, remaining for a time. During his sojourn in St. Joseph 
he has been closely identified with its building interests. He married 
June 23, 1853, Miss Harriet E. Bowland. She died December ii, 1874, 
leaving a family of nine children : Henry W., Annie E., James B.. 
Fielding, Viola, Hattie, John W., Garrard and Sophia. 

R. WILSON, 

proprietor of the box factory, was born in Philadelphia County, Penn- 
sylvania, April 20, 1804, and after living in different parts until 1855, 
we find him at Keokuk, Iowa. His boyhood days had been spent on a 
farm, but after attaining manhood, he learned the milling business of his 
father, William, who followed that profession. Arriving at Keokuk, 
he engaged in the sash factory business, continuing for a number of 
years, and for a time represented the manufacturing company on the 
road. In 1869, he came to St. Joseph, engaging in his present business, 
which has been very successful, and in which he receives the hearty 
endorsement of the wholesale interest of the city by furnishing them 
boxes at a reasonable rate. In 1879, ^'^^ was burned out, suffering a 
heavy loss. In 1829, Miss Lucinda Douglass became his wife. For 



ST. JOSEPH. 943 

fifty-two years they have lived harmoniously, and are still hale and 
hearty. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are active members of the Methodist 
Church. Mr. Wilson, politically, has been a life long Republican. 

ISAAC WILKINS, 

foreman of the blacksmith shop at the Kansas City, St. Joseph and 
Council Bluffs Railroad shops, was born in Wilkshire, England, January 
12, 1825, and is a son of Abraham Wilkins. He was there raised to man- 
hood, educated and learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1851, he came to 
the United States, locating at Utica, New York, where he worked as a 
journeyman until 1857, when he came to St. Joseph, and engaged at his 
trade. He was the first blacksmith on the east end of the Hannibal and 
St. Joseph Railroad, in the employ of Duff & Osborne, contractors of 
Utica, New York, and was connected with the Hannibal Road until 1865, 
when he was employed by the Missouri Valley Railroad, remaining in 
their employ until 1869. In 1870, he took his present position. He has 
been looked upon in St. Joseph as a good mechanic. For three terms he 
was the choice of the voters of the Fifth Ward as their representative 
in the Council, and also has been a member of the school board. For a 
number of years he has been warden of Christ Church. Since 1865, he 
has been instrumental in having services conducted in the Holy 
Trinity Church. Much credit is due him for the manifest interest and 
his assistance in securing the erection of the Church of the Holy Trinity, 
on Eleventh and Monterey Streets. He was married in 1846, to Miss 
Honor Curtis, of England. They have four children — J. J., Walter G., 
Mather H. and Sarah, now Mrs. John Dodge. 

JOSEPH WILLIAMS, 

foreman of boiler shops of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs 
Railroad, was born in London, England, December 31, 1836, and was 
raised to manhood, educated, and learned his trade in that city. For a 
number of years he was engaged in iron ship building. Was in the 
employ of Penn & Co., London, and in Her Majesty's dock yards, at 
Plymouth, Sheerness, Woolwich, and Chatham. For seven years he was 
in the employ of Miller & Co., marine engine builders ; also, was con- 
nected with the famous Thames Company (limited), and many other 
well known iron ship building establishments. While in the yard at 
Sheerness, in 1864, he was deputized to take a company of boiler makers 
to France and repair Her Majesty's ship Victor. Mr. W. had the advan- 
tage of seeing and working on some of the finest ships that ply the 
ocean, and was tutored under the best mechanics of the age. In 1866 
he came to the United States, and after a six months' residence in New 



944 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

York, went to Macon, Georgia, remaining twelve months, thence to 
New Orleans, and after four months came to St. Louis, remaining nine 
months, when he located in Hannibal. At these different points he 
worked at his trade. At Macon he was in the employ of the Macon & 
Western Railway, and for a time was at Atlanta in the State shops. He 
remained in Hannibal with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Company until 1872, 
when he came to St. Joseph, and has been foreman in the boiler shops 
for the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Company since. He 
was married in March, 1770, to Miss Mary Francis. They have three 
children, Mary Elizabeth, Francis Matilda, and Joseph Edmond. Mr. 
Williams is a Mason, St. Johns Lodge, No. 28, Hannibal ; also a member 
of the L O. O. F. 

GEO. WILLIAMSON, 

horse-shoer, was born in this county October 18, 1858, and was here 
principally raised. His father, Geo. W., was among the early settlers, 
and is well known. In 1872 the subject of this sketch went to Kansas,, 
where he learned the blacksmithing trade. In 1878 he opened a shop- 
in St. Joseph. His superior skill as a workman has given him an envia- 
ble reputation, and he does a large business. He was married in 1880 
to Miss Carrie Edelbrock, an estimable young lady of this city. 

REUBEN WILLIAMS, 

carpenter and builder, was born in Schuyler County, Illinois, February 22,. 
1836, and when seven years of age removed to Missouri with his parents, 
his father, John, locating in the Platte Purchase. The subject of this 
sketch became a resident of St. Joseph in 1855, and has since lived here 
with the exception of his term in the service. He enlisted in the Union; 
army September 22, 1863, in the Twelfth Missouri Cavalry and partici- 
pated in several stirring engagments. From exposure and sickness he 
was deprived of the sight of one eye and the other is badly affected. 
Mr. Williams has contributed amply to the upbuilding of St. Joseph,, 
and as a mechanic stands among the leaders. He was married in Octo- 
ber, 1867, to Miss Lucy A. Hart. He is a member of the Free Com- 
munion Baptist Church. 

THOMAS WINN, 

stair-builder, is a native of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and was 
born December 11, 1838. He was there raised to manhood, educated 
and learned his trade, remaining until the breaking out of the rebellion,, 
when he enlisted in Company K, Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry. He was 
a non-commissioned Sergeant during his term of service, and partici- 



ST. JOSEPH. 945, 

pated in the seven days fight at Richmond, Williamsburg, Petersburg,. 
Rome Station, and others. Was taken prisoner at the latter battle but 
escaped the guard. While skirmishing near Danville, he was slightly 
wounded. He was one of the first mounted men to cross the chain 
bridge, after the Bull Run engagament ; participated in that memorable 
contest when the Unionists fought among themselves by mistake ; was 
honorably discharged at the expiration of his term, and returned to 
Pennsylvania, and engaged in working at his trade, there continuing 
until 1872, when he became a resident of St. Joseph. His skill as a 
mechanic may be inferred from the fact that for a number of years he 
has been superintendent of school buildings in the city. His wife was 
formerly Miss Margeret Turner. His parents were Samuel Winn and 
Mary Moore, the family being of English extraction. Mr. Winn is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. 

P. V. WISE, 

was born in Franklin County, Kentucky, June 17, 1832, and removed tO' 
Quincy, Illinois, in 1834, and thence to the northwestern territory in 
1836, in what is now Wisconsin, near Galena. Here it \vas that the sub- 
ject of our sketch first commenced the active battle of life. His educa- 
tion was limited, the schools of the day being few in number and infe- 
rior in quality. The first school house he entered was three miles from 
his home, and owing to the illness of his father he was never permitted 
to attend a term continuously. At the age of fifteen he commenced 
business for himself as a farmer and burner of charcoal. In 1849, ^^^ 
went to California, taking the overland route via Salt Lake City. He 
and Colonel Ashel Woods put up the first stone building in Shasta. In 
his mining operations he was satisfactorily successful. After a severe 
attack of congestive chills he returned to the States, and in 1850 com- 
menced the study of law and was admitted to the bar at Lancaster, 
Wisconsin, in 1853, by Judge Jackson. He opened an office in Prescott,. 
and engaged in the active duties of his profession, in connection with 
which he did a large real estate business, and between 1854 and 1856 
bought and sold more land in his own name than any man in the St. 
Croix Valley. In 1853, he was elected clerk of the board of supervisors,, 
and in 1854, prosecuting attorney of the district. In 1856, he was 
admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the state, and did a large 
business in all the courts of Pierce County and had an extended prac- 
tice in the adjoining counties of Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as in 
the United States courts and departments in Washington. In 1858, he- 
was elected Mayor of Prescott, and in 1858 he published the Northwest- 
ern Democrat, which he continued until i860. It was a representative 
of Reform Democracy, and being disgusted with the actions of the 



946 BIOGRArHICAL. 

National Democratic Committee he abandoned the party and supported 
Mr. Lincohi for the Presidency. While living here he showed a worthy 
public spiritedness in erecting the largest building in the city, and one 
that besides being used for business purposes was used for court room, 
church and public hall. In i860, he disposed of his law business and 
went to Memphis, Tennessee. Refusing to enter the Confederate ser- 
vice, he and his wife were chased by the vigilance committee and nar- 
rowly escaped with their lives. He returned to Prescott and raised 
Company F, First Wisconsin Regiment, and was commissioned second 
lieutenant, and in December, 1861, was promoted to first lieutenant, 
and in April, 1862, to captain. After an exciting campaign through 
Kentucky, Tennessee and Northern Alabama, he was severely wounded 
'October 8, 1862, at Perry ville, and was reported dead. He remained on 
the battle field until October 14, his only attendant being a colored man, 
and it was not until the 15th that his wounds were dressed. He made 
his way to Louisville by private conveyance, and obtained with diffi- 
culty, leave of absence and returned to his home. In December he 
returned to Louisville and was placed on duty as a member of a court 
martial, and in company with Major Farris had charge of barracks 
No. I, which placed them in command of the police duty of the city. 
The difficulties they had to contend with were many. Suffice to say it 
became one of the most quiet and orderly cities in the Union. For a 
time he had charge of the secret service, and also of transportation, and 
in September, 1862, was relieved at his own request, and joined his 
command in Alabama, but his wounds prevented him from engaging in 
active duties in the field, and he was ordered back to Nashville, thence 
to Louisville and Camp Dennison, Ohio. In November he was trans- 
ferred to Camp Chase, and made post adjutant. December 27, Captain 
Wise was transferred to Camp Douglas, Chicago, for duty in the Fif- 
teenth United States Infantry. He resigned February 8, 1864, and 
returned to his home, but March 31 he re-enlisted as a private in Com- 
pany F, Thirty-seventh Wisconsin Infantry, in which he was appointed 
•sergeant major, and was assigned to command and drill of Company K, 
wholly composed of Menominee Indians. He made application for an 
examination for a position in the regular army, which was granted by 
Hon. E. M. Stanton. The examination took place, he only missing one 
question, and was recommended for a first-class captaincy. He arrived 
before Petersburg, Virginia, in June, 1864, and went into trenches imme- 
diately in front of the enemy, and was almost constantly under fire. 
In the battles that followed, he, with his company, displayed heroic con- 
duct and rendered valuable assistance to the Union cause, but not with- 
out great sacrifice of life. Captain Wise resigned his commission May 
19, 1865, returned to his home and resumed the practice of law and act- 
ing as real estate, claim and insurance agent. In November, 1869, he 



ST. JOSEPH. 947 

visited St. Joseph, and made arrangements to settle here. In 1872, he 
engaged in underwriting as a representative of independent insurance. 
A bitter fight by the board companies was the result, but his business 
increased, and in 1878 the board collapsed. In connection with his 
insurance business he has been a successful claim agent. In 1879, ^^ 
visited England and the continent, and contributed numerous interest- 
ing articles to the newspapers. He is a member of the principal benev- 
olent orders and associations, and frequently represented them in the 
grand lodge. He is a radical in politics and thinks for himself He is 
unqualifiedly opposed to all kinds of slavery, either of body or mind. 
He married Miss E. S. Hammond, April 10, 1853. She is a native of 
Missouri. To them ha\'e been born six children, only one of whom is 
now living. 

WILLIAM WOMACH 

was born in Bowling Green, Virginia, June 22, 18 12, and remained there 
until 1825, when he moved to Lexington, Missouri, whence in the year 
1838 he came to Buchanan County. He married the daughter of the 
well known Alfred M. Rector and settled near DeKalb this county, 
which is the birth place of his three children. In 1862 he left for the 
Colorado mines, where he remained until 1871, when he returned to the 
old home, where he continued to reside up to the period of his death 
which occurred in August, 1872. 

ROBERT WO:\IACH, 

was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, January i, 1852. He lived on 
a farm till he was twelve years of age, when he went with his father, 
William Womach, who was very successful in the freighting business, to 
Denver, Colorado, where he attended school and receiv^ed a good educa- 
tion. Returning from Colorado, he first engaged in the drug business in 
DeKalb with Dr. Rose, a practicing physician of that town. He after- 
wards moved to St. Joseph, where he embarked in the grocery trade, 
which he still (1881) continues successfully to conduct. In the spring of 
188 1 he was elected a councilman of the city as an Independent against 
two popular candidates. 

SILAS WOODSON, 

ex-Governor of the State of Missouri, and, for twenty-seven years, a res- 
ident of St. Joseph, was born in Knox County, Kentucky, May 18, 
18 19. He worked on his father's farm, attended the log-cabin school 
house of the neighborhood, and occupied his leisure time in reading and 
study. His stout heart, resolute will, and untiring industry have resulted 
in achieving for him the distinction of a self-made man. At the age of 



948 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

eighteen, he left the farm and engaged, for a short time, in selling goods. 
This occupation failing to prove congenial to his taste, he commenced 
the stud}- of law, and in 1839, ^"^^^ licensed to practice. Success crowned 
his efforts. In 1842, at the early age of twenty-three, he was elected a 
member of the General Assembly. At the expiration of his term, he 
declined re-election devoting his time to his profession, his ability in 
which was fully recognized by Judge Owsley, who appointed him to the 
position of Circuit Attorney for the Twelfth Judicial District. Re-ap- 
pointed, he soon after resigned the position, his growing and lucrative 
practice demanding his entire time. In 1849, he was elected a member 
of the Constitutional Convention of Kentucky. In 1853, he was again 
elected a member of the Legislature, and with the expiration of this 
term closed his official career in Kentucky. In August, 1854, he moved 
to Missouri, settling in St. Joseph, his present (1881) home, where hecon- 
tinued successfully to practice his profession until i860, when he was 
elected Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, in the discharge of the 
duties of which position he achieved an enviable reputation, and at the 
close of his term, again resumed the lucrative practice of his profession. 
In August, 1872, he was nominated by the State Democratic Convention 
to the office of Governor of Missouri. The presentation of his name on 
this occasion, during the progress of the fourth ballot, was received with 
such enthusiasm that the nomination was carried substantially by 
acclamation. His election over his competitor, Hon. J. B. Henderson, 
was carried by a majority of 35,442. The manner in which Governor 
Woodson discharged, during the two years of service in this exalted 
position, the duties of the same, is a matter of just pride to his numer- 
ous constituents. At the expiration of his official term he again resumed 
the practice of his profession in St. Joseph. Governor Woodson has 
been three times married. His last marriage occurred December 27, 
1866, to Miss Jennie Lard, daughter of Moses E. Lard, of Kentucky,, 
one of the most distinguished ministers of the Christian Church in the 
United States. By this union they have several children. 

J. R. WOODS, 

carpenter and builder, is a native of Ohio and was born in Highland 
County, October 5, 1848, and when one year old he removed with his 
parents to DesMoines, Iowa, where his father, John A., still resides, and 
has been closely associated with the development of that city. Here J. 
R. was raised, educated and partially learned his trade, residing there 
until 1868, when he commenced traveling and lived temporarily in Chi- 
cago, St. Louis, Salt Lake and other points, eventually locating in St. 
Joseph in 1878, where he has since been engaged at his trade. He was 
married in 1877 to Miss Mary Clark, of Missouri. Mr. Woods is a 
member of the Carpenters Union. 



ST. JOSEPH. 949 

WILLIAM M. WYETH 

Avas born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, February 17, 1832, and received 
his education at the Harrisburg Military Academy, where he pursued an 
academical course. After graduating, he removed to Chillicothe, Ohio, 
where he commenced his mercantile experience in a dry goods store. 
After remaining in this house four years the firm went out of business, 
and he entered a hardware store in 1852. In 1856, Mr. VVyeth and a 
capitalist of the place purchased the stock and continued the business 
until 1859, when Mr. Wyeth sold his interest and started in search of a 
better location. After traveling through Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkan- 
sas and Missouri, he decided to make his home in St. Joseph, satisfied 
that it was destined to be the important place it has since become. In 
i860, he opened a hardware store of very moderate character, in Corby's 
Block, where he remained until 1865, when the block was burned. After 
the fire he removed to the building adjoining the Herald office, on Sec- 
ond Street, where he remained until his new store on Third Street, was 
completed. In addition to their extensive hardware business, they 
have manufactured largely of saddles, harness and collars, which, like 
their hardware, sold only at wholesale. The retail hardware business was 
made a separate branch in 1869. The business has been constantly 
enlarged, and at the present time is the most extensive of the kind in 
St. Joseph, and occupies more floor surface than any other mercantile 
establishment in the city. Mr. Wyeth has spent two years traveling in 
Europe. Nature and his extended travel has bestowed on him that pol- 
ished and attractive manner which has readily gained him so many 
friends, while he is noted for his unassuming manners, the modesty of 
his demeanor, and the simplicity of his habits. As a business man he is 
prompt, energetic and painstaking, and of the strictest honesty and 
integrity. By his carefulness and long experience, he is enabled to 
carry on with ease his large and extensive business, and add to it from 
year to year. He was married September 28, 1858, to Miss Renick, of 
Ross County, Ohio. 

ELDER J. J. WYATT. 

One of the most worthy citizens that ever made his home in St. Joseph 
was born in Sinclair County, Illinois, July 13, 18 19. On the 22d of Sep- 
tember, 1821, his mother died and his father removed to Fleming Count}', 
Kentucky, where the youth of Mr. Wyatt was spent. He enjoyed good 
educational advanrages and was a diligent student. Forming a taste 
for the practice of law he entered the office of John Cavan, a leading 
attorney of the place, and after a thorough preparation was admitted to 
the bar. He was married March 28, 1844, to Miss Emily M, Gooding. 
To them twelve children were born only three of whom are now living. 



950 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

In June, 1845, Elder W^^att came to St. Joseph and commenced the 
practice of his profession. He filled the office of Probate Judge and 
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and during the years 1866 and 
1867 he was Postmaster of St. Joseph and in the various positions of 
trust and honor, which he was called to fill, he discharged his offi- 
cial duties with scrupulous care and fidelity. He identified himself with 
the Christian Church in November, 1850, and at once commenced preach- 
ing the Word of Life. He was called to take pastoral charge of the 
Christian Church, of which he was the founder. The congregation first 
held their meetings in a little log church, situated on the hill, where the 
present stately court house now stands. He continued in charge of the 
church for a number of years, and only left its pastoral charge at his own 
request. But in the meantime he had seen the congregation increase 
from a mere handful to a large number, rich in means and influence, and 
powerful for great good in our midst. During the past twenty-one 
years. Elder Wyatt had charge of Union Church, near Taos, in this 
county, and for fifteen years he has preached steadily at Bethel. He, at 
the time of his death, also had charge of the congregations at Camden 
Point and Antioch. Elder Wyatt passed an active life, and the best 
part of his days were spent in the ministry — preaching the word of God 
to mankind to make them better men, and better christians. It was a 
work in which he took earnest interest, and it was his delight to be at 
work in the harness, doing the greatest good to the greatest number. 
The deceased was one of the founders of the college at Camden Point, 
and at the time of his death was one of the trustees of that institution. 
He was a man of strong personal attachments, and he endeared to him 
all who knew him. He died suddenly, April 9, i88r. His private life 
and public record are alike untarnished, and the esteem in which he was 
held by the pastors of the city is expressed in the following resolutions : 

Whereas, It has pleased our Heavenly Father to remove from our 
midst by death, our beloved brother and co-laborer in the gospel of 
Christ, Elder J. J. Wyatt ; therefore 

Resolved, By the Pastor's Union of St. Joseph, Missouri, that in the 
death of Brother Wyatt, the cause of Christ has lost one of its brightest 
ornaments, and most devoted, efficient and worthy ministerial laborers. 

Second, That as ministers we feel that it is due to the departed, and 
a great, though sad privilege to us to give expression, to our very high 
appreciation of the sterling worth and Christian character of our brother 
in the ministry and of his efficient labors and influence for good as a min- 
ister of the Lord Jesus. 

Third, That in the mature Christian character and exemplary life 
of Rev. Mr. Wyatt we feel that our holy calling has been honored before 
God, and the community in which he has so long lived and labored, and 
by whom he was so well and so favorably known, and that we will ever 
cherish his Christian spirit and example, and be encouraged to greater 
diligence and fidelity in our calling as ministers of God by the memory 



ST. JOSEPH. 95 I 

of his faithful Christian life, and that we will follow him as he followed 
Christ, till we, too, shall join him in the fellowship of the church of the 
first born above. 

Fourth, That we tender to the Christian denomination, in which he 
so long ministered, our fraternal sympathy in their bereavement and 
great loss, and most devoutly pray that the mantle of our deceased 
brother may fall upon others of the church who shall imitate him in his 
superior Christian character and efficiency of labor in the ministry, and 
for the salvation of souls. 

Fifth, That we tender to the bereaved wife and family the deep 
sympathy of our hearts in this time of great sorrow, and pray our kind 
Heavenly Father to support them in their hour of grief, and bestow upon 
them, each and all, the rich consolations of that gospel which our brother 
so long and so faithfully proclaimed to dying men, and in the certain, 
blessed hope of which he rejoiced through so many years, and the blessed 
fruition of which he doubtless realizes now in its completeness, in the 
presence and kingdom of God. 

Sixth, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the bereaved 
family, and also for insertion in the papers of the city. 

E. K. MILLER, JAMES RUNCIE, 

RICHARD S. CAMPBELL, W. R. SEAVER, 

WILLIAM HARRIS, E. H. SHERWOOD, 

H. BULLARD. 

J. C. WYATT, 

son of Judge J. J. Wyatt, was born in St. Joseph, August ii, 1845, where 
he received a good education in the schools of the city. He early 
determined on a mercantile life, and entered a store in the capacity of 
clerk. Devoting his attention strictly to business, he soon acquired a 
knowledge of the same, which resulted in his rapid advancement, and 
to-day (1881) he is a member of the firm of Townsend, Wyatt & Co., 
one of the largest retail dry goods houses in St. Joseph. His first 
e.\perience in business was in the agricultural implement house of A. G. 
Mansfield, the first of the kind established in the city. Here he 
remained till 1865. He then entered the dry goods store of Nave & 
Rowley, where he remained one year. In 1877 the present representa- 
tive firm of Townsend, Wyatt & Co., above referred to, was formed. 
October, 1875, Mr. J. C. Wyatt married Miss Katie Garrard, of Boone 
County, Missouri. They have two children, Calvin G. and Aubrey. In 
religious matters he is an emulator of his venerable father, whose 
decease in 1881 was a source of universal regret, and is an active mem- 
ber of the Christian Church in St. Joseph. 

FILLMORE WYATT, 

foreman, with the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railway, is 
a native of Canada, and was born in Danville, May 21, 1849. When 



952 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

fifteen years of age he came to the United States, and resided in differ- 
ent States until 1871, when he came to St. Joseph, and has since been in 
the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Company. 
In early life he learned the carpenter trade, and in that branch is thor- 
oughly skilled. As a railroad man he is conversant with the detail of 
track laying, surfacing, etc., and is among the trusted employes of the 
company. In private life Mr. Wyatt is a genial and companionable gen- 
tleman. In 1874 Miss L. E. Meyers became his wife. They have one 
son, Geoege E. 

A. S. YETTER, 

foreman painter of locomotive department for the St. Joseph & Western 
Railroad Company, is a native of Germany, and was born in Wurtem- 
berg, May 8th, 1840. When thirteen years of age he came to America 
with his parents, locating in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was 
reared and educated, and learned his trade with Harper Bros. After 
this he was in the employ of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad as 
painter. In 1859 he went to Buffalo, New York, and was shipwrecked 
while en route on Lake Huron. He worked for a time at St. Catharine, 
Canada, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. His mother had died and his 
father and only brother had returned to Germany. When the rebellion 
broke out A. S. was in New Orleans and was forced into the Confeder- 
ate army ; served three months and deserted while on guard, secreted 
himself in the cane-brakes, and after traveling for three nights and not 
having any food or drink, he made his way to a Union camp. He came 
North, locating in Wisconsin, and in 1861 he was married to Miss 
Johanna Fieber in Grafton, Wisconsin. He soon moved to Milwaukee 
and worked at his trade until 1866, when he came to St. Joseph, and for 
two years was in partnership with George Pooler ; also for two years and 
a half in the employ of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs 
Railroad Company. In 1871 he commenced with the St. Joseph & 
W^estern as foreman painter. When the car and locomotive depart- 
ments were made separate he was placed in charge of the latter. Mr. 
Yetter is a gentleman favorably known m St. Joseph, and as a painter 
is master of the profession in all its details. His wife died in 1874, leav- 
ing five children, Julia, Clara, Willie L., Edward J., and Ida. In 1878 
Miss Annie Deichmann became his wife, by whom he has one daughter, 
Martha. Mr. Y. is a member of the St. Joseph Turn Verein, Enterprise 
Lodge of I. O. O. F., South St. Joseph Grove of Druids, and Orderly 
Sergeant of the Turner Rifles, Company B, Second Battalion National 
Guards of Missouri. He helped organize Wallhalla Grove of Druids, 
and was P"irst Vice Arch and for five successive years was trustee ; has 
been four times representative to the Grand Grove ; was appointed by 



ST. JOSEPH. 953 

the Grand Grove as District Deputy Grand Arch for three years. He 
•organized Centennial Grove, No. 35, and also South St. Joseph Grove, 
No. 37. U. A. O. D. 

E. C. ZIMMERMAN 

was born in Frederick City, Maryland, October 28, 1845. His father 
was a merchant in Frederick City and in Baltimore for many years. 
Received a good education at Heidleburg College. In 1859, he moved 
to St. Joseph, and entered as a student the law office of Judge I. C. 
Tarker, of this city, and was admitted to the bar in 1869. Like many 
adventurers in quest of wealth, he went to Leadville, invested a large 
amount in mining speculations, which ultimately proved a failure. He 
returned to St. Joseph with what he had left, and commenced buying 
and selling property and building houses for rent. By close attention 
to business he has laid the foundation for a successful career. In his 
intercourse with the world he is known no less for his strict integrity 
than for his rigorous exaction of the same conduct on the part of those 
with whom he transacts business. In 1868, he married Miss Ada Haw- 
ley, of St. Joseph, daughter of James Hawley, Esq., now living in Iowa. 
They have two children — Eugene and Lura. 

GEORGE H. ZIPH, 

proprietor of the sheet iron and copper works was born in Germany in 
1843, and while young came to the United States with his parents, locat- 
ing in New York, where they resided three years. They then migrated 
to Illinois, where our subject was reared, educated and learned his trade. 
In 1868, he came to St. Joseph, engaging in the sheet iron work, which 
he makes a specialty. He does a lucrative trade, being known as a first 
class workman. He is a member of the Turner Society. 

HENRY ZONDLER, 

dealer in wines, liquors and cigars, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
July 20, 1843, and was there reared and learned the shoemaker's trade. 
In 1867, he came to the United States, locating temporarily in different 
places and working at his trade, until 1869, when he took up his abode 
in St. Joseph. In 1870, he opened a shop and was engaged in the manu- 
facture of boots and shoes until the spring of 1881, when he engaged in 
liis present business. May 3, 1870, Miss Mary Michalke became his wife. 
They have three children — Henry, Charles and Eda. Mr. Zondler is 
a member of the I. O. O. F. and the German Benevolent Society. 

J. W. ZOOK 

is a native of Ohio. His parents emigrated to Missouri when he was a 
small boy, locating in Holt County, in 1842. Resided there up to 1872, 

being engaged in the general merchandise business. In 1872, at St. 

59 



954 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



Joseph, he branched out into the pork business with D. Finger & Co., 
which lasted until 1878, at which time he became lessee of the stock 
yards. In this business he employs six men. In 1864, he was married 
to Miss Von Luenen, a native of Germany. Have had four children, all 
alive except one. Mr. Zook is still connected with the pork business. 
Is an active, energetic business man, and justly merits the success which 
has been his portion through life. 

A. ZUNKEL, 

dealer in furniture, stoves and second-hand goods, is a native of Ger- 
many, and was born in Prussia, March 17, 1844. He was there raised 
to manhood, educated and learned the cabinet making trade. Came to 
the United States in 1865, locating in St. Louis for a time, after which 
he drifted into the Western country. He traveled around considerably 
and eventually in 1871 located in St. Joseph. For a few years he was in 
the employ of L. Hax, also for a time was president and a member of 
the Union Furniture Company. After this he embarked in trade. He 
is a skilled workman, is favorably known, and does a lucrative trade. 
He married in 1878 Miss Amelia Swarder. They have one daughter, 
Clara. Mr. Z. is an Encampment Odd Fellow. 



&. 



W/' 




J. P. fairchild's patent street sprinkler. 



MARION TOWNSHIP. 



BIRT, BOYER & CO., 



dealers in general merchandise, Easton. George F. Birt, of this firm, 
was born April 19, 1857, in DeKalb County, Missouri, where he was 
principally reared and educated, spending his boyhood days on a farm. 
Came to Buchanan County in the fall of 1874, and entered as clerk in the 
same store in which he is now interested. After working four years in 
this capacity, he became a partner. In January, 1881, a new partnership 
was formed. They have a complete stock of general merchandise and 
also deal in agricultural implements. Mr. B. was married February i, 
1881, to Miss Laura Gibson, a native of this county, born in January, 
1858. They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

R R. BLACKFORD, 

blacksmith and inventor, San Antonio, was born August 13, 1851, in 
Lawrence County, Ohio, and was taken to Nodaway County, Missouri, 
when about five years of age. He spent his boyhood days on a farm, 
and received a common school education. His father was killed in 1861, 
and since that time P. R. has taken care of himself He commenced to 
learn the blacksmith trade in 1872, and has worked at it since. He 
moved to San Antonio February 10, 1879, and now has a neat and well 
arranged shop. He has displayed quite a taste for inventing, and already 
has two patents. His field roller, known as the Blackford and Davis 
Roller, is a novelty in design. His patent stalk cutter is something 
new, and, like the roller, gives vast advantages over other machinery. 
He also has a new idea in the shape of a three-horse whiffletree. His 
machinery has met with the approval of some of the best farmers in the 
state. He was married November 23, 1875, to Miss Sarah S. Owens, a 
native of Nodaway, County, Missouri, born in 1857. They have had 
three children, Henry, Ira and Delbert. Himself and wife are members 
of the Cumberland Church. 

ISAAC N. BROOKS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 19, postoffice Easton, was born July 15, 
1819, in Madison County, Kentucky, and accompanied his parents to 
Orange County, Indiana, in 1827, and he remained there until 1833, when 



956 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

he emigrated West, and settled in what is now known as Johnson 
Count)', Missouri. In 1837, he took a trip through the Platte Purchase. 
He and his father took up claims on Contrary Creek, in 1838, and 
engaged in the cattle business. They moved to Platte County in 1839, 
and here Isaac has made his home and in Buchanan County since. He is a 
pioneer of this country, and relates many interesting reminiscences of 
his early struggles. In 1852, he opened a general store at Platte River 
Postoffice, which he continued to keep for three years. He made two 
trips to Texas, one in 1861, and the other in 1862, and came to this 
count}- to reside permanently, in 1865. He engaged in clerking in vari- 
ous stores, for three years, in St. Joseph, and then commenced the livery 
business, running the Allen House in connection. This he followed for 
three years. For two years he kept the Buchanan County Jail. He 
filled the position of Street Commissioner of St. Joseph three years- 
longer than any other person has done, and resigned on the 8th of Feb- 
ruary, 1881, and moved to his farm. This consists of 155 acres of well 
improved and well watered land. Mr. B. is a member of the Knights 
Templar No. 4, and of Mitchell Chapter of St. Joseph, and was one 
of the charter members in the Chapter. He has been twice married : 
First, in 1841, to Miss Elizabeth Owens, who was the second white child 
born in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. Her birth was March 18, 1824. 
She died January 10, 1874, leaving eight children : Lydia, William G., 
Sandford O., Brydon F., Isaac J., Rosalie, Florence and Mollie. He was 
married again, November 5, 1879, to Miss B. Denney, a native of Ohio, 
born November 17, 1846. She is a member of the Congregational 
Church. 

JUDGE LEWIS F. CARPENTER, 

was born in Loudoun County, Virginia. January 21, 18 18. His father, 
Matthew Carpenter, was a representative man in that country. He was 
a soldier in the war of 18 12, and a descendant of some of the earliest 
settlers of the Old Dominion. His mother's maiden name was Harriet 
Benson. She was of French descent. Lewis F. was the eldest of a 
family of eight children, and was raised in his native county, where 
he received such education as was attainable in that day and count}-. 
At the age of seventeen, he went to Front Royal in Warren County, 
\'irginia, where he spent seven years learning the wagon-making trade. 
September 28, 1843, he married Miss Elizabeth Varner, a native of Page 
County, Virginia. In the fall of 1854, he left for the West, and on the 
9th of November of the same year arrived in St. Joseph, where he 
remained till the following spring, when he purchased 254 acres of land 
in the northeast corner of the county. Of this he has made one of the 
best improved farms In the county. Few men have contributed more 



MARION TOWNSHIP. 957 

materially to the growth and development of the same. In politics he 
is a Democrat, having voted that ticket since 1840, when he cast his first 
vote for President Van Buren. He has raised a family of ten children, 
nine sons and one daughter : Wm. H., Dr. Stephen F., a representative 
physician of St. Joseph ; Daniel E., a farmer of Andrew County ; Thos. 
J. and Robert S., residents of St. Joseph ; John A., Franklin P., Eddie, 
Burr H. and Mary E. Carpenter. In the fall of 1880, Lewis F. Carpenter 
was elected Judge of the County Court of Buchanan County, and bears 
the reputation of a capable and popular official. 

WARREN DAVIS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section -^6, postofifice Easton, was born Febru- 
ary 19, 1843, ill Marion Township, Buchanan County, Missouri. His 
parents, who were natives of Ohio, came to this county in 1842. War- 
ren spent his boyhood days on a farm and received his education in the 
schools of this county. He owns a fine farm of 100 acres, improved 
and well stocked, and also has a good orchard. He has filled the posi- 
tion of school director and clerk for several terms. Was married, in 
January, 1865, to Miss Isabella Glen, a daughter of Hugh Glen, one of 
the oldest pioneers in the county. She was born in 1842. They have 
five children, Cora A., Aleck G., Missouri L., Effie L., and Joseph W. 
They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

CLARK DEPPIN, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 10, postofifice Riverton, was born 
November 5, 1839, in Ohio, and was brought to this county by his 
parents when about one year old, and has been reared here as a farmer. 
He here received his education. His landed estate consists of 348 acres 
of well improved land. He was married October 8, 1861, to Miss 
Frances Pierce, a native of Springfield, Illinois, born August 31, 1843. 
They have four children living, Maggie E., William A., Annie M., Mary 
C; lost seven. Himself and wife are members of the Cumberland Pres- 
byterian Church. 

GEORGE W. HOMAN, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 25, postofifice Easton, was born May 28, 
1841, in Baltimore County, Maryland, and spent his boyhood days on a 
farm, receiving a common school education. Learned the carpenter's 
trade in his youth and has followed it considerably during life. During 
the late war he belonged to General Sherman's construction corps, and 
went with him to Atlanta, Georgia; then returned and afterwards joined 
him in South Carolina. He emigrated west in the spring of 1865, and 



958 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

settled in this county, where he has since remained, and now owns a fine 
farm of 120 acres, which is well improved and stocked. Mr. H. has filled 
the office of school director several terms. Was married, January 5, 
1867, to Miss Delilah Missemer, a native of Lebanon County, Pennsylr 
vania, born in November, 1844. They have five children, Harry, Char- 
lie, Raymond, George and Emmitt. Mrs. H. is a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. Mr. H. belongs to the Methodist denomination. 

JACOB HOPPEL, 

proprietor of the Easton House, Easton, was born February 7, 1834, in 
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and there was principally reared and 
received his education. He was raised on a farm. During the late war 
he enlisted in Company G, Forty-fourth Missouri Infantry in 1864, and 
took part in the battles of Nashville, Mobile, Spanish Fort, Fort Blakley 
and many other minor engagements. He came to this county April 15, 
1861, and has here made his home since, being engaged in farming most 
of the time. He took charge of the Easton House on the 4th of April, 
188 1, and at present is doing a fair business. He is also interested in 
the sale of agricultural implements, and has a stock on hand suitable to 
the wants of the farmers. He holds the position of street commissioner 
of Easton. Mr. H. was married in November, 1874, to Miss Mary 
Miller, a native of Ohio. She was born May 23, 1853. They have two 
children living, Cora and Elmer L. Mrs. H. is a member of the Presby- 
terian Church. 

H. B. IBA, 

postmaster and boot and shoemaker, Easton, was born March 13, 1836, 
in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. His father was a farmer and shoe- 
maker, and H. B. learned the trade when a boy. Spent his youthful 
days on the farm, and received his education in the schools of that 
county, first engaging in teaching in 1855. Taught two years, and after- 
wards went to Philadelphia in 1864, and remained there one year. 
Returning to his native county, he taught a year. Emigrated west in 
the spring of 1866, and arrived in Easton in April, and has made this 
his home since, except the year 1875, which he spent in St. Joseph. 
He holds the position of postmaster. Was married January 13, 1856, to 
Miss Lavina S. Barkey, a native of the same place as himself She was 
born in April, 1836. They have three children living, Calvin F., Lizzie 
B. and Henry. Himself and wife are members of the Presbyterian 
Church, and Mr. Iba is the only one of the original Trustees of the 
church of PLaston now remainine. 



MARION TOWNSHIP. 959 

GEORGE M. KERNS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 4, postoffice Easton, was born August 
31, 1844, in Clinton County, Missouri, and was principally reared as a 
farmer, and there received his education. During the late war, he dis- 
played his patriotism by enlisting in the State Militia, serving for eigh- 
teen months, and took part in several small skirmishes. At the close of 
the war he again turned his attention to farming. In January, 1870, he 
settled on the place which he now occupies, and since that time has been 
a resident of this county. His landed estate consists of 160 acres, 
where he resides, and 80 acres in DeKalb County, all improved. He 
has always shown a commendable spirit in forwarding the interests of 
the county. December 23, 1874, he was married to Miss Keziah Strowd, 
a native of Indiana, born in 1845. They have had four children : Flor- 
ence B., David P., Helen and Alice. Mrs. K. is a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. 

JOHN F. KEYS, 

dealer in general merchandise, Easton, was born January i, 1839, i'"^ Har- 
rison County, Va., and was brought to Platte County, Mo., when quite 
young, and to this county in 1843. Here he was reared as a farmer, and 
also engaged in teaching for some time. He commenced the mercan- 
tile business at Easton, September 14, 1857, and has continued it since. 
He carries a complete stock of mechandise, and receives a good patron- 
age. Himself and partner shipped the first bill of goods over this end 
of the St. Joseph & Hannibal Railroad, from St. Joseph to Easton, in 
1858. Mr. K. has filled the position of school director for several terms. 
Is a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity, and has held all of the dif- 
ferent offices of the lodge. Was married, in August, 1855, to Mrs. Fan- 
nie Lewnbeck, daughter of Chester Woodward. She was a native of 
Clay County, Missouri, and was born in May, 1842. She died in 1878, 
leaving five children : Claude M., Vallie V., Stella, Herman and Ada. 
She had two children by her former husband, Clara and Joel. Mr. K. is 
a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

ELIJAH McCRARY, 

retired, Easton, is of Irish descent, and was born in Howard County, 
Missouri, January 5, 1820. His father came there from North Caro- 
lina in 18 17, and subsequently removed to Johnson County, where Elijah 
was principally raised. In 1837 he settled in the Platte Purchase, being 
among the first settlers to come into Andrew County after it was given 
iip by the Indians. In 1844 he moved to Rochester and engaged in 
farming, and in 185 1 came to Marion Township, Buchanan County, pur- 



960 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

chasing four hundred acres of land, on a part of which now stands the- 
town of Easton. This was laid out by him in 1854. He was engaged 
extensively in merchandising there and at neighboring villages until 
retiring from an active business life. He has been identified with the 
interests of Easton from the commencement of the growth of the place. 
Mr. McCrary was married in 1849 to Miss Nancy J. Martin, a native of 
Kentucky, born in 1829. They have six children living, L. M., Benja- 
min, E. D., Nancy J. (now Mrs. J, M. Gibson), -Emma (now Mrs. S. D. 
Chandler), and Albina. Four are deceased. Mr. McCrary is a member 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in which he has held the posi- 
tion of deacon. 

E. DON McCRARY, 



of the firm of McCrary Brothers, dealers in general merchandise, Easton, 
is the third son of Elijah McCrary, and was born May 7, 1856, in this 
county, and has been reared here as a farmer. When fifteen years of 
age he commenced clerking with his father, and when twenty-one years 
old, and on the ist of January, 1880, his father turned the business over 
to the boys. They are doing a thriving business, and also have a store 
at Agency. E. D. runs the lines at this place, while his brother is at 
Agency. Our subject was married on the 4th of October, 1874, to Miss. 
Genomy Smith, of St. Joseph. She was born June 11, 1855, in Virginia. 
They have two children — Mittie and Don. 

GEORGE MARKER, 



retired merchant, Easton, was born February 14, 1839, i^^ Buchanan 
County, Missouri, and spent his boyhood days on a farm, and here 
received his education. In the fall of 1857, he went to California, and 
engaged in mining and farming, and removed from there to Oregon and 
engaged in buying and selling stock. Finally located in Washington 
Territory : thence to Idaho, and returned to this state in 1864, where he 
engaged in freighting between St. Joseph and Denver for about one 
year. He then purchased a farm, upon which he settled. In 1866, he 
was married to Miss Rebecca Clark, a native of this county, born March 
4, 1847. She died on the 8th of February, 1878, leaving one child, 
Lenora B. Four are deceased. He moved to Easton in 1873, and 
engaged in the mercantile business, continuing therein until the spring 
of ,1881. He owns a residence and a store building in Easton. He was 
married again in September, 1880, to Miss Nancy J. Leftwich. She was 
born in 185 1, and is a member of the Christian Church. 



MARION TOWNSHIP. 961 

MARY QUIGLEY, 

an early settler of this vicinity, was born March 16, 183 1, in County 
Tipperary, Ireland, and came to the United States in 185 1, settling in 
New York City. There she formed the acquaintance of M. C. Quigley, 
and they were married before the close of the year. He was a native of 
County Wakesford, Ireland, and was born in 18 19. They came west to 
Chicago in 1852, remaining for two years, and then moved to Racine, 
Wisconsin ; thence to Alton, Illinois, and finally to Iowa, where they 
remained for three years, coming to Missouri, in August, 1859. They 
resided one year at Cameron, then came to this county. Mr. O. followed 
railroading, and while he worked on the section, his wife attended to 
operating the tank. He was accidentally killed while in the employ of 
the railroad company, in 1864. Since his death, Mrs. Quigley has kept 
the position and has raised a family of six children, the eldest of which 
was only ten years of age at that time. She displays great energy, and 
the length of time she has held the position (some twenty-two years) is 
ample proof of the esteem in which she is held by the railroad company. 
The family consists of Margaret J., Mary F., Elizabeth A., James E., 
Michael H. and Credelia J. She is a member of the Catholic Church. 

W. H. RICHARDSON, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 33, postoffice Easton,was born August 4^ 
1833, in Mason County, Kentucky, and was raised there as a farmer and 
received an excellent common school education. He came west in 1857, 
and traveled over this western county until the breaking out of the war 
in 1861, when he enlisted in the Southern army, and belonged to Lan- 
dis' Battery of St. Joseph. He took part in the second battle of Corinth^ 
the battle of luka Springs, Grand Gulf, Champion's Hill and the siege 
of Vicksburg, and at the latter was taken prisoner apd held until 1865. 
He then returned to this county and engaged in agricultural pursuits^ 
and now owns a fine farm of 151 acres, well improved. Mr. K. has filled 
the positions of school director and road supervisor several terms. Was 
married, February 7, 1865, to Miss Lydia R. Reid, a daughter of Walker 
G. Reid. She was born January 29, 1846, in this county, and was edu- 
cated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, of St. Joseph, and received 
her diploma. They have five children: Allen G., Lorena, Leota, Wil- 
liam I., and Walker. They lost one. Himself and wife are members of 
the Christian Church, in which he formerly held the position of elder. 

JOSEPH ROBINSON, 

railroad contractor and farmer, Easton, was born August 6, 1836, in 
Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, where he was raised and educated. 



'962 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

During the late war he enlisted May 2, 1861, and served for twenty 
months, taking part in the battles of Cheek Mountain, Kernstown, 
McDowell, and the seven days' fight around Richmond. Then turned 
his attention to railroading. He came to Missouri in 1867 and has since 
been engaged in the railroad business. He owns 240 acres of fine land 
adjoining the town of Easton. This is one of the finest stock farms in 
the county, and also has a handsome residence in the village. In prin- 
ciple, as well as in purse, Mr. B. is one of the solid men of the county. 
He was married July 3, 1863, to Miss Mary A. Leftwich, a native of Vir- 
ginia, born in 1844. They have a family of four children, Mary L., 
Georgia, Dolman, and Jessie ; lost, three. Mrs. R. is a member of the 
Christian Church. Mr. R. is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and 
-has held the position of Master of Easton Lodge, No. I0[, for four years. 

W. P. SHORTRIDGE, Sr., 

farmer, section 32, postofifice Easton, is a native of Kentucky, and was 
born in 18 17. He had but very slender educational advantages. He 
■emigrated to Missouri in 1844, locating in Platte County, whence he 
removed to Buchanan County in 185 1. He was married in 1844 to Miss 
Elizabeth Minor, a native of Kentucky. They have had six children, 
two of whom are dead. When Mr. Shortridge came to Missouri, in 
1840, there was no one in these parts except Robidoux and a few agents. 
.St. Joseph was a wheat-field at that time, and where the wheat then 
grew is now the bed of the river. He sustained losses by the war of 
•over four thousand dollars, principally in corn and bacon, of which he 
was robbed. He was arrested and put in prison at St. Joseph, where he 
was fed by friends. He got nothing from any other source, and was 
taken out twice to be hung. Through his own intercession he was 
•saved, with about forty others. He was called out at home and threat- 
• ened to be shot, made no concealment of his politics, but said he was 
trying to attend to his own business. He has all through life donated 
liberally to churches and school houses. He is a Mason and member of 
the Christian Church. Mr. Shortridge and his son, W. P., Jr., are per- 
fecting a new grain drill which will be far superior to anything on the 
market. They challenge the world with the Shortridge drill. It is a 
complete combination of wheat drill, corn marker, wheat roller and 
^cultivator. 

WILLIAM H. SLAYBAUGH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 18, postoffice Easton, was born August 
14, 1837, in Buchanan County, Missouri, and has made this his home 
through life. Received his education in the old log school house, and 
-has made agricultural pursuits his occupation through life. During the 



MARION TOWNSHIP. ' 963 

late war he served for three years with Company H, Fourth Missouri 
Cavalry. Assisted in driving Price from Missouri on his raid in 1864, 
and was wounded at the battle on the Blue ; also took part in the battles 
of Mine Run and Little Miami, which was the last buchwhacker fight 
in the State. Owns a fine farm of 74 acres, which is well cultivated. He 
has filled the positions of road overseer and clerk of the district. Was 
married in 1865, to Miss Lizzie C. Missemer, a native of Pennsylvania. 
They have five children living — Minnie, Cyrus, Katie, Thomas and 
Andrew. Lost one. Mrs. S. is a member of the New School Presbyte- 
rian Church. 

ALLEN STROUD, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 16, post office Easton, was born October 
14, 18 10, in Dearborn County, Indiana, and was reared as a farmer until 
twenty-one years of age, there receiving his education. He moved to 
Vanderburg County, Indiana, in 1831, and resided there for thirty-four 
years, engaged in farming and stock raising. From that place he came 
to Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1865. He owns 140 acres of land 
well improved and stocked. Mr. S. made what he owns by honesty, 
industry and fair dealing. He has been twice married, first on the 4th 
of July, 1833, to Miss Jane Smith, a native of Rochester, New Jersey. 
She died on the 9th of January, 1880, leaving a family of seven children, 
three of whom are still living : Helen E., (now Mrs. D. L. Hawkins) 
Kizia, (now Mrs. Monroe Kerns) and Joshua. He was married again 
January 11, 1881, to Mrs. Ellen McClain, a native of this state. They 
are members of the Free Baptist Church. His son-in-law, D. L. 
Hawkins, resides with him. 

DR. I. S. TALBOT, 

was born in Carroll County, Kentucky, July 15, 1833. His grandfather 
— who served through the Revolutionary war — located in that state in 
the time of Boone. The doctor's father was born in Kentucky, as was 
also his mother. Our subject was the youngest son of eight children, 
and in 1843 canie with his father to Missouri, locating in Marion Town- 
ship, Buchanan County. He here attended the common schools, and 
for two years was a student at Chapel Hill College, in Lafayette County. 
Having resolved to become a physician, in 1853, he began the study of 
medicine with Dr. B. F. Donaldson. In 1854, he began practicing, and 
for some time was in partnership with him. In April, 1856, he estab- 
lished himself in practice at Easton, being the first physician to locate 
there. During the late war he served a short time under General Price, 
holding the position of first lieutenant. Dr. Talbot's landed estate 
consists of 375 acres, adjoining the town of Easton. He has been 



964 ' BIOGRAPHICAL. 

twice married. First, in July, 1854, to Miss Evaline Donaldson; she- 
died in August, 1869, leaving six children, five of whom are living: 
George W., Andrew J., Mary J., Laura, and E. M. He was married 
again on the 18th of May, 1871, to Mary C. Mayham. By this union 
they have three children: I. W., E. L., and C. A. M. They lost one- 
Mrs. T. is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. He is 
a member of the Presbyterian Church, and also of the Masonic frater- 
nity, and holds the position of treasurer of Easton Lodge No. loi. 

J. W. TAYLOR, 

merchant and postmaster, San Antonio, was born September 15, 1852,. 
in Muskingum County, Ohio, and was taken to Iowa by his parents 
when about two years of age. Came from there to this county in the 
spring of 1865, and has made this his home ever since. Spent his boy- 
hood days on a farm, receiving his education in the schools of this vicin- 
ity, and when fourteen years of age he left home and worked by the 
montn until twenty-two years old. Then married, and commenced farm- 
ing on his own account. On the 14th of August, 1880, he purchased the 
store at this place, which is well filled with a general stock of goods, and 
Mr. Taylor has secured a liberal patronage. Was married October 8,. 
1874, to Matilda Simmons, a native of this county, born September 23,. 
1856. They have three children — Ira P., Ida L. and Delia P. Mrs. T. 
is a member of the M. E. Church. 

WILLIAM T. TUCK, 

dealer in groceries and provisions, Easton, was born August 22, 1844, in 
Jackson County, Alabama, and was brought to this county by his parents in 
1852, and has here made his home since. He spent his boyhood days 
on a farm. During the late war he enlisted in the P^ighteenth Missouri, 
Company K, in February 1862, and served until July, 1865. He took 
part in the engagements of Island No. 10, Shiloh, first and second battles 
of Corinth, Mississippi, and was with Sherman on his " March to the Sea," 
and many other minor engagements. He returned to this county in the 
spring of 1866, and engaged in the mercantile business, in which he has 
since been engaged. Mr. T. married, in 1867, Miss Levana Lawlis, a 
native of this county, born in 1849. They have five children living: 
Emma, Maud, Effie, Edna and Jessie ; lost one. Himself and wife arc 
members of the Presbyterian Church. 

HERMAN H. VONDENBOSCH, 

dealer in general merchandise, and postmaster, Hirlingen, was born 
January 26, 1852, in Holland, and accompanied his parents to the L^nited 



MARION TOWNSHIP. 965 

"States when about twelve years of age. They settled in Mercer County, 
'Ohio, and here he was principally reared, receiving his education at St. 
Mary's of Dayton, Ohio. After completing his schooling he engaged in 
teaching in that vicinity for eight years. He emigrated west in the 
spring of 1878 and arrived in this county in April of that year. Started 
"his present business in the winter of 1880. He owns one acre of land 
and has a neat store and also a residence. He has won a large patron- 
age and has been influential in securing a post office at this place and 
was appointed postmaster. He has quite a musical talent and gives 
lessons to a choir in Easton. He was married September 14, 1875, to 
Miss Catharine Droxler, a native of Ohio, born November 25, 1857. 
They have two children, Catharine M. and Peter P. Himself and wife 
are active members of St. Mary's Church of this township. 

MAURICE WOGAN, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 24, postofifice P^aston, was born Decem- 
ber 12, 1820, in County Kings, Ireland, and was reared there as a farmer, 
until twenty-two years of age. He came to America in 1842, landed 
at New York City, and went to Litchfield, Connecticut ; remained there 
■eighteen years, engaged in farming. Then removed to Fremont County, 
"Nebraska, and was among its early pioneers there. After twelve years, 
he came to Buchanan County, Missouri, and settled on the place he now 
•occupies. His landed estate consists of 380 acres of fine farm land, well 
improved and stocked. Mr. W. has filled his present position of school 
director and road supervisor several terms. In 1852, he was married 
to Miss Ann Bloomer. She is also a native of Ireland. They have ten 
•children : John, Joseph, Mary (now Mrs. Diegnan), Ellen, Michael, 
Sarah, Katie, Esther, Maurice and Tresa. Himself and family are mem- 
ibers of the Catholic Church. 

WALLER YOUNG, 

formerly Senator from the Second District, was born in Bath County, 
Kentucky, in 1843, and remained in the State until ten years of age, 
when he came to Missouri, locating in Buchanan County, where, except- 
ing at short intervals, he has since resided. He attended college at 
Platte City, Missouri, until the commencement of the late war, when he 
went to Virginia, joined General Marshall's army, and remained in the 
ranks until the last echo of the Southern guns died away. He then 
returned to Missouri, determined to acquire for himself in the civil 
walks of life a respectable position, and if energy would accomplish 
anything, a prominent place among the people of his State. After 
graduating at the law school of Louisville, Kentucky, he practiced in St, 



966 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Joseph with marked success. Having a natural propensity for politics,, 
and a clear and discriminating judgment, he early foresaw that the only 
means whereby the people of Missouri could be relieved from the 
oppressions of the Radical party was by producing dissensions in their 
ranks by forming a Liberal party, based upon the principle of enfran- 
chising all citizens of the State without distinction ; hence we find him 
taking an active part in the campaign that elected Brown governor. 
He was a delegate to the State convention in 1872, and did more to- 
nominate Governor Woodson than any man in the convention. He was 
appointed private secretary of Governor Woodson, and after serving a 
short time resigned. In 1874 he was nominated as a Democratic candi- 
date for the State Senate, and was elected by 1,900 majority — the 
largest Democratic majority the district ever gave. He was chairman 
of the Committee on Claims, and a member of the committees on Inter- 
nal Improvements, Swamp Lands, and Lunatic Asylum. Mr. Young 
bids fair to become one of the most prominent men in the State, and 
possesses all the qualities essential to a great man — intelligence, capa- 
bility, principle, and honesty. In the past few years he has taken but 
little active part in politics. 



TREMONT TOWNSHIP. 



MARMADUKE D. FINCH. 



section 32, postoffice Gower, was born in Franklin County, North Caro- 
lina, April 28, 18 1 3, and his ancestors were originally from Virginia. 
Received his education in the schools of his vicinity, and was bred a 
farmer. On the 4th of May, 1834, he married Elizabeth Jordan, a native 
of North Carolina, born in 1810. She died in Missouri, in 1870, leaving 
three children, two of whom now survive — Thomas N. and Evalina, (now 
Mrs. L. Heffner.) In 1842, he moved to Missouri, and on the 20th of 
May, reached the Rock House Prairie, in Buchanan County, where he 
has since continued to reside, and where he owns a fine farm. Originally 
a member of the old Whig party, his first vote for President was cast for 
Harrison, in the exciting campaign of 1840. On the dissolution of the 
Whig party, he joined the Democracy. Mr. Finch has held several 
important public positions in the county. In 1854, he was elected Justice 



TREMONT TOWNSHIP. 967- 

of the Peace in Tremont Township, a position which he filled eight years. 
In 1858, he was made collector of the county, and served two years in 
that capacity, under Sheriff Morgan. In 1874, he was county assessor,,, 
under John Tutt. In all these several positions he proved himself a 
worthy and capable officer. June 22, 1874, Mr. Finch again married. 
His second wife was Mrs. Julia Bretz, widow of Judge John Bretz, of 
Buchanan County. 

A. F. GREENARD, 

farmer and merchant, section 10, post office Garrettsburg, was born 
September 2, 1844, in Buchanan County, Missouri, and has lived here 
all his life. In his early days he was a farmer. In 1864, he visited 
Montana on an exploring expedition in the mountains. He married 
Miss Mary J. Whitson in 1866. She was born November 27, 184.8, in 
Missouri. They have had four children : William S., born July 18, 1870;, 
Mary A., born January 18, 1873; Franklin J., born July 16, 1879; and an 
infant, born October 17, 1880. In 1867, he ran a blacksmith shop and 
farmed. December 3, 1879, commenced general merchandising, and has 
done a prosperous business. His stock consists of dry goods, hardware^ 
drugs, hats, caps, notions, boots and shoes, groceries, &c. He is post- 
master at Garrettsburg, and has filled the office of school director. In 
the Masonic order he has achieved the rank of Knight Templar. He is 
a member of the I. O. O. F., and is also a Granger. He donated half 
an acre of land for school purposes in his neighborhood. Was a mem- 
ber, during the war, of Company D, 8ist regiment Pawpaw Militia,, 
under Colonel Scott. He owns 447 acres of land, 330 acres of which he 
inherited from his father's estate. This is mostly under fence and in a 
good state of cultivation with excellent improvements, including orchard^ 
&c., and is stocked with abundance «of farming implements. He also 
owns a store house 20x36 with a cellar 18x20, with 2 feet stone wall, 7 
feet deep. Mr. Greenard has always endeavored to do his part as a 
man, assisting the needy and afflicted whenever called on. 

SAMUEL J. JEFFERS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 24, postofifice Frazer, was born Septem- 
ber 20, 1833, in Clay County, Missouri, and was brought to this county 
by his parents when about six years of age. He spent his boyhood days 
on the farm and received his education in the schools of this vicinity. 
He now owns a fine farm of 140 acres, well watered and stocked. Mr. 
J. has filled the positions of township clerk and school director. He 
moved to Andrew County in 1858 and resided there until 1865, engaged 
in farming ; then returned to this county. He was married November 
24, 1853, to Miss Frances Miller, a native of Knox County, Kentucky. 



968 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

They have liad eleven children, six of whom are living : N. Ellen, 
Finis E., William J., Maud M., Harvey B. and Laura F. He and his 
two oldest children are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

JAMES M. JEFFERS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 24, postoffice Frazer, was born April 7, 
1 83 1, in Clay County, Missouri, and came to Buchanan County in Feb- 
ruary, 1839, ^vith his parents, and has since made this his home. He 
owns 260 acres of fine land, 160 of which are under cultivation, the 
remainder being pasture and timber land. His farm is well stocked, 
and he has a handsome residence. In 1861, he moved to Kansas, and 
remained one year, came back, and again went there, in 1865, and spent 
six months. During the late war, he served three months in the 
Enrolled Missouri Militia. He has filled the office of school director, 
but has never been a political aspirant. In October, 1853, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Virginia Miller, a native of this city, born August 28, 1838. 
They are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in which he 
Iiolds the position of Elder. They raised an orphan boy, named J. H. 
-Norman, now minister in the Presbyterian Church, at Stewartsville. 

EVANS JORDAN, 

farmer, was born in Wake County. North Carolina, February 14, 18 15, 
and came to Tremont Township, Rock House Prairie, in this county, in 
1840. Here, in company with Dugan Pfouts, he bought 714 acres of 
iland. The original name of the township and the recorded name now 
;in the clerk's office, is Jordan. The railroad station of Frazer, fifteen 
•miles southeast of St. Joseph, is located on his farm, it being on the line 
■of what was known, when first built, as St. Louis & St. Joseph Railroad, 
•now the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific. He has a very fine farm, w^ith an 
excellent residence and good improvements generally. The place is 
well stocked. Mr. J. did much to facilitate the building of the railroad, 
and has always been foremost in all enterprises of a public character, 
including the building of churches, school houses, etc., and has ever 
been prompt in lending a helping hand to every scheme calculated to 
promote and develop the interests at large of his county and neighbor- 
;hood. .'No man in the township enjoys a wider personal popularity. 

E. M. JORDAN, 

farmer and stodk raiser, section 32, postoffice Frazer, was born March 
10, 1812, in Wake County. North Carolina, and moved to Randolph 
County, the same State, with his parents in 1824. He spent his boy- 
hood days on a farm and received his education at Wake Forest. When 



TREMONT TOWNSHIP. 969 

eighteen years of age he was appointed deputy sheriff of Randolph 
County, which position he held until he left in February, 1840. He 
with two companions rode through from North Carolina on horseback 
and arrived here in May, 1840. From here they went to Lexington, 
Missouri, when they separated and our subject rode through to Texas, 
remaining two years. He returned to this county and after one year 
went back to North Carolina. Soon returned to this county, and set- 
tled in this township. He has contributed his full share towards building 
up and improving it, and being an old settler is well known. Mr. J. has 
filled the positions of Justice of the Peace four years, school director 
ten years, and road overseer several terms. He was married in the 
fall of 1845 to Miss Diza Pfouts, a native of Randolph County, North 
Carolina, born in June, 1822. They have had twelve children, ten of 
whom are living : Elizabeth, Mary, Merinda, Roxaner, Evaline, Evans, 
Jacob, Thomas, John and Marmaduke. Mrs. J. is a member of the M. 
E. Church. 

JESSE T. LEFTWICH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section i, postoffice Easton, was born August 
II, 181 1, in Bedford County, Virginia, and when about twelve years of 
age he moved with his parents to Pittsylvania County, where he spent 
his boyhood days on a farm and received his education. Upon becom- 
ing of age he commenced the manufacture of tobacco, and after follow- 
ing the business for ten years he turned his attention to farming, and 
continued therein some twenty years. He again engaged in the tobacco 
business and was so occupied until the war broke out, when he lost 
heavily. He had three sons in the Confederate army under General 
Lee, two of them taking part in twenty-two general engagements, 
besides many minor engagements. At the close of the war Mr. L. emi- 
grated West and settled in this county. He moved to the place where 
Tie now resides in 1872, and now owns a fine farm of eighty acres, 
improved. At one time he fixed up proper facilities for the tobacco 
business, but the climate was too cold to make it a success. Mr. L. 
was married in 1837 to Miss Letitia Shelton, a native of Pittsylvania 
County, Virginia, born October 14, 1820. They have had eleven chil- 
dren, ten of whom are living, Taswell B., George W., Mary A. (now 
Mrs. Joseph Robinson, of Easton), James B., Augustin J., William L., 
Nancy J. (now Mrs. George Marker, of Easton), John B., Victoria L, 
(now Mrs. John Kerns), and Thomas J. Mrs. L. is a member of the 
Christian church. 

DANIEL McCRAY 

was born on the 30th of February, 1798, in Washington County, East 
Tennessee, where he was raised on a farm. In 1821, he removed to 

• 60 



970 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Howard County, Missouri, from there to Ray County, and thence to this 
county, in the spring of 1838. He bought a claim, and commenced pio- 
neer life ; here he earnestly worked for the upbuilding of his adopted 
county, until June 4, 1881, when he died. His marriage occurred Feb- 
ruary 14, 1818, to Miss Sally Bogart. They had a family often children, 
four of whom are now living : Charles, Polly (now Mrs. Elijah Jenkins, of 
Andrew County), Nancy (wife of James Christy, of Andrew County), 
and Salenia (now Mrs. E. Miller, of Kansas). 

CHARLES McCRAY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 19, postoffice Frazer, was born January 
6, 1819, in Illinois, and is the eldest son of Daniel McCray, one of the 
earliest pioneers in the county. Charles accompanied his parents to 
Howard County, Missouri, in 1821, and to Buchanan County in the 
spring of 1838, and has made this his home since, having been engaged 
in farming all his life. Assisted in redeeming this county from a wilder- 
ness, and has had his full share of the hardships of pioneer life. In his 
manners he is kind and genial, and is widely and favorably known, and 
has won the respect of a large circle of friends. During the late war he 
enlisted and served for six months in the noted Pawpaw militia. Owns 
eighty acres of fine land, partly improved. He has filled the office of 
road overseer several terms. Was married to Miss Eliza Horton, a 
native of Kentucky. They have had a family of seven children, six of 
whom are living — Benjamin, Sarah, (now Mrs. B. Riddle), Henry, Martha 
J., (now Mrs. B. Tadlock), Samuel D. and Oscar. Mrs. McCray and five 
of the children are members of the Baptist Church. 

K. F. MOORE, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 13, postoffice Frazer. His parents were 
residents of Bath County, Kentucky, and K. F. was born while they 
were on a visit to Brown County, Ohio, September 22, 1832. He spent 
his boyhood days on a farm and received his education in the schools of 
Bath County. Commenced business for himself when about sixteen 
years of age. Came west in 1861, and settled in Easton, this county, 
where he engaged in farming. Purchased the place he now occupies in 
1865, and moved upon and has since been improving it. Owns 650 
acres of fine land, all improved, with a handsome residence. He pur- 
chased the old John Bretz farm at the beginning of the crisis of 1873. 
He has filled the positions of road overseer and school director several 
terms, and is prominent among the leading citizens of the county. Mr. 
M. was married in January, 1861, to Miss Lucretia Robinson, a native of 
Gallatin County, Kentucky, born September 22, 1S39. They have had 



TREMONT TOWNSHIP. 971 

eight children: Laura, William N., Annie L., Virginia, Charlie, Nellie, 
John M. and Benjamin F. Himself and wife are members of the Chris- 
tian Church. 

JAMES A. RODMAN, 

farmer, section 31, po3toffice Frazer, was born March 17, 1826, Washing- 
ton County, Indiana, and was married March 22, 1863, to Frances E. 
Kinniard, a native of Kentucky. By this union they have had six 
children : Frances J., Mary E., Jima D., Samuel H., Sarah E. and 
Charles K. He endured all the hardships subsequent to pioneer life, 
but by his own industry has saved 160 acres of land, improved, and with 
good buildings. He has held the positions of constable and school 
director. 

JAMES SAXTON, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 11, postoffice Saxton, was born January 
2, 1820, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, but his parents were natives of the 
Green Mountain State. He was raised in his native county, and spent 
his boyhood days on a farm, there receiving his education. He has 
made agricultural pursuits his chief occupation through life, and emi- 
grated to Racine County, Wisconsin, in 1841 ; remained there twelve 
years, then moved to Waupaca County, where he resided, until 1864, 
engaged in farming and the lumber business. From there he came to 
Buchanan County, Missouri, and settled on the place he now occupies- 
He owns 214 acres of rich land, improved and well stocked. Mr. S. has 
taken a great interest in educational matters; he organized the school dis- 
trict in which he lives, had the first school house built, and has filled the 
position of school director several terms. June 2, 185 1, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Milissa M. Crego, a native of York State. She was born 
December 31, 1828. They haVe had six children, five of whom are now 
living : Josephine (now Mrs. J. S. Chandler), Louisa (now Mrs. David 
Louden), Eugenie (now Mrs. Z. Garrett), Cyrus J. and Edwin. 

CAPTAIN JOHN N. SMITH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 2, postoffice Garrettsburg, was born June 
22, 1827, in Lee County, Virginia, and came west with his parents in the 
fall of 1838, settling in Buchanan County, Missouri. His father took up 
a claim, built a cabin, and commenced farming. This claim is now 
known as the Waller Grove farm. Mr. Smith, during his life-time, did 
his share towards making the county what it now is. He died Septem- 
ber 9, 1849. John N. spent his boyhood days on the farm, and received 
his education in the schools of those days. In 1849, he commenced rais- 
ing hemp, and thus continued until the war broke out in 1861. In July, 



9/2 



BIOGRAPHICAL. 



1 86 1, he joined what was known as the Buchanan Rangers, and was 
elected second lieutenant. He went South with Bogard's battalion, 
and took part in the battle of Lexington. Returned home, and remained 
there until October, 1863, when he joined the home militia on the 21st 
of November. Was elected captain of Company H, Twenty-first Regi- 
ment Enrolled Missouri militia, and was put on duty at the Block House, 
on the Platte River, there remaining until May, 1864, when the company 
were relieved and sent home. They were again called into service in 
July, and were disbanded in November, 1864. In the fall of 1865, he 
took a trip across the plains as "wagon boss," and returned that winter. 
Since that time he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits. 
Owns a fine farm of lOO acres, well stocked, and a good vineyard. Filled 
the position of road overseer for five years and school director three 
terms, and is noted for always being on the jury. Captain S. was mar- 
ried October 23, 185 1, to Miss Elizabeth Hamner, a native of Indiana, 
born February 5, 1834. They have had eight children, five of whom are 
living— James N., William T., Jefferson D., Alexander S. and Charles G. 

CAPTAIN JOHN R. SNYDER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 27, postoffice Agency, was born January 
2, 1 841, in Tremont Township, Buchanan County, and was reared at his 
birthplace, spending his boyhood days on the farm and receiving his 
preparatory education in the schools of this vicinity. He then attended 
Pleasant Ridge College, Platte County, for two years. He is an excellent 
carpenter and erects all his own buildings. During the late war he assisted 
in organizing the Enrolled Missouri Militia, and was elected captain of 
Company B, Twenty-fifth Regiment. At this time he was almost a mere 
boy, but notwithstanding he held the position of captain in three differ- 
ent organizations. Since the war he has given his attention to farming. 
The home farm contains 205 acres of well improved land; also owns 300 
acres in section 35. He moved to Hiawatha, Kansas, in August, 1878, 
and remained there three years, for the purpose of educating his child- 
ren, and also for the benefit of his health. Then returned to this city. 
He has always taken a great interest in educational matters, and has 
filled the position of school director for ten years, and has also been 
road overseer several terms. Was married, September 24, 1863, to Miss 
Mary E. Ridge. She was born September 24, 1842, in Indiana, but was 
reared principally in this county. They have three children: Annie E.. 
Jessie W. and James R. Mrs. S. is a member of the Baptist Church. 

H. K. SNYDER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 27, postoffice Agency, was born August 
7, 1830, and was brought to this state in 1839. They first settled in 



TREMONT TOWNSHIP. 973 

Nodaway County, and came from there to this county in 1840. H. K. 
has made this his home since, having been engaged in farming. He has 
assisted in improving several farms in this vicinity, and now owns 415 
acres of land, which is well improved, containing a handsome residence- 
He has never been an office seeker but has always given his attention to 
his legitimate business. During the late war he espoused the Union 
cause, and served nine months in the provisional militia and held the 
position of sergeant. The exposure and bad weather injured his health. 
Mr. S. has filled the positions of school director and road overseer sev- 
eral terms. Was married, February 23, i860, to Miss Martha A. Miller, 
a native of Kentucky. They have had six children: Oliver M., 
Mary M., Charles E., Martha A., Emma W. and Eliza E. Himself, 
wife, and three of the children are members of the Baptist Church. 

EDWARD M. TROTTER, 

section 21, postofifice Frazer, was born in Guilford County, North Caro- 
lina, September 9, 18 12. His father was a soldier of the war of 18 12. 
He was raised within seven miles of Greensboro, North Carolina, and at 
the age of nineteen began to learn the trade of carriage making, at 
Jamestown, in his native county. He was married January 5, 1835, to 
Miss Nancy Johnson, a native of Randolph County, North Carolina. 
She was born in 18 17. He emigrated to Missouri in 1839, settling first 
in Caldwell County, whence he moved to Clinton County, and, in 1841, 
to Buchanan County. He entered eighty acres of land, under the state 
right, on Platte River, in Tremont Township. He then possessed but 
slender means. Working hard at farming, he, occasionally, as a matter 
of accommodation, repaired wagons for his neighbors. He also farmed 
two years on Casteel Creek. In 1858, he purchased the 200 acre farm on 
which he now lives. Originally an old line Whig, on the demise of his 
party, he joined the Republican ranks. On landing in Missouri, his 
entire cash capital amounted to but fifteen dollars. His subsequent 
means were acquired by his own personal efforts. Mr. Trotter and wife 
are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They have 
raised five orphan children. 

JOHN WALKINSHAW, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 2, postoffice Garrettsburg, was born 
April 20, 1837, in Fifeshire County, Scotland. His parents were natives 
of that country and came to the United States when John was about 
four years of age. Landed at New York city and came west and located 
in Washington, Calhoun County, Missouri. His father became one of 
the leading men of that county ; represented his district in the Legis- 



974 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

lature and held the position of county supervisor some thirteen years. 
John spent his boyhood days on the farm and there received his educa- 
tion. He has made farming his occupation through life. He came to 
Buchanan County in the spring of 1863 and settled on his present farm. 
In the spring of 1865 he commenced freighting from St. Joseph to Den- 
ver, which he continued for two years. Then again turned his attention 
to farming. Mr. W. owns eighty acres of land. He was married March 
14, 1 88 1, to Miss Mary Rose, a native of Clinton County, Missouri. She 
was born June 27, 1846, and now belongs to the Baptist Church. 

I. T. WILLIAMS, Sr., 

minister of the Gospel, Agency, was born in Franklin County, Missouri, 
July 9, i8?2, and moved to Gasconade County, in 1836. His father 
dying in the fall of 1837, he lived with his brother in Cooper County for 
three years. He was married June 13, 1839, to Martha Swearinge, who 
was born September 10, 1839. They had ten children, seven boys and 
three girls, George W. S., born April 5, 1840 ; William C. H., born Jan- 
uary 13, 1842; James S. J., born January 25, 1843; John W. H., born 
October 22, 1845, died September 12, 1852 ; Mary N. E., born September 
3, 1848 ; I. T., born June 25, 1850 ; E. W., born August 25, 1853 ; N. R., 
born September 6, 1855 ; Martha B., born April 4, 1857, and Sarah F. 
C, born January 13, 1865. Mr. Williams had two sons in the Confeder- 
ate and one in the Federal armies. George and William were under 
Colonel Gates. His son-in-law was also a member of a Confederate 
company, and was stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Our subject moved 
to his farm from St. Joseph in 1881. It is on section 27, and contains 
125 acres. I. T. Williams, Jr., was born in Platte County, Missouri. He 
was married February 2, 1875, to Anna Rockwell, a native of Clinton 
County, born November 16, 1858. They had two children, Christopher, 
born November i, 1875, and Anna, born October 21, 1878. Mrs. W. 
died November 15, 1878. Isaiah, Jr., was examined by the Presb)-tery, 
consisting of five regularly ordained ministers of the Baptist denomina- 
tions, and after a satisfactory examination was set apart to the gospel 
ministry June 18, 1879. 






AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 



R. R. BOONE, 



proprietor of flouring mill, section 30, postoffice Agency, was born in 
Harrison County, Indiana, November 5, 1816, and, in 1819, moved to 
Meade County, Kentucky, with his parents. In 1837, he removed to 
Missouri, but his time was divided between Missouri and Kentucky 
until the spring of 1844. His early educational advantages were limited, 
but by self application he has acquired a liberal share of scholastic 
information. In 1844, he was married to Sarah E. France, a native of 
Kentucky, born August 25, 1825. The result of this marriage was 
seven children : Fraiices E., John P., Sarah E., Hiram C, Susan B., 
Mollie M. and Victoria. The latter died November 12, 1879. During 
the late war Mr. Boone sustained serious loss ; he took no active part in 
the events of that period, and while he never refused aid to any sufferer 
who besought hospitality, he never knowingly harbored a man an enemy 
to the government. He is now the owner of 490 acres of land, includ- 
ing a residence and valuable property in Agency, besides his well known 
mill. Mr. Boone never held any office ; never joined any secret order 
and in his religious sentiments is very liberal. Bold in the expression 
•of his heterodox views, no man stands higher for blunt, unswerving hon- 
^esty of speech and deed than R. R. Boone, the miller. 

V. C. COOLEY, 

proprietor of Water Flouring Mill, section 33, postoffice Agency. Was 
.born in Mendon, Adams County, Illinois, May 9, 1842, and, in 1846, was 
taken by his parents to Livingston County, Missouri. They afterwards 
•settled in both Grundy and Mercer Counties, and, in i860, the subject of 
this sketch emigrated to Decatur County, Iowa. In 1861, he became a 
.resident of Madison County. After making that his home until 1864, he 
vcame to Andrew County, Missouri, and, in 1866, to Platte County, fin- 
.ally reaching Buchanan County in May, 1868. This has since been his 
.abode, and he is the owner of twenty-three acres of land, upon which is 
.an excellent mill. In 1863, he was married to Miss Annie Danner, a 
native of Iowa. They have had six children : Hal. Gordon, born July 
4, 1864, died July 7, 1880 ; Anna Belle, born July 23, 1873, died August 
J, 1875 ; Flora A., born July 23, 1876, died November 8, 1880; Varanus 



976 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

C., born September 9, 1867; Jacob M., born September 28, 1870; and 
Elizabeth, born January 28, 1878. Mr. Cooley is a member of the 
I. O. O. F., and is a Granger. In view of the extraordinary low stage of 
water, in the summer of 1881, he has been induced to add steam power 
to his mill, thus enabling him to operate the same uninterruptedly at all 
seasons. 

JOHN B. CORBITT, 



farmer, section 17, postoffice Agency, was born January 15, 1839, ""^^ 
West Virginia, and with his parents moved to Iowa in 1852. He 
remained there fourteen years, engaging in farming and in teaching 
school. In the fall of 1865 he came to Missouri, and has lived in this 
State ever since. He has 120 acres of land in Agency Township, sixty 
acres of which are highly improved. He was married December i, 1872, 
to Mrs. Emma Womach. She was born March 27, 1845. They have 
three children, James R., born March 13, 1874; Lenora, born March 12, 
1876, and Calla, born June 25, 1878. Mrs. C. has one son by a former 
marriage, Francis M. Womach, born January 30, i860. Mr. Corbitt 
belongs to the I. O. O. F. His wife is a member of the Christian 
Church. ^ 

GEORGE W. DOWELL, 



physician and surgeon. Agency, was born in Kentucky, May 27, 1832, 
and emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri, October 9, 1854. Resided 
in Kansas from 1856 to 1861, when he returned to Buchanan County. 
Was raised on a farm until the age of sixteen, when he commenced clerk- 
ing, which he continued until he began the study of medicine, under W. 
W. Board. Was graduated in St. Louis Medical College in the spring 
of 1859. Prior to completing his course, he attended one course at 
Yandell School in Kentucky. Was married May i, 1856, to Miss Eliza- 
beth C. Gilmore. They have had six children — Mary A., born March 
24, 1858, died August 24, 1859; Robert F., born December 10, 1859;. 
Virginia E., born February 15, 1862; Adaline, born March 15, 1864; 
Benjamin D., born March 27, 1866; and Dora Bell, born February 27,. 
1875. Robert F. was graduated at the St. Louis Medical College, in the 
spring of 188 1. Dr. George W. Dowell owns 315 acres of land, and a 
fine residence in Agency. During the war he lost heavily. He is a 
Mason, a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and has been 
school director and elder in the church. The Doctor has practiced for 
twenty-seven years, riding day and night, when called upon, always, 
attending the poor free of charge. 



AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 977 

LEWIS L. EVANS, 

farmer, section 4, postoffice Garrettsburg, was born in Garrett County, 
Kentucky, May 16, 1845. In 1850, his parents emigrated to Clinton 
County, Missouri, where he remained until 1880, at which time he 
removed to Buchanan County. Was married to Miss Rebecca Modrell, 
October 18, 1877. She was born April 29, 1856, in Missouri. They have 
two children: Lizzie L., born August 20, 1878, died July 28, 1880; Virgil, 
born September 15, 1880. Mr. E. owns 119 acres of land in sections 4 
and 5, all under fence and in a good state of cultivation. He has been 
road supervisor for four years. 

JAMES J. GILMORE, 

farmer, section 30, postoffice Agency, was born April 9, 18 18, in Ten- 
nessee. His parents emigrated to Rush Creek, Clay County, Missouri, 
when he was an infant, and, in connection with others, were obliged to 
build a fort for protection against the Indians. James remained there 
until 1837, when he moved with his parents to Agency Ford, Buchanan 
County, where his mother died in the spring of 1850, aged fifty-two 
years. His father died in the fall of 1858, at the age of sixty-five. Mr. 
Gilmore was married April 10, 1839, to Miss Sophia N. Miller, a native 
of Kentucky. She was born November 12, 1820. They had eight chil- 
dren, Mary Jane, Robert M., James A., H. S., Eliza, Jennie, Margaret, 
and Jefferson D., all married except Jefferson D. Mr. G. owns ninety 
acres of land under cultivation. His wife and son-in-law, D. A. Yates, 
were drowned November 11, 1879, in Pigeon Creek. Mr. G. has been 
school director for several years, and was deputy collector and sheriff of 
the county. He is a Master Mason, holding membership in Agency 
Lodge, No. 10, and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in 
which he is an elder. 

C. A. GIVEN, 

farmer and market gardener, section 18, postoffice Agency. The subject 
of this sketch was born in Monroe County, Missouri, January 6, 1846. 
When a small boy his parents moved to Randolph County, Missouri, 
and at the age of twenty-one he moved to Buchanan County, where he 
has resided ever since. He was married to Miss Ellen Blecker in 1868. 
She was a native of Virginia. They have had three children— one son 
died in infancy, C. Maud, and Charles. Mr. Given is an enterprising 
and energetic citizen and a member of the Masonic fraternity. His 
sympathies have always prompted him to help the needy as far as able. 



978 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

GEORGE W. HENLEY, 

blacksmith, Agency, was born in Washington County, Tennessee, 
August lo, 1828. His parents emigrated to Indiana, where his father 
died in 1850 at the age of sixty-two. Mr. Henley located in Buchanan 
County in 1839, ^^'^^ has been a blacksmith all through life. Was mar- 
ried, August 29, 1854, to Lucy Christopher, a native of Kentucky. She 
was born July 4, 1824. They have had two children: Harriet C, born 
November ir, 1855, died April 4, 1869, and James W., born June 4, 1869. 
Mr. Henley was in the Confederate army, in Captain J. Landis' First 
Missouri Battery, under General Price. He participated in a number of 
engagements and was badly wounded seven times. Served during the 
war. In 1858, during the Mormon war, he was in Salt Lake, and all 
points between there and home, serving as army blacksmith. He owns 
two lots and a house in Agency, where he has an excellent business. 

HAMILTON KING, 

blacksmith and wagon maker, Agency, is a native of North Carolina, 
and was born December 16, 1846. He emigrated to Leavenworth, Kan- 
sas, October 8, 1867, remaining only two months, when he went to 
Platte County, Missouri, settling near Weston, six months after which 
he moved to Arnoldsville, Buchanan County, where he commenced bus- 
iness, and ran a shop for seven months. In the spring of 1869, he 
permantly located at Agency, starting a blacksmith, wagon making and 
general repair shop. This enterprise, which he still conducts, has proved 
profitable. He married Julia A. Davis, a native of North Carolina, born 
in 1856. They have been blessed with four children : Willie, born April 
•6, 1870; Edward, born November 7, 1871 ; Frankie, born March 30, 
1874 ; and Mitus, born January 9, 1877. Mr. King owns a residence and 
two lots, besides his extensive shop, in Agency. He is a Master Mason, 
and is doing a flourishing business, working, on an average, five hands, 
as he is the only wagon maker in town. 

WESLEY LITTLE, 

farmer, section 18, postofifice Agency, was born in Ross County, Ohio, 
March 3, 1835, and in 1856 moved to Illinois, living there two and one- 
half years, at the end of which period, he emigrated to Atchison 
County, Missouri, where he resided until 1862, when he enlisted in the 
Union army for three years in the Twenty-ninth Missouri regiment in 
General Blair's brigade under General Sherman. He participated in all 
the great battles in which his command was engaged and afterwards 
returned home. He was married June 22, 1871, to Elizabeth Sampson, 
a native of Ohio, who was born October 15, 1845. They have two 



AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 9/9 

children — Alonzo R. and Lewis A., twins, born March 30, 1872. Mr. L. 
has 120 acres of land, all well improved, and under fence. Himself and 
wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

L. M. McCRARY, 

merchant. Agency, was born February 4, 1844, in Andrew County, Mis- 
souri, and moved to Texas in November, 1878, remaining until January 
20, 1880. He there followed cattle raising and herding, at which he 
prospered. He was married August 30, 1866, to Miss Mary J. Davis. 
They have had four children, Lettie A., twins, (died in infancy), and 
Vena A. He has three lots and residence in Agency. Was raised a 
farmer, but his education was limited. He is a Mason, and in all 
changes in life has been successful. During the late war was under 
arrest, parolled and stole his way over to Atchison on a wood-boat. 
He then left for Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. He is doing busi- 
ness under the firm name of McCrary & Yates. They carry a full line 
of dry goods, notions, hats, caps, clothing, etc., comprising a first-class 
general store. Their room is twenty-five by ninety feet, and the busi- 
ness of the concern averages about fifteen thousand per year. 

THOMAS J. MEERS. 

farmer, section 8, postoffice Agency, was born September 2, 1840, in 
Buchanan County, and moved to DeKalb County, April 3, 1870. He 
returned to his former home April 3, 1875. Was married to M atilda 
Roberts, April 21, 1858. She was born in Missouri, May 15, 1842. 
They have had thirteen children: Mary F., born March 2, i860; John J., 
born April i, 1861, died March 13, 1870; William T., born December 20, 
1862, died September 26, 1864; Isam V., born April 14, 1864, died July 
12, 1865; Richard M., born September 28, 1865; Mattie B., born Novem- 
ber 7, 1867; Leora R., born August 6, 1870; infant son died in infancy; 
Maggie L., born August 13, 1873; Thomas J., born November 10, 1875, 
died October 16, 1876; Luella, born September 16, 1877; Robert E., born 
January 29, 1879; and Matilda E., born January 5, 1881. He has an undi- 
vided fourth of 100 acres of land, on which his mother is living, He 
served in the state militia for two years, and for one year was in the 
Fifty-first Missouri Volunteer Regiment, under Colonel Moore, in the 
Union army. Is a member of the I. O. O. F., and has been a school 
director. 

ROBERT M. MOORE, 

farmer, section 17, postoffice Agency, was born December 5, 1842, in 
Buchanan County, Missouri. He was married February 17, 1865, to 
Elizabeth Reynolds, a native of Missouri, born January 5, 1846. They 



980 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

have had four children — one son died in infancy : Robert L., born 
August 22, 1871 ; Hettie E., born July 4, 1874 ; and Melvin M., born 
August 20, 1877. Mr. M. served six months in the Pawpaw Militia, 
after which he went out on the plains. He has been engaged in farming 
principally all his life. He has eighty acres of land, mostly under fence 
and in a good state of cultivation. There is on this place a fine young 
orchard. Mr. Moore is a member of the Grange. 

BENJAMIN MOORE, 

farmer, section 20, postoffice Agency, was born in West Virginia, Octo- 
ber 19, 1818. At the age of twenty-four, he left his native state, and 
located in Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has resided ever since. 
January 12, 1842, he was married to Lucinda C. Gibson. She was born 
in West Tennessee. They have had six children : Robert M . G., born 
December 5, 1842 ; Margaret A., born July 26, 1844, died September 14, 
[845 ; Martha J., born April 3, 1846 ; Eliza C, born April 4, 1848 ; Wil- 
liam R., born October 10, 1849, died October 4, 1850 ; and Susan H. V., 
born September 30, 1858. When he came to Buchanan County there 
were only two houses in St. Joseph — those of Joseph Robidoux and Fred. 
Smith. He had to go fourteen miles to a tread mill. He has followed 
farming all his life. When he landed in Missouri he had nothing but a 
small horse and eighty dollars in money. By hard work he has accumu- 
lated 225 acres of land ; has owned more, but has given a portion to his 
children. Nearly all his land is well improved. He has on his farm a 
good orchard. He has been justice of the peace four and one-half 
years, school director and administrator in several instances. He was 
also postmaster for many years. He is a member of the M. E. Church 
South. During the war he suffered heavily from the depredations of the 
soldiers. His sympathies were with the South. Robert M. G. Moore, 
son of the subject of this sketch, was a member of the militia. After- 
wards, to avoid the draft, he went out on the plains, and remained there 
until after the war closed. Mr. Moore has long been known for his lib- 
erality, never refusing to lend a helping hand to the poor and needy. 

COL. JAMES J. REYNOLDS, 

farmer, sections 29 and 32, postoffice Agency, was born in Jackson 
County, Tennessee, September 17, 18 13. In 18 18 his parents emigrated 
to Missouri, locating in Clay County. At that time Buchanan County 
was Indian territory, with Clay as border county. In March, 1838, he 
moved to Buchanan County, locating near Sparta, where he engaged in 
farming. He was married to Miss P>liza S. Gibson April 21, 1842. She 
was born May 21, 1825, in McMinn County, Tennessee. They have had 
fourteen children, James M., born March 11, 1844; Mary J., born Feb- 



AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 98 1 

ruary 23, 1846; George W., born November 3, 1847, died in 1853 ; Mar- 
tha A., born November 26, 1849; Louisa E., born November 3, 185 1 ; 
Elizabeth P., born May 14, 1853 ; William L., born December 28, 1854 ; 
Robert G., born September 15, 1856, died in 1857 '■> Jol^n B., born June 
22, 1858 ; Thomas J., born July 25, i860, died in 1861 ; Sterling P. born 
December 13, 1861 ; Lee J., born June 13, 1864, died in 1865 ; Joseph J., 
born September 5, 1866 ; Stephen D., born July 3, 1869. He owns 364 
acres of land, all under fence and well improved, except forty acres. 
James M. was in the Confederate service under Colonel Gates in Gen- 
eral Price's army. He and his wife are members of the Christian 
Church. He was revenue collector of Buchanan County and Justice of 
the Peace for four years ; also colonel of the Eighty-seventji Missouri 
Regiment of Militia long before the war. They lived in Kansas from 
1856 to i860; he was a member of the constitutional convention and 
has been school director. Mr. R. is a well preserved old gentleman who, 
by his untiring industry, has prospered in life and been one of the most 
successful farmers of Buchanan County. His very countenance and that 
of his wife bespeak happiness, contentment and plent}'. 

J. M. SMEDLEY, 

farmer, section 18, postoffice Agency, was born October 18, 1838, in 
Alabama. His parents emigrated to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1850 and 
lived there a few months, when they went to Arkansas, and Mississippi, 
South Missouri, and thence to St. Joseph, residing there two years. 
They then emigrated to Texas, but again returned to Missouri. When 
a young man Mr. Smedley was a carpenter. He was married to Miss 
Lucinda Lynch, March 12, 1863. She was born in February, 1840, in 
Kentucky. They have had nine children : Ira W., born December 13, 
1863 ; Ruth, born June 4, 1866, died June 13, 1866 ; Nora and Mabel, 
born May i, 1871, died in about nine months ; Oscar, born May i, 1873 ; 
Charles, born June 21, 1875 ; Minnie, born January 21, 1877 — infant, 
died in infancy ; Bessie, born February 3, 1880 ; and Ruth, born Jul}- 
10, 1868. Mr. Smedley has endured many hardships, and sustained 
some loss by the late war. He enlisted in the Fifth Missouri Regiment 
under Colonel Cornell, in General Stein's command, and was in the ser- 
vice eight months, participating in several engagements ; was taken 
prisoner and kept as such at St. Louis about three months. Was then 
sworn and turned loose under bond and permitted to return home. He 
went to Montana and returned with Colonel James Bridger in 1865, after 
which he freighted for Willis & Claggett one season. Mr. Smedley was 
in Mexico during 1862, and walked home. He is a member of the 
Christian Church. Has 100 acres of land, all under fence and under 
o-ood state of cultivation. 



982 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

A. D. SYMPSON, 

farmer, section 29, postoffice Agency, was born in Kentucky, January 6, 
1837. Followed farming- up to 1867, at which time he emigrated to 
Kansas, remaining there nine years. Then moved to Buchanan County. 
Was married in 1861, to Miss Mary Rivers, born July 2, 1845, in Ken- 
tucky. They have had six children— James H., born September 28, 
1863, died January 18, 1864; Robert B., born November 12, 1864; Eunie 
A., born April 8, 1867 ; Elizabeth J., born February 22, 1868 ; George D., 
born November 22, 1869; and Annie E., born May 22, 1873. Mrs, 
Sympson died January 18, 1874. He was again married January 8, 1878, 
to Susan A. Young, a native of Missouri. They have had two children — 
Charles O., born October 4, 1878, and an infant, now deceased. Mr. S. 
is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. 

LANDON C. THOMPSON, 

teamster and hotel keeper. Agency, was born in Carter County, Ken- 
tucky, June 27, 1839. He left Kentucky in 1852, and located in Platte 
County, Missouri, where he resided up to 1861, then changing his resi- 
dence to Buchanan County. April 4, 1861, he was married to Susan 
Oxshire, a native of Buchanan County. She was born September 24, 
1840. They had two children, Mary E. and Maggie J. — both married. 
He has four lots in Agency, two of which are improved. Mr Thompson 
belonged to the Pawpaw Militia, but was not out of the state. His wife, 
Mrs. Oxshire, was first married to A. J. Carrington, and they had two 
children: Thomas, born October 11, 1857; and Robert, born May 6, 
i860, died December 25, 1862. Mr. A. J. Carrington died May 27, i860. 

GEORGE W. WELLS, 

merchant, Agency, was born September 10, 185 1, in Marion County, 
Tennessee. His parents moved to Kansas when he was a small boy, 
locating eight miles from Lawrence, on Willow Springs, after which they 
moved to Atchison, and thence to Buchanan County, Mo. Mr. Wells 
followed farming until after the war, when he engaged in business at 
Rushville, remaining there until 1876, then moving to Agency. Was 
married, September 18, 1875, to Miss Myra Floyd, a native of Missouri. 
She was born June 9, 1856. They have two children: Ella, born April 
25, 1877; Lela, born December 30, 1879. Is a member of the L O. O. F. 
and a Good Templar, and also belongs to the Christian Church. Mr. W. 
has been school director, clerk in the church and deputy postmaster. 
He has always extended the hand of charity when he deemed applicants 
worthy. Is now doing business under the firm name of Wells & Smith. 



AGENCY TOWNSHIP. 98J. 

They have a business room 22x60 feet, well filled with dry goods, 
notions, boots, shoes, hats, caps, etc, and doing a general business of 
about $23,000 per year. 

J. R. WOODRUFF, 

farmer, section 17, postoffice Agency, was born in West Virginia, March 
10, 1832, and with his parents moved to Washington County, Pennsyl- 
vania, when he was quite small. Received a good education, and in 
1852, moved to Knox County, Ohio. Drove cattle to Philadelphia and 
New York from Illinois. In 1856, he went to Warren County, Iowa, 
and emigrated to St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1857. In 1858, he married 
Mary C. Jesse, born in Tennessee, August 20, 1841. They have had five 
children — Ella, born February 20, 1864; W. M., born May 2, 1867; 
Ranson, born June 30, 1871 ; Orville, born August 6, 1859, died in June, 
1862; and lona, born in May, 1861, died in September, 1861. Owns 
forty acres of land, under good cultivation. Takes great interest in edu- 
cational matters, and has been school director for years in District No. 3. 
His daughter is but sixteen years of age, and has taught school three 
years. He is a Master Mason and a member of Agency Lodge, No. 10. 

C. RANSOM WOODSON, 

physician and surgeon, Agency, was born in Knox County, Kentucky, 
May 17, 1848, and with his parents emigrated to Missouri in i855- Then 
located for one year in Lafayette County, then permanently settling in 
Buchanan County. Was raised a farmer and had good school advan- 
tages. He first studied medicine under Dr. James A. Day, of Halleck, 
Missouri, and was graduated March 6, i87i,in St. Louis Medical College. 
He had practiced eleven months before completing his course. Dr. W. 
has been actively and successfully engaged in practice ever since. Is a 
rrtember of Northwestern District Medical Society at St. Joseph, having 
filled the chair as President. Is a skillful and successful surgeon, and 
especially so in ophthalmic cases, but is unostentatious and charitable, 
having always practiced for the poor, widows and orphans gratis. Is a 
member of the I. O. O. F. and of the Christian Church. He has 587^ 
acres of land acquired by his own industry, all of which has been made 
since he located in Agency and established himself in the practice of 
medicine. Over ^00 acres of this land are under fence with good 
improvements, and he also has a good house and barn in Agency. Was 
married February 26, 1873, to Miss Julia Taber, a native of Missouri, 
born September 21, 1853. They have one child — P. Gervais, born 
November 18, 1874. 



984 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

E. M. YATES, 

merchant and miller, Agency, was born October 7, 1838, in Buchanan 
County, Missouri, and has resided in this county all his life. He was 
raised a farmer and received but limited educational advantages. He 
was married November 5, 1873, to Miss Victoria Boone, daughter of R. 
R. Boone. They have had three children, Jewell, Efifie, and Victoria. 
Jewell died in 1875. Mrs. Yates died November 12, 1879. The subject 
of this sketch was again married February 22, 188 1, to Jessie L. Boone, 
who was born in Meade County, Kentucky. Mr. Yates owns forty acres 
of land in section 7, Jackson Township, his residence, store, house, and 
one-half interest in stock of goods and steam grist-mill in Agency. 
He is a Master Mason, an Odd Fellow and a member of the Cumber- 
land Presbyterian Church. He has never sought political honors, pre- 
ferring the quiet of private business to the turmoil of politics. He was 
among the first white children born in the county, and the first born in 
Jackson Township- 



--^^^ ^^^^ 



^^^s—li^^f-^i-^g~ 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 



NORTON BLAKE, 



farmer and stock raiser, section 5, postofifice St. Joseph, was born March 
14, 18 18, in Livingston County, New York. His parents were natives 
of Connecticut, and moved to New York State about 1800. Norton 
spent his boyhood days on a farm and received a common school educa- 
tion. When thirteen years of age he moved with his parents to San- 
dusky County, Ohio, resided there two years, and then emigrated to 
DeKalb County, Lidiana, where he remained thirty years engaged in 
agricultural pursuits. During the late war he assisted in organizing the 
Thirtieth and Forty-fourth Regiments, and Company H of the Eighty- 
eighth Indiana Infantry; also Company M of the Second Indiana Cav- 
alry; his brother became captain of this company. Norton was 
appointed wagon master of the commissary department, but his health 
failing he was compelled to resign this position. His only son, Judson, 
became a member of the Second Indiana Cavalry, and had his right 
shoulder shattered while fighting against John Morgan in Tennessee. 
He came home and remained a few months, when he re-enlisted in the 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 985 

"Eighth Illinois Cavalry and served until the close of the war, serving 
•with General Sheridan. In 1863, our subject took a trip west, and vis- 
ited St. Joseph, Atchison, Topeka and other places. During 1864 he 
worked at the carpenter trade in Chicago, and held the position of fore- 
man of the West Side Street Car Company. Emigrated to Andrew 
County, Missouri, in 1865, and from there to St. Joseph in 1867. He 
remained there three years and then moved to his present location. He 
owns a fine farm of 165 acres, which is very highly improved. The out- 
buildings are well arranged and everything around his place denotes 
neatness and a successful farmer. He has about fifteen hundred fruit 
trees and a small vineyard. He has been twice married. First, March 
9, 1843, to Miss H. A. Holmes, a native of Seneca County, Ohio, born 
May 21, 1826; she died in November, 1863, leaving three children: Jud- 
son, born Marcli 22, 1844; Lucy E., born April 27, 1846; G. J., born 
August 4, 1850, now Mrs. William Bealey. Was again married, Decem- 
ber 18, 1866, to Miss Mary Thompson, a resident of St. Joseph, born 
March 21, 1839, ^^ County Tire, Ireland. They have had one child, 
Sarah I., now Mrs. Robert I. Young. Mrs. B. is a member of the West- 
minster Church of St. Joseph. Mr. B. is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity and belongs to King Hill Lodge. 

JUDGE THOMAS A. BROWN 

^vas born in Knox County, Tennessee, January 28, 18 12. In 1836, he 
moved to Missouri, and settled a few miles south of St. Joseph, where he 
purchased a farm, wh'ch he improved and on which he resided seven 
years. During that period he was elected Judge of the County Court of 
Buchanan County. In 1843, he moved to Nodaway County, where he 
also purchased land and engaged in farming. He here continued to 
reside till 1862, -when he returned to St. Joseph, and purchased the val- 
xrable farm whicii he still owns and on which he continues to reside, four 
miles south of the city. During the long period of Judge Brown's resi- 
dence in Nodaway County, he represented the same six years in the 
State Legislature. Methodical and exact in all business transactions, he 
Tias ever commanded the respect of his constituents. Though, to a con- 
siderable extent, a self-made man, the Judge is Avell informed, and, 
taking great delight in reading, is well up with the times in matters of 
general interest. As present (1881) Judge of the County Court of 
Buchanan Count}% 'he enjoys a well merited popularity. April 21, 1833, 
he married in his original home in Tennessee, Margaret D.Blakely. They 
have eight children living — Sarah Jane, Phelix C, Elizabeth S., Joseph 
A., Gideon L., Thomas J., Cynthia A. and John C. Brown. Mrs. Brown 
died in Nodaway County, September 16, 1862. Ten years after this the 
Judge was married to Miss May Deacon, 

61 



986 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

W. H. CHAPMAN, 

farmer and stock raiser, section i8, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Ma^ 
28, 1829, in Russell County, Kentucky, and was there reared, spending- 
his boyhood days on a farm. He received a fair education, and came 
West in the fall of 185 1, settling in this county near DeKalb. He has; 
since resided in the county, and moved to the place he now occupies ini 
1865. His landed estate consists of 249 acres of well improved land, and' 
also owns 330 acres in Doniphan County, Kansas. During the late war he 
served for two years in the Enrolled Missouri Militia. He has filled the 
positions of school director and road overseer several terms. Mr. C. was. 
married February 6, 1858, to Miss Nancy A. Dittemore, a native of 
Indiana. They are raising four orphan children. Mr. and Mrs. C. are 
active members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in which he- 
holds the position of elder, and is one of its most liberal contributors.. 
He also belongs to the Masonic fraternity. 

MAJOR WM. C. CONNETT 

was born in Mason County, Kentucky, June 3, 1797. He removed front 
the place of his birth to Hardin County, Kentucky, where he remained- 
for several years and then enlisted in the war of 1812. He for a time- 
kept a hotel at May's Lick and then engaged in farming in Fayette County. 
He engaged extensively in the manufacture of hemp in Lexington,. 
Kentucky, operating a large factory which was destroyed by fire and 
absorbed all his available means, but with the energy characteristic of 
the man he set out for the west to retrieve his losses, and on the nth of 
March, 1839, he came to Buchanan County and settled on the farm which 
for twenty-six years was his home. He engaged in the raising of hemp 
and the manufacture of rope and was the first in the Platte Purchase to 
engage in this industry and one great inducement in doing it was that 
the product of summer's labor could be utilized by labor of winter, thus 
proving him a good political economist. This business proved very 
remunerative and was the basis of the large estate he left at his death 
which occurred December 30, 1864. He was a man of large frame, a 
strong mind, a powerful will, untiring energy and industry, as an evi- 
dence of which he had acquired as a farmer in a legitimate attention to 
that branch of industry a large estate. He was a man whose standard 
of morality was very high and in the daily affairs of life attended strictly 
to his own affairs, giving to every man his due as punctually as he 
exacted from others. His theories were few and practical. He was 
eminently a utilitarian and was slow to believe in innovations on good 
old law and customs. In every sense of the word he was a patriot and 
a lover of his country. He had great respect for the laws of the land 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 98/ 

and could see no fault in the form of our government, but deplored the 
ignorance among the many for not learning the working of its beautiful 
machinery devised in profound wisdom. Although his educational 
advantages were limited he was a man of general information, of vast 
experience and instructive in his conversation. He never obtruded his 
opinion and ever expressed himself in decorous language with modest 
dignity. He was a just minded man and a most useful citizen. He was 
married June 7, 1817, to Miss Matilda Thornberry, a native of Fauquier 
County, Virginia. She was of Scotch descent. Their children were — 
Squire S., Malvina A., who married Judge E. P. Duncan, Isabelle, wife of 
Columbus Roundtree, Elzerie married Samuel Wildbahn, and Miranda 
became the wife of Walker G. Reid. After Mr. Connett's death his 
three sons. Squire S., William C. and Horace T. formed a partnership 
under the firm name of S. S. Connett & Bro's. They have purchased 
the interest of the other heirs to their father's estate and have added to 
the estate left by their father from year to year and are an exception 
among the leading farmers, stock raisers and business men of Buchanan 
county as well as one of its largest tax payers. In connection with their 
farming interests they have continued the packing business, which was 
first established by their father in 185 1, and the reputation he attained in 
the curing of hams and bacon has not suffered in the hands of his sons. 
Their knowledge of the business and the demand for their product has 
led them to increase their facilities, and at this time they are erecting a 
most commodious building for their business, size 165x84, three stories 
high, with all modern improvements, with a capacity of r,200 hogs per 
day. Squire S. Connett was born in May's Lick, Kentucky, May 10, 18 19, 
and in his youth learned the hemp manufacturing trade. Came tO' 
Buchanan County in 1839 and spun the first thread of hemp and manu- 
factured the first rope in the Platte Purchase. He married Miss Cilina 
A. Leonard in February, 1857. She was born in Platte County, Missouri. 
Wm. C. Connett was born in Kentucky, December 14, 1830, and came 
to Buchanan County in 1839. He married Perilla L. Leonard, October 

13, 1855. Their family consists of seven children : Carroll S., Leanna 
M., Solomon L., Squire S., Cora L,, Ada E. and Wm. C. Horace T. 
Connett was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, November 10, 1832,. 
and came with the family to Buchanan County in 1839. Pie married 
May E. Leonard April 12, 1861. She was born in Buchanan County, 
Mrs. C. died October 22, 1873, leaving four children : Celina E., Charles 
H., John A. and Wesley L. 

ELI CRUMPLY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 22, postoffice St. Joseph, was born July 

14, 181 5, in Surry County, North Carolina, and was there reared, receiv- 



988 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ing a common school education. When sixteen years of age he com- 
menced to learn the tailor's trade, at which he worked four or five years, 
and then entered a general merchandise store. Remained in this busi- 
ness three years, then went to work at his trade, continuing it until he 
emigrated West, in the spring of 1843. He came overland, and arrived 
in this county on the 26th of June, settling where he resides July 9. He 
commenced improving his farm, and also continued the tailoring busi- 
ness for some eight years. Since that time he has given his attention 
wholly to farming. His home farm contains 320 acres, and he also 
owns ninety acres besides. His farm is well stocked. Mr. C. has filled 
the office of justice of the peace for thirty years. August 20, 1839, he 
was married to Miss Rosman Davis. She was born in 1820, in Virginia, 
but was principally reared in North Carolina. They have had six chil- 
dren, three of whom are living : Francis R., now Mrs. Robert Ritche, 
William D. and Samuel E. Himself and wife are active members of the 
Baptist Church. 

COL. JAMES DYSART, 

was born in Rock Castle County, Kentucky, December 22, 1817. He is 
the eldest of a family of three children, two sons and a daughter, the 
latter the wife of William Carson, of Buchanan County. The younger 
brother, Andrew Dysart, now (1881) resides in Saline County. The 
family, ot Scotch-Irish extraction, were originally from Virginia. James 
Dysart, of that State, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch 
served in the rebel army in the war of the Revolution. His son. Col. 
Johnson Dysart, was an officer of the war of 18 12. He emigrated from 
Virginia to Kentucky, settling in Rock Castle County, where his son, 
the subject of this sketch, was afterwards born, as above stated. James 
Dysart received the benefits of such education as the schools of that 
section of country then afforded. His father dying young, he was early 
intrusted with the management of affairs, devoting his time to farming 
and kindred pursuits. In early manhood he was elected colonel of a 
regiment of State militia. In 1853 he emigrated West with his family 
and slaves and stopping in Buchanan County, Missouri, settled on the 
farm of several hundred acres which he still owns, and on which he still 
(1881) continues to reside, about seven miles southeast of St. Joseph. 
In politics he was originally a Whig, and continued to act with that 
party up to the period of its dissolution, since which time he has voted 
the Democratic ticket. During the late civil war, he enlisted in the 
division of the Confederate army commanded by General Price, and did 
service in the battles of Lexington and Pea Ridge. He has been twice 
married ; first, in Kentucky in 1844, ^o Miss Louisa Harris, a native of 
Virginia. She died in Missouri in 1861, leaving six children, Sarah (now 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 989 

Mrs. C. S. Raffington, Helen (now Mrs. John Fogg), Virginia (now Mrs, 
W. L. Thompson), Elizabeth (now Mrs. Joseph Fogg), Anne, and 
Louisa. In 1864 Colonel Dysart married Miss Kate Martin, a native of 
Kentucky. They have eight children, Maud, Gertrude, Dora, Emma, 
Julia, Daisy, Samuel C, and James. The colonel has been for forty 
years an elder in the old school Presbyterian Church. He is also an 
active member of the Grange. His present wife is a member of the 
Christian Church. 

ANTHONY HALTER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 11, postoffice St. Joseph, was born May 
10, 1826, in the Province of Algiers, France. His parents were of 
Franco-Prussian origin, and came to the United States in 183 1, landing 
at the City of New York. They went to Ohio, and settled in Stark 
County. There Anthony was principally raised. His father owned a 
large tract of land, and stood among the leading citizens of that county. 
Our subject spent his boyhood days on the farm, and received the bene- 
fits of a common school education. He also followed the brickmaking 
business to some extent. He emigrated West in the spring of 1857, 
and arrived in St. Joseph on the 20th of April, engaging in brickmaking, 
which he continued until the breaking out of the war. He then enlisted 
in the Enrolled Missouri Militia, and served about nine months. He 
has filled the position of school director several terms. He moved to 
the place where he now resides, in i860, and owns 151 acres here, and 
169 acres two and one-half miles east. His farms are well improved, 
and he has a handsome residence, which he has built with his own 
hands. Mr. H. was married August 19, 1856, to Miss Caroline Hafner, 
a native of Switzerland, born April 24, 1837. They have had a family 
of twelve children, nine of whom are living : Anthony S., Catherine, 
John W., Lewis H., Mary S., Joseph A., Mary M., Joseph R. and Mary 
T. Himself and family are members of the German Catholic Church. 

C. W. HARRIS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 16, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Feb- 
ruary 16, 1828, at Oxfordshire, England, and was brought to the United 
States by his parents in 1833. They settled in Madison County, Ohio, 
and there Caleb was raised and received his education. He spent his 
youthful days here until the year 1845, when he went to Genesee County, 
Michigan, and remained there two years. Then went to Ohio, where 
he entered a store in the fall of 1847, and followed that business 
eighteen months. After this he turned his attention to farming and 
continued it until the fall of 1855, when he came to Holt County, Mis- 



990 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

souri. Remained there one year, married Miss Martha E. Chesney, a 
native of Holt County, Missouri, and moved to Kansas in 1856. In 
April, 1856, his wife died, leaving one child, John C. Two years after- 
wards he went to the Rocky Mountains and engaged in the mining busi- 
ness. Followed mining from the spring of 1840 until the fall of 1861, 
but failed to be very successful. Upon returning to Holt County, Mis- 
souri, he engaged in farming and steamboating until 1864. Then went 
into a general merchandise store as clerk, and in 1868 entered into part- 
nership with his employer, and took a stock ot goods and removed to 
Atchison County, Missouri. There he remained three years. Then 
went to the Rocky Mountains again for his health, and came from there 
here in the fall of 1871, and settled on the place where he now resides. 
Lived alone until 1878, when he was again married to Miss Jane Weir, a 
native of Platte County. He now owns a fine farm of 162 acres, most 
of which is under cultivation and well stocked. Mr. and Mrs. H. have 
had two children, one, Julia A., living, and one dead. Himself and wife 
belong to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

PERRY HARRINGTON, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 5, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Feb- 
ruary 28, 1838, in Columbus County, Ohio, and was brought to Buchanan 
County by his parents in 1844, and has since made this his home. He 
received the benefits of a common school education. During the late 
war he enlisted in Company H, 35th Missouri Infantry, in September, 
1862, and served three years, taking part in the battle of Helena, 
Arkansas, and many other minor engagements. Since the war he has 
given his attention to farming, and now owns 230 acres of land, no 
of which are under cultivation. He was married August 17, i860, to 
Miss A. D. Ruddy, a native of Tennessee. They have had four children, 
Eldora, Fanny, Henry E., and George W. Mr. H. is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and belongs to King Hill Lodge, No. 376. 

MARTIN HERSH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 36, postoffice Willow Brook, was born 
February 26, 18 17, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and was reared 
at his birthplace and received the benefits of an education. He learned 
the painter and also the carpenter trades, and when about twenty-one 
years of age started West and traveled through Ohio to Wabash, 
Indiana. Thence through Illinois and Missouri, arriving in this County 
in July, 1839. He located on Platte River and commenced clearing a 
claim, and settled on his present farm in 1840. He owns 344 acres in 
his own name, his wife has eighty acres, and his son George owns 160. 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 99I 

This land is well improved, and all has been gained through his own 
'efforts. He has filled the position of road overseer and school director 
several terms. During the late war he served for six months in the 
Enrolled Missouri Militia. He was married in August, 1845, to Miss 
Mary J. Raney, a native of Indiana, born December 17, 1827. They 
have had three children, Henry, George, and Catherine (now Mrs. Alex 
Bell). In character, as well as in purse, Mr. H. is one of the solid men 
■of the county. 

WILLIAM JAMES, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 7, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Decem- 
ber 24, 181 3, in North Carolina, about thirty miles north of Wilmington. 
He was there reared, and spent his boyhood days on the farm, receiving 
liis education in the schools of that vicinity. He emigrated West, in 
the spring of 1846, with a family of thirteen. They took a steamer at 
Louisvville, Kentucky, and came to Liberty Landing, Missouri, and from 
there to this county, arriving in May. After buying claims, they com- 
menced the work of converting a wilderness into a civilized community, 
in which they succeeded. This little group of thirteen have now 
increased to nearly one hundred souls. He owns a fine farm, consisting 
'of 211 acres, 12$ of which are under cultivation, the balance being tim- 
ber and pasture. He has filled the position of road overseer for ten 
years. Mr. J. was married in December, 1843, to Miss Mary J. Register^ 
a native of North Carolina. They have had eleven children, six of 
whom are living.: Rebecca E., now Mrs. J. C. Crow ; William D. ; Sarah 
J., now Mrs. John Brown ; Alfred F., Cordelia E. and Harry E. Him- 
-self and family are members of the Presbyterian Church. 

SOLOMON LONG, 

•farmer and stock raiser, section 30, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Jan- 
■■uary 20, 1820, in White County, Tennessee, and spent his boyhood days 
•on a farm. He also worked for two years at the blacksmith trade. He 
received a common school education. He took the Western fever in 
the spring of 1840 and moved to Missouri, first settling in Platte County. 
-He located where he now resides in the spring of 1841, and since that time, 
'he has assisted in building up the county. To do this he has endured his 
share of the hardships common to pioneers. During the late war, he 
;served four months in the Pawpaw Militia. He owns a fine farm of 240 
acres, 160 of which are under cultivation. He has a good orchard. Was 
married in February, 1844, to Miss Carrie Boucher, a native of Kentucky. 
'They have had a family of twelve children, nine of whom are living : 
P.agine, now Mrs. JM. Riley.; Louisa, now Mrs. Geo. W. Long Isabella, 



992 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

now Mrs. John Riley; William, David, Washington, Thomas, Solomons 
and Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. L. are active members of the Christian 
Church. 

JOSEPH MATHERS. 

farmer and stock raiser, section 35, postoffice Willow Brook, is one of 
the early settlers of the township. Was born in Belmont County, Ohio, 
December 12, 1822, and resided there and in Harrison County till he 
was eighteen years of age, when he came to Missouri with a Dr. Town- 
send, who settled in Crawford Township, and for whom he sold goods 
about a year. Then he returned to Ohio, and at the expiration of 
another year, in company with his father, again visited Missouri, settling 
in Crawford Township. At the beginning of the Mexican war he was 
employed in the government service, freighting stores to a line of forts 
then being established across the mountains to Oregon. April 22, 1849,. 
he married Miss Sarah Underwood, daughter of William Underwood, a 
resident of Bloomington Township. In 1850, he visited Oregon and. 
California, returning via Panama and New Orleans in 1852 to Buchanan- 
County, Missouri, where he had a good farm. During the civil war he 
served in the Union army tvvo years as lieutenant in a company of 
Buchanan County militia. Was elected county assessor in 1866 and', 
again in 1868. Mr. M. has a family of eight children living: James,. 
Mary H., Emily J., John W., Franklin O., Alexander S., Lizzie E., and 
Arthur. In politics he is a Republican, and during the wac was a mem- 
ber of the Union League and of the G. A. R. 

ONAN MILLER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 35, postoffice Willow Brook, was born 
December 22, 1817, in Orange County, Indiana, and was reared there on 
a farm and attended school. He learned the carpenter trade in his 
youth and has followed it considerably through life. He moved to. 
Illinois in the fall of 1836, resided there three years and returned to. 
Indiana, remaining until the spring of 1842, when he emigrated West 
and settled in Buchanan County, Missouri. He was rather young, and 
traveled around the country for some years assisting in clearing up 
farms and improving the county. During the late war he enlisted in the 
Enrolled Mission Militia and served for six months. Mr. M. has filled 
his present office of school director several terms, and that of road 
overseer for a number of years. He was married in December, 1845,. 
to Miss Margaret Mathers, a native of Belmont County, Ohio. They 
have four children living: Mary E., now Mrs. Andrew Isaacson; Sarah 
F., now Mrs. Joseph Culbcrtson ; John ¥., and Rosy M. Lost one. His- 
landed estate consists of 134 acres of well improved land. Mr. Miller 
is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 993 

JOHN MONTGOMERY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section lO, postoffice St. Joseph, was born 
December 3, 1823, in Green County, Kentucky, and lived there until 
sixteen years of age. He was brought up on a farm, received a com- 
mon school education, and came West with his parents, in the spring af 
1838, by the overland route, and arrived in this county on the 8th of 
June. The country then was very thinly settled, and the Indian wig- 
wams were the only evidence left of the race that once inhabited this 
vicinity. Discouragements beset the new comers on every hand, and it 
was no uncommon occurrence for whole families to be sick at once» 
During the late war Mr. M. served two months in the Enrolled Missouri 
Militia. He has filled the position of school director and road super- 
visor several terms. His landed estate consists of 310 acres, 243 of 
•which he cultivates. His farm is well improved. He assisted in build- 
ing the first court house in Sparta, and has also lent a hand in erecting 
other county buildings, besides the First Baptist Church of St. Joseph. 
He was married to Miss Julia A. White, a native Madison County, Ken- 
tucky. She was born February 2, 1829. They have one child, Martha 
J., now Mrs. H. C. Register, of St. Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. M. are mem- 
bers of the Missionary Baptist Church. 

SAMUEL MONTGOMERY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 15, postoffice St. Joseph, was born 
March 2, 1828, in Green County, Kentucky, and came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, in 1838, with his parents. The county was then a 
vast wilderness, and the hardships and privations which they endured 
were enough to intimidate the hearts of the most courageous. The 
senior Montgomery settled on Contrary Creek, and Samuel assisted in 
clearing up a farm. Soon after becoming of age, he commenced farming 
on his own account, and has made agricultural pursuits his occupa- 
tion through life. During the late war he enlisted in the Enrolled Mis- 
souri Militia, serving for twelve weeks. He has filled the offices of 
school trustee and road supervisor for several terms and is widely and 
favorably known for his honesty, integrity and attention to business. 
Mr. M. owns a farm of 240 acres, well improved. He was married in 
1849 to Miss Nancy J. Parker, a native of Surry County, North Carolina, 
born in 1834. They have had thirteen children, twelve of whom are 
living, Zachariah, Thomas E., John L., Emily A. (now Mrs. George 
Gunn), Irena, George, Cynthia, Samuel, Marion, Ulysses G., Nancy, and 
Walter. Two of the daughters at home are members of the Missionary 
Baptist Church. 



994 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JAMES RANEY, 

postmaster, Willow Brook, also farmer and stock raiser, section 36, was 
born November 27, 1829, in Lawrence County, Indiana, and was reared 
there until twelve years of age, spending his youthful days on a farm, 
and attending the school of that vicinity. He came West with his 
parents, in the fall of 1841, his father buying the claim on which James 
now resides. This he commenced improving, although it contained but 
twelve or fifteen acres. This was then considered a large farm. Dur- 
ing the late war he enlisted in Company H, Eleventh Kansas Infantry 
(afterwards made cavalry). He served, three years and twenty days, 
and held the position of sergeant for two years. He took part in the 
battles of Cane Hill, Prairie Grove, VanBuren, and many others, and 
assisted in driving Price from Missouri in 1864. His landed estate 
■consists of 160 acres of well improved land, upon which is a peach* 
orchard of about 2,500 trees. Mr. R. has filled the office of school 
director several terms. He received the appointment of postmaster in 
April, 1881. October 10, 1850, he was married to Miss Margaret Means, 
a native of this state, born December 26, 1833. They are members of 
the United Brethren Church, in which he holds the position of class 
leader. 

DUDLEY ROACH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 17, postofifice St. Joseph. Is a native of 
Estill County, Kentucky, and was born November 18, 1833. He moved 
with his parents to Platte County, Missouri, when about ten years of 
age, and lived there for ten years, receiving his education in the schools 
•of that vicinity. He has principally made agricultural pursuits hisoccu- 
pation through life. In 1854 he moved to the place he now occupies and 
afterwards went to Platte County, Missouri, returning in 1859. He 
enlisted in the Enrolled Missouri Militia during the war. Mr. R. has 
filled the offices of school director, trustee and road overseer several 
terms. He owns a farm of 502 acres well improved. He was married 
June 9th, 1855, to Miss Susan Finell, a native of Estill County, Ken- 
tucky. She was born July 17, 1838, and died on the nth of February, 
1880. She left a family of six children : Katherine, now Mrs. Thomas 
W. Walker ; Mary E., now Mrs. John Arthur ; Johnnie, Simpson. Henry 
and Fountain. Mr. R. is an active member of the M. E. Church, in 
which he holds the position of steward. He is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity and belongs to the King Hill Lodge 376, and also to the 
Chapter at Taos. 

JONATHAN ROBERTS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 27, postofficc St. Joseph, was born April 
.19, 1826, in Surry County, North Carolina, and was reared at his birth- 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 995 

place, on a farm, there attending school, and finished his education at 
Emery Henry College in Virginia. His father raised and manufactured 
tobacco, and Jonathan assisted in peddling it during the winter season. 
Emigrated West in 1852, and settled in this county. Shortly afterward 
he moved to Kansas, resided there one season, then returned to this 
■county and settled on his present farm in 1854. It consists of 160 
acres of well improved land. During the late war he served for six 
months in the famous Pawpaw militia. He has filled the office of school 
director for several terms. Mr. R. was married, in 1854, to Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Tabor, who had one child by her former marriage, Julia Tabor, now 
Mrs. Dr. C. R. Woodson, of Agency. Mrs. Roberts died in Septem- 
ber, 1871. By this union they had eleven children, of whom three are 
living: Alice B., Sarah D., now Mrs. George McCauley, and John W. 
Mr. R. is a member of the M. E. Church South. Is also a member of 
King Hill Lodge. His daughter Alice keeps house for her father and 
brother. 

MRS. ELIZABETH SMITH, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 12, postoffice St. Joseph, was born July 
•8, 1829, in what is now Boyle County, Kentucky, where she was reared 
until eleven years of age. She was deprived of the care of a mother 
when quite young, and accompanied her father west in 1840. They set- 
tled in Jackson County, Missouri, where her father died in 1842. She 
came to St. Joseph about 1846, and here became acquainted with and 
married Henry Smith, on the nth of April, 1849, a native of Garrett 
County, Kentucky, and was born November 12, 18 19. He was among 
the early pioneers, and took an active part in building up and improving 
the county. He served in the Mexican war, and held the postion of 
captain. During the late war he served for three years, and participated 
in many of the hard-fought battles, and held the position of captain. 
He died January i, 1876, leaving a large circle of friends to mourn his 
loss. The attendance at his funeral was one of the largest ever wit- 
nessed in the county. He was a member of the Masonic order, also of 
the Grangers, and was buried with the honors of these orders. He left 
three children — Posy N., born April 21, 1850 ; Ann E., born January 30, 
1852, now Mrs. J. W. Fogg ; and Price, born March 28, 1866. The eldest 
son, Posy N. Smith, is one of the rising young men of this county, and 
was educated at Central College. Is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
.and also belongs to the Methodist Church. 

ALEXANDER SMILEY, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 26, postoffice Willow Brook, was born 
June 20, 1816, in Belmont County, Ohio, and is of Scottish-Irish nation- 



996 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

ality. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania and moved to Ohio 
about the year 1800 and were among the early settlers there. Alexan- 
der was reared at his birth place and received a common school education. 
His father was a carpenter by trade and Alex, worked at the same trade 
while he remained in Ohio. He came west in the spring of 1852, by 
water from Wheeling to St. Louis, thence up the river to St. Joseph,, 
arriving on the 9th of April. He settled where he now resides and 
since that time has given his attention to agricultural pursuits. He 
owns 200 acres of land well improved. He has filled the position of 
school director for fourteen years, but has never been an office-seeker.. 
During the late war he was a strong Union man and held the position 
of President of the Union League of this vicinity. Mr. S. was married 
April 20, 185 1, to Miss Sarah J. McConnell, a native of Belmont 
County, Ohio, born August 17, 1832. They have had a family of seven 
children : Mary A. M., Nancy B., now Mrs. W. H. Young, James A., 
Sarah E., Joseph A., Ida J. and Luretta. Himself and wife are mem- 
bers of the United Presbyterian church in which he has held the position 
of elder for twenty-three years. 

JOHN H. UTZ, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 19, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Sep- 
tember 30, 1840, in Page County, Virginia, and was there raised, spend- 
ing his boyhood days on a farm, receiving a common school education. 
Came West with his parents in the fall of 1856, and landed at St. Joseph 
November 7, and has been identified with the interests of this county 
since. During the late war he enlisted in the Confederate army in the 
fall of 1 86 1, and served for twelve months, taking part in the battles of 
Lexington and Pea Ridge. He returned home and afterward re-enlisted, 
and was captured and held as prisoner until the close of tlie war. Owns 
a farm of 57 acres, on which is a good residence. He has assessed the 
township three times, and holds the positions of school director and 
road supervisor. Mr. Utz was married, February 20, 1863, to Miss Sarah 
E. Duncan, a native of Alabama. They have had a family of eight 
children: William H., Silas B., Robert E. L., John A., Jane K., Amanda 
M., Anna S. and Sarah D. They are members of the M. E. Church 
South, in which he holds the position of steward. Is. also a member of 
the Masonic fraternity. 

JAMES WEIR, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 16, postoffice St. Joseph, was born April 
20, 1 8 19, in Belleville, Illinois, and was taken when quite young to a 
farm near Springfield, Illinois, where he was principally raised and 



CENTER TOWNSHIP. 997 

received his education. He there became personally acquainted with 
Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, Governor Yates, General Logan 
and other noted men of that State. He emigrated West in the fall of 
1841 and landed in this county September 10. Being a young man, he 
traveled around over the country and mustered regularly at Sparta. 
He finally married and settled down, commencing farming. He owns a 
fine farm of eighty acres, which is well watered and contains a good 
orchard. He has never been an office seeker, but has always given his 
attention to his legitimate business. He was married March 25, 1845, to 
Miss Julia A. Barges, a native of Kentucky, born in 1821. She died 
May 24, 1880. leaving four children, Jane B. (now Mrs. C. W. Harris), 
John S., Elizabeth, and James G. They lost one. Mr. W. has been a 
member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church since 1844, and held 
the position of elder until his age prevented his attending to the office 
any longer. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. The eldest 
son, John S., was born September 18, 1848, in this county, and has been 
raised here as a farmer, and is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. 
He resides with his father. 

THOMAS YOUNG, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 4, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in 
County Tyrone, Ireland, on the 6th of December, 18 17, and until four- 
teen years of age spent his time on a farm, attending the school of his 
neighborhood. For a short time he was employed as clerk in a whole- 
sale liquor establishment, aud afterwards removed to Belfast. In 1832, 
when but fourteen years old, he emigrated to America, landing at Balti- 
more in September. He went at once to Wheeling, West Virginia, and 
found employment with R. H. Sweeney & Co., in the iron and glass 
manufacturing business, for ten years. In 1842, he went to New Orleans, 
and, contrary to his intention upon starting out, came to Missouri, arriv- 
ing in St. Louis in the fall of 1842. Returned to Wheeling, and after- 
wards settled in this county in that same year. In the spring of 1840, 
he had preempted one hundred and sixty-seven acres of land, where he 
has since made his home. Two or three years after coming, he was 
■chosen justice of the peace, and filled that office for twenty-two years. 
He has been school director over thirty years. During the late war he 
was a strong Union man, and had two sons in the service. They 
enlisted in Co. A, Twenty-fifth Missouri Militia, serving on the mounted 
militia. His eldest son remained four years, taking part in all the bat- 
tles of the Mississippi campaign, and was with Sherman in his march to 
the sea. Mr. Y. owns a farm of two hundred and eleven acres, well 
stocked. July 27, 1837, he was married to Miss Jane Greer, a native of 
IreJajid. They have ei^ht children : James G., John H., Robert I., 



998 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Harry H., Margaret I., now Mrs. Robert Hensley ; Eliza Ann, now Mrs. 
Henry Knight ; Mary, now Mrs. Cure, and Kittie, wife of Captain J. E.. 
Dickinson, of Kansas. For two years previous to the war Mr. Y. served 
as assessor of the county, and since the war, for a like period, acted as 
county coroner. He has been twice nominated for county judge by 
acclamation, but private affairs prevented his accepting the honors. 

GEORGE W. YOUNG, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 6, postoffice St. Joseph, was born Decem- 
ber 4, 1829, in Shelby County, Kentucky, and was there reared, spending 
his youth on a farm. Received his education at Dr. Waller's Military 
College, from which he graduated and received a diploma. In 1856, he- 
entered the service of the Government, and engaged in driving stock 
from Old Mexico through to Boonville, Missouri. In 1857, he com- 
menced steamboating on the Mississippi River, and followed this busi- 
ness for five years. During the late war he espoused the Confederate 
cause. Returned to Marion County, Kentucky, and raised a company 
at St. Mary's College, and was elected its captain. This was known as 
Company K, Sixth Kentucky Cavalry. They joined General Morgan,, 
and nearly half of the company was killed at the battle of Pennington,. 
Kentucky. They then joined General Lee, in the entrenchments around 
Richmond, and remained there until the 27th of January, 1864, when 
they started with Morgan on his raid through Ohio, and were captured 
in Columbiana County, Ohio, and taken to the Columbus prison. From 
there Mr. Young, with a few others, made his escape to Canada, and 
thence by water to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he again joined 
the army. Took part in the Cynthiana raid, then returned to Virginia, 
and was with General Morgan when he was killed. He came to this 
county after the war, and settled on the farm he now occupies, his 
landed estate consisting of 359 acres of well improved land, and it con- 
stitutes one of the finest farms hereabouts. There is an excellent spring 
upon the place. Was married May 10, 1872, to Miss Cynthia Brown, a 
native of Nodaway County. They have had five children, two of whom 
are living — Maggie and Wallace. Mrs. Y. is an active member of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 



WAYNE TOWNSHIP. 



FRED BANKER, 



farmer and stock dealer, section 22, postoffice Hall, is a native of New 
York, and was born in Dutchess County, July 8, 183 1. Was there edu- 
cated in an academy and receiv^ed a fair education. Followed farming" 
during life. March 20, 1857, he started to Leavenworth, Kansas, and 
from there came to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since 
resided. His landed estate consists of 309 acres, his home farm con- 
taining 120 acres. He acted as justice of the peace a part of one term. 
Was married, May 14, 1868, to Miss Nancy L. Starmer. She was born 
in Tennessee, February 27, 1842, and died December 29, 1879. They 
had four children: Mary H., born November 6, 1870; Frederick W., born 
August 16, 1873; John K., born November 13, 1874; Bettie A., born June 
24, 1877. 

JOHN F. BARNES, 

farmer, section 34, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Jackson County, Mis- 
souri, January ii, 1840, and when five years of age came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, where he has since resided. With the exception of 
ten years when he was engaged in milling, Mr. B. followed farming. 
In February, 1865, he enlisted in the Federal service in Company A, 
Fifty-first Missouri, and served till the close of the war. His farm con- 
tains sixty acres. He has been justice of the peace for about five years. 
He was married August 23, i860, to Miss Rebecca Keith, who was born 
in Bartholomew County, Indiana, January 31, 1842. She died March 28, 
1875. They had eight children, five of whom are living : James H., 
born November 3, 1862; Sarah E., born October 19, 1864; Lydia J., 
born November 27, 1866 ; Aaron E., born November 14, 1869, and Mary 
A., born April 5, 1872. Mr. Barnes was again married January 14. 1877, 
to Mrs. Elizabeth F. Finch, whose maiden name was Meers. She was 
born in Green County, Ky., July 29, 1833. She was first married February 
10, 1847, to Jeremiah Finch. He was born in Halifax, Virginia, and 
died February 10, 1866. They had ten children, of whom six are living: 
Eliza J., born July 22, 1850; John A., born December 2, 1852; Jesse, 
born December 20, 1854 ; Thomas L., born August 4, 1856 ; Jeremiah, 
born June 22, 1858, and Martha A., born November 18, 1864. 



lOOO BIOGRAPHICAL. 

HIRAM L. BREWSTER. 

merchant and postmaster, residence section 29, postoffice Hall, was born 
in Wayne County, Ohio, February 10, 1844, and was raised in Medina 
County. He was educated in the comnaon schools and the High school 
at Spencer. In 1859 he went to St. Joseph County. Michigan, where he 
was employed as clerk in the postoffice and bank till the spring of 1861, 
when he enlisted in Company G, Twenty-fifth Michigan Infantry ; was 
mustered in as a private and a part of the time was clerk in the medical 
headquarters of Louisville. He participated in all the battles in which 
his company were engaged, serving for three years. He returned to 
Michigan, remaining in Detroit one year, employed as bookkeeper in a 
■commission house, after which he came to his present location. Here 
he has been engaged in farming and teaching. He began in his present 
business in 1877 ; has acted as postmaster since 1873. His landed estate 
•consists of 280 acres. 

WILSON BRITTAIN, 

farmer, section 21, postoffice Hall, is a native of Iowa, and was born 
September 2, 1838. He was brought to Buchanan County, Missouri, 
when but a year old, and has made farming his occupation through life. 
His landed estate consists of 121 acres of fine farming land. Was mar- 
ried August 3, 1856, to Miss Sallie Singleton. She is a native of Indi- 
ana, and was born November 2, 1838. They have had eleven children, 
seven of whom are living: John S., George W., Marvin G., Charles, Eliza- 
beth, William H., and Hettie J. 

W. A. T. BROWN, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 26. postoffice St. Joseph, was born in 
Campbell County, Tennessee, February 21, 1828, and when about nine 
years of age his parents moved to Missouri and located in Platte 
County, where they remained till 1852. Then he went to Nodaway 
County and remained till 1862, when he came to Buchanan County. 
While in Nodaway County he lost considerable on account of the war ; 
lie served under Clabe Jackson about six months, and was also in the 
Pawpaw militia about nine months. Previous to this he had served six 
months in the Mexican war. His farm contains over 113 acres. He 
■was married October 8, 1852, to Miss Mary J. Moore, a native of Ten- 
nessee. She was born March i. 1834. She died leaving four children, 
G. L., born November 18, i8'56 ; Carrie L., born August 5, 1854; 
William L., born December 21, 1858, and Alice L.. born October i, 
1864. Lost one. Mr. B. is a Mason and member of Wellington Lodge, 
No. 22. 



WAYNE TOWNSHIP. lOOI 

RICHARD CAPP, 

farmer and carpenter, section 25, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in 
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1837, and when fifteen 
years of age he began to learn the carpenters trade serving as an 
apprentice about three years. After this he traveled working at his 
trade over the states of Ohio and Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, 
Minnessota, Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado, finally in the fall of 1862, 
locating in Buchanan County, Missouri. Since he became a citizen of 
this county he has in connection with his trade been engaged in agricul- 
tural pursuits ; his farm contains fifty-seven acres and is well improved. 
He was in the State Militia nearly three years. Mr. Capp was married 
August 7, 1867, to Miss Martha Moser. She was born in Knox County, 
Tennessee, November 7, 1841. They have five children living : Abi- 
gail E., born September 7, 1865 ; Wm. H., born August 14, 1867 ; 
Michael A., born September 14, 1871 ; Anna B., born November 7, 
1876 ; James M., born August 14, 1879. Two are deceased. 

HENRY DITTEMORE, 

farmer, section 35, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Greene County, Ten- 
nessee, January 25, 1813, and when two years of age his parents moved 
to Indiana. In 1840, he came to Buchanan County, Missouri, and has fol- 
lowed farming during life ; now has about 460 acres of land, which is 
fairly improved. In April, 1 837, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Yeakley. 
She is a native of Indiana. They had thirteen children, ten are now liv- 
ing : William T., Nancy A., Samuel P., Mary, Adam, Belle, Alexander, 
Josephine, Alice and George. His second marriage occurred in Septem- 
ber, 1866, to Miss Jane Roberts, of Illinois. Their famil}- consists of 
Henry, Ida, Frederick, Mary J. and Charley. 

JAMES C. T. DITTEMORE, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 36, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in 
Owen County, Indiana, February 23, 1833, and when fifteen years of age 
he, with his parents, came to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has 
since resided, except from about 1854 till 1865, which time he spent in 
Kansas. His landed estate consists of 320 acres of good land. He was 
married October 15, 1852, to Miss Nancy A. Sandy. She was born in 
Owen County, Indiana, December 29, 1832. They have had three chil- 
dren, Roccilania, born August 29, 1853; William H., born August 11, 
1856, died April, 1869, and Adam P., born July 12, 1859. 

Jx\MES E. DITTEMORE, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 25, postoffice St. Joseph. On the 2d 
day of May, 1848, the family of Michael and Priscilla Dittemore, who 



1002 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

were citizens of Buchanan County, Missouri, was increased in popula- 
tion by one who in due time was given the name used as the subject 
of this sketch. He has closely adhered to agricultural pursuits and now 
has a finely improved farm of eighty acres, all of which are the savings 
of his own labor. June 14, 1868, he was married to Miss Mary E. Lux. 
Five children are the fruit of this union : Henry M., born April 29, 
1869; Enos, born August 9, 1871, died August 18, 1872 ; Sarah G., born 
May I, 1876; Charley, born September 18, 1877, died March 6, 1879; 
Pearly, born February 8, 1881. Mrs. L. was born October 12, 1853, and 
is a native of Indiana. 

JOHN GRACE, 

farmer, section 35, postoffice DeKalb, was born October 27, 182 1, and is a 
native of Fayette County, Indiana. When but a child his parents moved 
to Rush County, where he grew up to manhood. He has made farming 
his vocation during life. In 1844 he emigrated to Missouri and located 
in Buchanan County, and with the exception of two years, resided in 
same county till the fall of 1855. During these two years he was 
eno"aged in mining in California. In the fall of 1854 he moved to Doni- 
phan County, Kansas, and remained there till 1861, when he returned to 
Buchanan County. His landed interest consists of 356 acres. He was 
married September 17, 1843, to Miss Rachael N. Dunning. She was 
born in Granger County, Tennessee, October 23, 1820, and was prin- 
cipally raised in Indiana. She, with her parents, moved to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, in 1839, ^"^ located on a farm. They have had six: 
children, two now living: William M., born October 27, 1853, and 
Minerva R., born November 21, 1859 ; Mary A., Sarah C, Paris H., and 
and infant are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. G. are members of the Christian 
Church. Mrs. G. was baptized in that faith before eighteen years of age.. 

NELSON HAWLEY, 

section 12, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in Vigo County, Indiana, 
May 3, 1830, and when seven years of age his parents, Stephen and 
Deborah (Rector), moved to Louisa County, Iowa. In 1839 Nelson came 
to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since resided excepting 
two years when he was in Doniphan County, Kansas. He has followed 
farming from boyhood, and has 182 acres of land in this county and 120 
in Kansas. His home farm contains 1 10 acres. He was married Sep- 
tember 15, 1853, to Miss Samantha Moore. She is a native of Indiana 
and was born April 13, 1836. They have had eight children seven of 
whom are living: Sarah J., born August 11, 1854; James M., born 
July II, 1856; Stephen T., born November 13, 1858; John L., born 
December 25, 1862 ; Florence, born May 6, 1864; Louis N., born Octo- 
ber 7, 1867 ; and Aldora, born September 14, 1869. 



WAYNE TOWNSHIP. IOO3 

CHARLES HAYWARD, 

farmer, section 27, postoffice DeKalb, was born November 19, 1826, and 
is a native of England. In 1846, he crossed the water to Canada, where 
he remained two years, and came to the United States, spending about 
four years in Cleveland, Ohio, and three years in Toledo. He then 
removed to St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, and, in i860, moved 
upon his present location. From boyhood till the time he went to 
Toledo, he was engaged in the brewery business. From that time till 
he moved to his present location, he was employed by different railroad 
companies. When he came to America he had but $2.50. He now has 
a farm of one hundred and ten acres. In the spring of 1862, he enlisted 
in the state militia, serving for three months, then entered the Federal 
service in Company A., Fifty-first Missouri, and remained in service till 
the close of the war. November 26, 1859, Mr. H. was married to Miss 
Isabella Quiggen. She is also a native of England, and was born 
August 15, 1831. They have had five children, but one is now living, 
Charles J., born April 2, 1868. Mr. H. is an Odd Fellow, and a member 
of DeKalb Lodge No. 191. 

JACOB HEINZ, 

farmer, section 21. postoffice Hall, is a native of Germany, and was born 
February 17, 1836. In 1854, he came to America, landing at New York, 
and locating in Platte County, Missouri. In the spring of 1855, he moved 
to Buchanan County, and 1858 to Clay County, returning to this county 
in 1861. Since then he has resided here, and followed farming during 
life, now owning a farm of 300 acres. Was obliged to borrow money to 
defray his expenses when starting to America. Was in the state militia 
for four years. He was married October 8, 1864, to Miss Mary Marolf, 
who was born in Switzerland, May 12, 1832. They have had four chil- 
dren, three of whom are living— Mary, born December 4, 1866; Lewis, 
born August 4, 1868 ; and August, born February 11, 1871. 

CHARLES HENMAN, 

farmer, section 31, postoffice Hall, was born April 30, 1829, and is a 
native, of England. Was raised on a farm and received his education 
in his native country. When twenty years of age he learned the shoe- 
makers trade and in a short time, as a workman, he stood second to 
none. Following his trade in his native country till 1854, he came to 
America, landing at New York, and thence to Canada where he remained 
till 1858, working at his trade. Was engaged in merchandising at differ- 
ent points in Canada until 1858, when he went to St. Johns, Mich- 



1004 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

igan. There he was employed in the boot and shoe trade till 1864, at 
which time he came to St. Joseph ; in 1865 he moved to his present 
location. His landed estate consists of 300 acres, all of which is the 
savings of his own labor. Was married September 20, 1835, to Miss 
Mary A. Kelly, of Ireland. They have four children : William, Michael, 
Mary and Charles. Is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

JOHN JONES, 

farmer, section i, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in Athens County, Ohio, 
April 17, 1838, and when but a child his parents moved to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, where he has since resided. He has been engaged in 
agricultural pursuits during life, excepting three years when he was 
engaged in the mercantile trade as one of the firm of McKinnis & 
Jones, of St. Joseph. His landed estate includes 100 acres of timber 
land and a one-half interest in 140 acres of fine farming land. He was 
appointed justice of the peace in June, 1881. Was in the state militia 
six months. Mr. J. was married September 8, 1870, to Miss Mary E. 
Pascoe. She was born in Platte County, Missouri, December 24, 1849. 
They have three children: Alice, born November 24, 1871; Lottie B., 
born March 20, 1874; Maggie, born November 18, 1876. 

SAMUEL KIRKPATRICK, 

farmer, section 25, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in Guernsey County, 
Ohio, October 16, 18 14. His father being a blacksmith, he also worked 
more or less at that trade till eighteen years of age, when he learned 
the bricklayers trade. In 1837 he moved to Washington County, Ohio, 
where he remained till the spring of 1850, and then emigrated to Mis- 
souri, first locating in Jackson County. There he remained till the 
spring of 1853, when he came to St. Joseph. In the fall of 1854 he 
moved to Doniphan County, Kansas, but in 1858 located near Easton, 
Buchanan County. In 1861 he returned to Doniphan County, Kansas, 
and in 1881 again came to Buchanan County, where he now resides. 
Since 1857 1""^ has been engaged in farming. His farm contains sixty 
acres. He was married August 5, 1838, to Miss Sarah M. Weir. She 
was born in Westchester, Virginia, January 5, 1822. They had ten chil- 
dren, five of whom are living : Alonzo, born September 25, 1839; Wel- 
lington, born February 28, 1842; Mary A., born July 14, 1848; Hen- 
rietta, born August 8, 1855, and John W., born October 6, i860. One 
son died in the hospital while in the Federal service. 

JOHN KOGl'LR AND WM. J. CALHOUN, 

farmers, section 20, postoffice Hall. Mr. Koger was born in Wayne 
County, Kentucky, April 20, 1826, and was reared there and in the 



WAYNE TOWNSHIP. IOO5 

adjoining county till seventeen years of age, when he went to Tennessee. 
Three years later he came to Missouri, and located in Gentry County. 
In 1859, he moved to Texas, where he remained till 1867, and then came 
to Buchanan County, Missouri. While in Gentry County he followed 
farming, and has since continued it. Was married April 3, 1849, to Miss 
Hettie J. Slarmer, who was born in Tennessee, in November, 1832. They 
have had three children, but one is living — Anna D., born in Gentry 
County, Missouri, February 7, 1850, and was married to William J. Cal- 
houn, April 12, 1866. He was born in Manito County, Missouri, Decem- 
ber I, 1838. When seventeen years of age his father moved to Vernon 
County, Missouri ; lived there but a short time, then moved to Henry 
County. In 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate service in Company K, 
First Missouri Cavalry, and remained in service till the close of the war. 
Then went to Texas, and in 1867 came to Buchanan County. They 
have one child — John N., born January 20, 1867. They have a farm of 
160 acres. 

HENRY LOWER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 36, postofifice, St. Joseph, was born in 
Granger County, Tennessee, July 14, 18 18, and was raised on a farm in 
his native county, and has followed farming from boyhood. In the fall 
of 1836 he moved to Jackson County, Missouri, and the following spring 
he took a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Coming to Buchanan County 
he entered a part of the farm on which he now resides, at that time 
having but limited means. His landed estate now consists of 420 
acres, all of which is improved, his home farm being far above the aver- 
age, and contains an orchard of about twenty acres. Was married, Feb- 
ruary 4, 1844, to Miss Sarah A. Sandy. She was born in Owen County, 
Indiana, March 14, 1822. They have ten children living: Louisa Jane, 
born January 13, 1845; Susan E., born April 21, 1847; Mary E., born 
March 31, 1849; John W., born July 11, 185 1; James C, born September 
I, 1853; Martha A., born March 27, 1856; Isaac N., born July 6, 1858; 
Henry M., born October 6, i860; Anna E., born January 5, 1863; LUlie 
M., born February 4, 1871. 

ALBERT E. SHAW, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 36, postoffice St. Joseph, was born in 
Harrison County, Virginia, Sept. 3, 1844, and in 1856 went to Doniphan 
County, Kansas, where he remained till 1863, then moving to Buchanan 
County, Missouri. Was educated in the common schools in his native 
county and was reared a farmer boy and has followed same during life. 
He has for ten years been engaged in teaching vocal music. His farm 
contains 105 acres. Was in the Pawpaw Militia five months. Mr. S. 



I006 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

was married September 20, 1865, to Miss Mary E. King. She was born 
in Buchanan County, Missouri, November 8, 1850. They have had five 
children, four of whom are living: Anna L., born October 15, 1867; 
Wm. v., born December 13, 1869 ; Maggie B., born March 9, 1872 ; 
and James C, born August 28, 1879. 

CAPTAIN JOSIAH WILSON, 

farmer and merchant, section 31, postoffice Hall, was born in Bartholo- 
mew County, Indiana, September 10, 1826, and was raised and educated 
in his native county. His father being a blacksmith, the son also learned 
that trade, which he has followed more or less during life. In the spring 
of 1846, he enlisted in the Mexican War, in Company F., Third Indi- 
ana, and remained in the service for fourteen months, participating in 
the battle of Buena Vista, after which he returned to Indiana. In 1852, 
he was appointed overseer of the county asylum and farm, having charge 
of this institution for two years. In 1856, he purchased a saw mill, which 
he operated two years, and was then for a short time connected with a 
flouring mill. Afterwards he embarked in the mercantile trade, contin- 
uing till the summer of 1861, when he formed a company of volunteers, 
known as Company E, Twenty-second Indiana. He was mustered in as 
captain, and, after about fourteen months, on account of his failing 
health, he was compelled to resign, returning home. In 1863, he 
received the appointment of post sutler, at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 
In 1 87 1, he came to Buchanan County, Missouri, and first located in Lake 
Township, where he followed, his trade for three years, and then moved 
to his present location. In 1876, he began in the mercantile trade, in 
partnership with his son. He is also engaged in farming, and owns 80 
acres of land. Mr. W. was married August 15, 1847, to Miss Minerva 
Vanzant. She was born in Bartholomew County, Indiana, July 24, 1830, 
and died May 13, 1852. They had two children, both of whom are 
deceased. November 11, 1852, he was again married, to Miss Elizabeth 
Parks. She was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, July 19, 1834. 
They have had eight children, seven of whom are living : Thomas W., 
born September 10, 1853 ; Alfred B., born December 3, 1855 ; Martin 
D., born May 28, 1858 ; Hiram Abiff, born September 5, i860 ; Josiah 
M., born May 18, 1863 ; Charles S., born October 21, 1865 ; and Emma 
B., born July 28, 1869. He is a member of the Masonic fraturnity. 

HENRY YEAKLEY, 

farmer, section 23, postoffice St. Joseph, is a son of Samuel and Mary 
Yeakley, who were natives of Tennessee. Samuel's father, Henry, was 
of German descent. Mary Yeakley was a daughter of Michael Berger, 



WAYNE TOWNSHIP. 100/ 

who was of Welsh origin. The subject of this sketch was born in 
Orange County, Indiana, September i, 1817. Was reared there and in 
Owen County, spending his boyhood days on a farm. In the fall of 
!i84i he moved to his present location, having entered a part of the farm 
ihe now owns. His landed estate consists of about 508 acres comforta- 
ibly improved, having an orchard of three acres. Mr. Y. has been mar- 
ried three times ; first, to Miss Rebecca Cotter, September 2, 1838, who 
•was born in Indiana, December 15, 1818. She died June 24, 1852, leav- 
ing seven children, four of whom are living : Mary A., Michael, Lydia 
E. and Margaret. The second marriage occurred October 3, 1852, to 
Mrs. Margaret P. Herrington, whose maiden name was Tyler. She was 
'born in Indiana, June 13, 183 1, and di&d March 2, 1859. They had 
three children, two now living : James H. and Emily J. Mrs. Sarah 
M. Brown became his third wife July 10, 1859. Her maiden name was 
Riley, and she was born August 26, 1826, and is a native of Lexington, 
Kentucky. They have had seven children, of whom three are living : 
Belle F., Armacinda S. and Mary L. M. Mr. Y. is a mason being a 
member of Willington Lodge No. 22, also of Chapter No. 6. Also 
belongs to I. O. O. F. of DeKalb No. 191. Mr. and Mrs. Y. are mem- 
ibers of the Christian Church. 

JAMES A. YEAKLEY, 

farmer, se'ction 23, postoffice St. Joseph, is a son of Henry Yeakley, and 
was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, December 15, 1853. He has 
been raised on the farm where he now resides, and has followed farming 
during life, and owns a farm of forty acres. He was married December 
21, 1.874, to Miss Mary A. Carrel. She is a daughter of Andrew J. and 
Lucy A. Carrel, who now reside in Buchanan County. Here she was 
born August 4, 1854. They have four children, three now living : Emily 
L, Minnie E., and Charles E. 







LAKE TOWNSHIP. 



JOHN EHRET, 



farmer, section ^6, postofifice Rushville, is a native of Germany, and 
was born June lO, 1827. Received a fair education in his native coun- 
try, and in 1854 emigrated to America, and located in Buchanan County,. 
Missouri. Served two years in the state militia, and in 1864 enlisted in 
the Confederate service in Company A, Forty-third Missouri Infantry; 
participated in many important battles and remained in service until the 
close of the war. His landed estate consists of 195 acres in this county 
and 20 acres in Kansas, near Atchison. Was marcied, in 1859, to Miss 
Sally Lunbofan, ot Germany. She died May 14, 1873, leaving six child- 
ren, four of whom are living, Lena, Sally, Willie and Mary. Was again 
married, in September, 1873, to Miss Tila Bowman. She was born in 
Germany, November 27, 1848, and came to America in 1872. They 
have had four children, three of whom are living, George, Charley and 
John. 

JOHN WILSON, 

farmer, section 26, postoffice Hall, was born in Bartholomew County,. 
Indiana, November 23, 1829, and when eight years of age his parents 
moved to Missouri, and located in Grundy County, and in 1840, moved 
to Buchanan County. Here he has since resided, except during 1866,. 
when he was in Doniphan County, Kansas. His vocation during life 
has been that of a farmer. His landed estate consists of 120 acres. Was 
in the state militia for four years. Mr. Wilson was married May 3, 1850,. 
to Miss Caroline McGalliliard, of Indiana. By this union they have had 
eight children, six of whom are living — William, Thomas J., Andrew L., 
Sarah, Nancy and John. He has held most all the offices of his town- 
ship. 



\\^'^ 



<i^^fcHfe^I^2^ 



RUSH TOWNSHIP. 



JOHN H. ALLISON, 



farmer, section 23, postoffice Rushville, was born in Warren Countyv 
Kentucky, October 25, 181 5, and when eleven years of age his father 
moved to Lafayette County, Missouri, where he was raised and edu- 
cated. He there remained till 1838, when he moved to Buchanan 
County, and has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits. His farm 
contains eighty acres comfortably improved. He acted as justice of the 
peace for twelve years. Mr. A. was married August 8, 1840, to Miss 
Dicy A. Trapp, who was born in Jackson County, Missouri, May 29, 
1828. She died September 15, 1870, leaving twelve children, six of 
whom are living : Jasper C, Houston, Polly A., William, George W., 
and James. Mr. A. is a member of the Christian Church. 

JAMES HENRY ALLISON, 

farmer, Rushville, was born in Fayette County. Missouri, in February,. 
1833. Ill 1838 his parents moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, where 
he Avas raised and educated. He spent his boyhood days on a farm, 
with the exception of four years, which time he was engaged in clerking 
in a store. Mr. A. is considered one of the most successful farmers of 
Buchanan County. During the late war he served six months in the 
State Militia. His farm contains 200 acres, eighty acres being situated 
in the bottom, and his home farm in sections 13 and 14. He was mar- 
ried December 16, 1855, to Miss Martha Eastburn. She was born aad 
raised in Buchanan County. They have four children, Lloyd W., Eliza- 
beth F., William F., and Anna E. 

J. A. BAILEY, 

dealer in general merchandise. East Atchison, was born March 24, 1842, 
in Monroe County, Kentucky, and at seven years of age moved tO' 
Jackson County, Tennessee, with his parents. Came from there to- 
Platte County, Missouri, in 1850. He spent his boyhood days on a farm 
and received his education in the common subscription schools of early 
days. His father died in 1858, and John, being the eldest of the sons, 
at home, took the care of the farm and followed agricultural pursuits. 



lOIO BIOGRAPHICAL. 

until the 26th of January, 1872. Then formed a partnership with E. C. 
Wells in the mercantile business, which they carried on until the 2 1st of 
January, 1880, when they were burned out. Mr. Bailey then bought 
Mr. Well's interest and started on his own account. He is a Knight in 
the Masonic order, also a member of the Knights of Honor and A. 
O. U. W. Mr. B. was married, December, 15, 1872, to Miss Louisa 
Robb, a native of Louisiana. She was born April 16, 1854. They have 
had four children, Musadora, John S., William E. and Joseph L. 

DANIEL BRISBOIS, 

agent of the Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Com- 
pany, East Atchison, was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, March 
II, 1842, and was there brought up, and attended school principally at 
the Racine College. His father. Gen. Brisbois, one of the leading and 
influential citizens of Prairie du Chien, held the position of postmaster, 
and Daniel assisted him with the business of that office. In 1865 he 
took a trip to the mountains and after about one year returned to his 
native city, there became engaged in railroading, steamboating and 
express business. In 1871 Mr. B. came to St. Joseph, Missouri, and 
accepted a position with the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Com- 
pany, continuing for two years, when he went to Atchison, Kansas. He 
worked for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Company for a time, 
then went to Marshalltown, Iowa, and was employed as chief clerk of 
the Central Railroad of Iowa. Coming to St. Joseph again, in the inter- 
est of the Kansas City road, he remained for three years, holding the 
position of cashier in the local office, a part of the time. He then took 
charge of the station at East Atchison (formerly Winthrop), with the 
Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railway, which he is still 
filling. Mr. B. was married in the fall of 1861 to Miss Victoria H. 
Perret-Gentin, a native of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. They have had 
three children : t^dgar G., Theressa J. and Sumner W. Mr. B. is a 
Knight Templar in the Masonic order, and Mrs. B. is a member of the 
lEpiscopal Church. 

WARD BROWN, 

'deceased, was born in Tennessee, in 1821, and was raised in his native 
■state till seventeen years of age, when he came to Platte County Mis- 
souri. There he remained until the fall of 1845, then moving to 
Buchanan County, where he remained till the time of his demise, 
December 26, 1865. On the 3d of May, 1842, he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Ankrum, who was born in Pennsylvania April 3, 1818. When 
but a child her parents moved to Ohio, where she was raised and edu- 
>.cated, her educational advantages being rather limited. In 1837, they 



RUSH TOWNSHIP. lOI I 

moved to Missouri, and located in Randolph County, where they 
remained four years, and afterwards moved to Platte County, where she 
was married. They had a family of nine children, six of whom are liv- 
ing : Alva G., Luke M., David A., George A., Tilford and John H. Mr. 
Brown was raised an orphan boy, and followed farming from boyhood. 
Since his death, Mrs. B., with the assistance of her sons, has taken 
charge of the farm, which contains 155 acres, and is located in section 
2],, her postoffice being Winthrop. 

JAMES I. CASH, 

farmer, section 26, postoffice Rushville, was born in White County, Ten- 
nessee,, November 28, 1828, and when ten years of age his parents 
moved to Buchanan County, where he was raised and educated. He 
has followed farming from boyhood, and now owns 185 acres. He was 
married in March, 1855, to Miss Eveline Linville, of Missouri. She was 
born in 1835 and died 1863. They had four children, but one now liv- 
ing, Andrew J. Mr. Cash was again married February 14, 1866, to Miss 
Mary Gore. She is a native of Buchanan County, Missouri. They have 
had seven children, three of whom are living : Minnie, Charles, and 
Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Cash are members of the Christian Church. 

Dr. B. W. culver, 

physician and surgeon, Rushville, was born in Schenectady County, 
New York, October i, 183 1, and was raised there and in the adjoining 
county on a farm, receiving his education in the common schools. In 
the spring of 1852 he emigrated to Linn County, Iowa, where he 
remained two years, engaged in clerking and studying medicine. He 
then went to Benton County, Iowa, and remained two years, engaged at 
the same occupation, and until 1868 he resided in Wright and Hancock 
Counties, being there engaged in the practice of his profession. He 
.attended the American Medical College of Cincinnati, graduating in 
the spring of 1856. He was elected sheriff of Wright County, Iowa, 
.and served two years, he also served four years as county supervisor of 
Hancock County. In 1868 Dr. C. went to America City, Kansas, and 
3-emained till 1873, when he moved to his present location. He was 
married March 25, 1855, to Miss Harriet E. Dolph, who was born in the 
State of New York, March 21, 1833. She died October 2, 1871. They 
had five children, four now living : Emma R., born February 26, 1856 ; 
Charles H., born December i, 1858, and died September i, 1859 ; Frank 
L., born June 19, 1861 ; Dora A., born February i, 1863, and Orval V., 
born May 28, 1865. He was again married December 27, 1872, to Miss 
Nancy Reede, born in Ohio, February 28, .1838. She died January 19, 



IOI2 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

1881. They had one child, Harriet E., who was born October 20,. 1875.. 
She died October 19, 1877. The doctor also' has one adopted child,. 
Georgie M. Culver. Her real name is Cox.. She was born April 11.,. 
1878. 

REV. I. D. DA\TS, 

farmer and fruit grower, section 14, postofftce Rushville, was born in 
Lewis County, Kentucky, February 22, 1826, and when two years of 
age his parents moved to Missouri, and located in Clay County, where 
they remained one year. Then went to Clinton County, and after two 
years located in Buchanan County, where he was raised and educated^ 
When he was about twenty-three years of age he went to Davis and 
DeKalb Counties, remaining in each about two years, when he again 
located in Buchanan County, where he has since resided. He has fol- 
lowed farming from boyhood. His farm contains 40 acres, which he 
uses principally for fruit, having about twenty acres of the finest varie- 
ties of both large and small fruits. Was married, June 13, 1862, to Miss- 
Mary Dykes. She was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, December 
25, 1844. They have had six children, five of whom are living: George 
P., Hattie A., Charley V., and infant twins, both boys, Mr, D. has been a 
minister of the M. E. Church South since i860. Mrs. D. is also a mem- 
ber of that denomination. 

ALFRED FENTON, 

grain and stock dealer, is a representative citizen of Buchanan County, 
He was born in Mason County, Kentucky, May 28, 1829. His father,. 
John Fenton, a native of Loudoun County, Virginia, moved to Kentucky 
in the early settling of that state. In 1808 he moved to Adam.s 
County, Ohio, where his son, the subject of this sketch, lived on a farm 
till he was twenty-one years of age, and where he received a common 
school education. In 1850 he moved to Missouri, and, three years after, 
located permanently at Rushville, where, in partnership with his brother, 
he sold goods till 1869. He also dealt largely in live-stock, hemp, and 
other commodities doing a general trading business. In the meantime 
in 1859, Mr. Fenton visited Colorado and embarked in the wholesale 
grocery trade and stock business in which he continued thPee years,, 
when he freighted for government till 1867, at which time he returned 
to Buchanan County, and has continued to make Rushville his home. 
During all this period Mr. Fenton, in his mercantile business, was. 
associated with his brother, E. M. Fenton. He is recognized as the 
leading business man of that section of the county. Mr. A. Fenton'.s 
landed estate includes 1,800 acres in Missouri, and about 400 acres in 
Kansas. In October, 1865, he married Miss Alice Long, of Buchanan 



RUSH TOWNSHIP. IOI3 

County, by whom he has had six children, five of whom are living : 
Eeaumie, Wm. R., Frederick, Clarence and Lucy. 

H. C. GOLDEN, 

agent for the C, R. L & P. R. R., East Atchison, was born February 7, 
1844, in Chatham, New York, and was there reared and educated. He 
early became engaged as book-keeper with a wholesale hardware house 
in New York City, and remained in their employ until the breaking out 
of the war, when he enlisted as a private in Company E, One Hundred 
and Eleventh New York Volunteer Infantry, on the 24th of July, 1862. 
Served for three years with the army of the Potomac, and was taken 
prisoner at Harper's Ferry and paroled. Participated in the three day's 
fight at Gettysburg, and was with the campaign to Atlanta. Mr. Golden 
was mustered out as captain. Since the war he has given his attention 
to railroading. Was first engaged with the Boston and Albany, next the 
Kansas Pacific, and then with the Missouri Pacific. In 1877, he was 
employed by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, taking charge of the 
station at Winthrop (East Atchison), which position he still fills. Cap- 
tain G. was married in 1876, to Miss Mary Kelly, a native of Atchison. 
They have had one child — Harry. Mr. G. is a Knight Templar in the 
Masonic order and also a member of the Knights of Pythias. 

HENRY GORE, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 26, postoffice Sugar Lake, Platt^ County 
Missouri, was born in Mercer County, Virginia, July 3, 1826, and was 
reared in his native county till eighteen years of age, when he came to 
Missouri. Remained in Andrew County one year, and since that time 
he has been a citizen of Buchanan County. Spent his boyhood days on 
a farm, and has followed that occupation during life. Came to Missouri 
with but a small amount of means, and by his own labor and good man- 
agement, he accumulated some 800 acres of land. In the spring of 1880 
he divided his land among his children, only retaining for himself 160 
acres. Was married June 17, 1847, to Miss Elizabeth Stultz, who was 
born in North Carolina, April 27, 1828. They have had ten children, seven 
of whom are living — William H., Mary L., Eliza A., Sarilda C, Joseph 
M., John L. and Thomas I. 

T. W. HARL, 

attorney, P^ast Atchison, was born Februar}- 26, 1844, in Mt. Vernon. 
Ohio, and was raised and educated in his native city. During the late 
war he enlisted in Company A, Fourth Ohio Infantry, in 1861, and 
^served until the close of the war, having taken part in many hard 



IOI4 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

fought battles, among which were Cheek Mountain, the seven days' bat- 
tle, second Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. After this he entered 
the commissary department at Washington, remaining there until the 
close of the war, with the exception of one month spent with General 
Grant's command. Emigrated West in the fall of 1865, and setttled at 
Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he resided until 1868, engaged in the study 
of law. Then moved to Jackson County, Kansas, engaging in the prac- 
tice of his profession, until 1877, when he came to this place and opened 
an office. He has built up a good practice, owns considerable town 
property and stands among the leading citizens of the county. Was 
married, in 1867, to Miss Lizzie J. Birt, a daughter of F. A. Birt, of Coun- 
cil Bluffs. She was born May 15, 1846, in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. 
They have had a family of two children, Frank F. and Charles. Mrs. 
H. is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 

WM. K. JONES, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 24, postofifice Rushville, was born in 
Fleming County, Kentucky, October 3, 1834, and was there raised on a 
farm. In 1856 he went to Rush County, Indiana, where he worked on a 
farm one year and returned to his native home and shortly after went to 
Jefferson County, Kansas. In December, 1857, he came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, where he has since been engaged in farming and deal- 
ing in stock. His farm contains 280 acres. Was married December 13, 
1859, to Miss Marilda Jones. She was born in Rush County, Indiana, 
August 17, 1841. They havfe three children : Thomas D., Albert H. 
Bettie J. Mr. Jones is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 

GEORGE McKINNIS, 

was born October 16, 1848, in Jackson County, Ohio, and came to Missouri 
with his parents when about seven years of age. They settled in Cald- 
well County, and remained there until 1854, when they came to this 
county, and George has made this his home since, having been engaged 
in various occupations. Assisted in organizing and is one of the ener- 
getic men of the place. 

JOHN E. McQUEEN, 

East Atchison, was born Jan. 12, 1844, in Boone County, Missouri, and 
was brought to this place when about three years of age, and has since 
made his home in this vicinity. He spent his boyhood days on a farm, 
here received his education, and followed boating on the river up to 
1 87 1, when he commenced the grocery and liquor business in East Atchi- 
son. He owns a residence and four lots in the town. He was married 



RUSH TOWNSHIP. IOI5 

in 1875 to Miss Elizabeth Anderson, a native of this township, born 
November 9, 1856. They have one child living, Medora A.; two are 
deceased. Mr. McQueen formerly belonged to the Odd Fellows and the 
Knights of Honor. 

JOHN MEYER, 

baker and confectioner. East Atchison, was born April 4, 1847, in 
Bavaria, Germany, and was there raised, learning the baker's business. 
He received his education in the schools of that country, and came to 
the United States in 1869, landing at New York. Coming west, he 
stopped one year in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His next move was to St. 
Louis, Missouri, where he remained three years, and then went to Atchi- 
son, Kansas; working for seven years at his trade. He subsequently 
came to East Atchison, and started the business in which he is now 
engaged. He has a neat and tastily arranged establishment, and his 
long experience in the business gives him an advantage over many. 
Mr. M. was married August, 1874, to Miss Lizzie Gartfedler, a native of 
Switzerland. They have had three children, two of whom are living, 
William and Bertie. Mr. M. is a member of the Odd Fellows and the 
Knights of Honor. 

HARISON MORROW, 

deputy postmaster of East Atchison, occupies a position among the 
leading young m.en of Buchanan County. Was born September 23, 
1853, in Wayne County, Kentucky, and spent his boyhood days on a 
farm, receiving his education in the schools of that vicinity. Came west 
in the fall of 1873 and settled at Winthrop (East Atchison), and engaged 
in farming with his uncle. In the spring of 1877 he entered his uncle's 
store at this place and now attends to most of the business, besides 
having the care of the postofifice. Is well thought of by this commun- 
ity and is a member of the Knights of Honor. 

J. S. PATTERSON, 

East Atchison, was born August 24, 185 1, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
was reared and received his education. Emigrated to Chicago in 1869, 
and engaged in the liquor business, and came from there to this place in 
1879, where he has made his home, and taken an active part in the build- 
ing up of the place. Assisted in organizing the town, and held the 
position of Mayor in 1880. Is an active member of the Knights of Honor. 
Was married May 24, 1873, to Miss Ellen Foot, a native of Chicago, and 
they have had two children — George and Gracie. 



IOl6 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

J. F. PITTS, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 27, postoffice Rushville, was born in 
I^'Ieming County, Kentucky, December 9, 1819, and in the fall of 1850 he 
moved to Platte County. Missouri. There he remained till February, 
1862, when he moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since 
resided. He has followed farming from boyhood, and now his landed 
estate consists of over 500 acres. He is at present living with his fourth 
wife. 

A. G. PROSSER 

was born April 15, 1840, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he was 
raised and received his education. He came West in the spring of 1865, 
and located in St. Joseph, where he accepted a position with the Hanni- 
bal & St. Joseph Railroad Company. In January, 1866, he started with 
a wagon and team across the plains, to Denver, and arrived at his des- 
tination in March of the same year, and there turned his attention to 
mining, and followed it one year, after which he visited Montana and 
Idaho, returning to St. Joseph in 1868. In 1873, he came to Winthrop 
(East Atchison), and engaged in the liquor trade, and, since his arrival 
here, has been among the foremost in advancing the interests of the 
town. He assisted in its organization, and was its first Mayor. Mr. P. 
holds the position of justice of the peace. He was married, in 1869, to 
Miss Maggie E. Knapp, a native of St. Joseph. They have one child, 
Clara B. He is a member of the Knights of Honor, and holds the posi- 
tion of Dictator in the lodge. 

J. W. RANKIN, 

miller, Rushville, was born in Cooper County, Missouri, May 13, 1841, 
and was there raised and educated. In 1864, he went to California, and 
after traveling over the different states and territories until 1867, he 
returned to his native county. In May, 1875, he moved to Rushville, 
where he now resides. Has followed milling from boyhood, having been 
brought up to the business. Was married. May 20, 1873, to Miss Ella 
P. Johnson. She was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, May 27, 1850. 
Her parents died about 1865, after which she made her home with her 
uncle in Cooper County. She was educated in the common schools and 
in Cully's College, in Cooper County, Missouri, graduating from this 
institution in 1872, after which she attended the normal school at War- 
rensburg, Johnson County, Missouri. She then engaged in teaching until 
her marriage. They have two children: William E., born April 14. 
1875, and Mary, born April 10, 1881. Mr. Rankin is a member of the 
Masonic lodae. 



■ lltfSH" TOWNSHIP. IOI7 

FERDINAND REUTHINGER, 

Mayor of East Atchison, was born March 29, 1830, in Switzerland, and 
was there raised until eighteen years of age and received his education 
in schools of that land. In 1850 he crossed the ocean and landed at 
New Orleans, immediately coming up the Mississippi River to St. Louis 
and thence to St. Joseph. He remained here until 1861, engaged in the 
hotel business, and kept what is known as the St. Louis House, but met 
with a misfortune by being burned out. He then moved on a farm, and 
in 1863 commenced teaming across the plains to Denver and continued 
therein until the fall of 1864, when he moved to Winthrop (East 
Atchison.) Since that time he has been engaged in various occupations* 
He owns 350 acres of fine land in Platte County which is well improved, 
containing good buildings, &c. Also owns a fine residence and other 
town property ; and holds the position of Mayor of East Atchison, 
which he fills with credit to himself and friends. He has been twice 
married, first, in 1855, to Miss Elizabeth Steineffer, a native of Switzer- 
land. She died December 4, 1876, leaving five children living : Paulina, 
Elizabeth, Ferdinand, Rosena and Lillie. Lost four. Was again mar- 
ried July 7, 1878, to Mrs. Regina Vasse, a native of Germany. They 
have one child, Charlie. Mrs. R. has five children by her former hus- 
band : Henry, Carolina, Rosa, George and Elizabeth. 

Dr. J. W. ROBBINS, 

physician and surgeon. East Atchison, was born November 14, 1846, in 
Adams County, Ohio, and was raised there until fifteen years of age. 
During the late war he espoused the Union cause and enlisted in the 
Second Ohio Artillery, Company B, in June, 1863, serving until the 
close of the war. He was attached to the fourteenth army corps, and 
took part in the battles of Nashville, Chickamauga, Knoxville, Straw- 
berry Plains, and many other engagements. He drove an ambulance 
and served some time in the hospital. At the close of the war Mr. R. 
settled at Cincinnati and commenced the study of medicine, and in 
1867 took his first course of lectures. He emigrated West in 1867 and 
located at Winthrop (East Atchison), where he continued the practice 
'of medicine until 1872. Then returned to Cincinnati and took a full 
course of lectures, and received his diploma. Upon moving to Olney, 
Illinois, he married Miss H. E. Philips, a native of that State. They 
vcame to Winthrop and have since made this their home. Dr. R. owns 
two lo.ts and a residence. He has a widespread reputation, has achieved 
a thorough knowledge .of the practice, and is an active member of the 
KLni^lits of Honor. 

63 



IOl8 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

GREENUP SUTTON, 

farmer and breeder of fine stock, section 26, postoffice Rushville, was 
born in Fleming County, Kentucky, November 6, 1843, and when twelve 
years of age, his parents moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he 
has been reared on a farm. Was for two years engaged in the mercan- 
tile trade at Rushville, and was also employed in the harness trade one 
year in the same place. Outside of the various occupations mentioned, 
Mr. S. has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has for a few 
years been dealing in fine blooded stock of all classes, and was one of 
the first to begin the handling of thoroughbreds in his locality. His farm 
contains 140 acres, all of which is well improved, having one of the best 
barns in the county. Was married in January, 1869, to Miss Phebe Elliott, 
who was born in Kentucky, in January, 1842, and came to this county in 
1845. They have had three children, two of whom are living — Selden 
and Emma. 

ELIJAH WATSON, 

postmaster, Rushville, was born in Fleming County, Kentucky, April 
25, 1816, and was raised on a farm and educated in the pioneer school 
houses. In 1845, he came to Buchanan County, and located in sec- 
tion 12, at that time but a wilderness. Remained in this location 
about eight years and then moved to Rushville, where he began in the 
mercantile business. In this he continued till 1855, after which he did 
business for other parties till about 1877. Since 1876 he has used most 
of his time in prospecting for the lost boat Pontiac, which sank April 
16, 1852, and of which mention is made elsewhere in our history. Mr. 
W. has been postmaster since June 10, 1854, and was justice of the 
peace for fourteen years. He was again re-elected but would not accept 
the position. Was married, September 11, 1838, to Miss Gracie Seever. 
She was born in Illinois and raised in Kentucky. They have had 
twelve children, six of whom are living: John H., James B., Elisha M., 
Hezekiah C, George W., and Nancy C, now Mrs. Abbett. 

Hon. W. S. WELLS, 

of Rushville, was born in Lee County, Virginia, September 13, 1812. 
His great-grandfather was a native of Wales, and was among the early 
settlers of Maryland. His grandfather, Zachariah Wells, during the 
Revolutionary war was a resident of North Carolina, whence he after- 
wards moved to Lee County, Virginia. His father, Robert Wells, was 
born in North Carolina. He married Elizabeth Shepherd in Virginia, 
and moved to Jackson County, Missouri, in 1826, being thus one of the 
early settlers of that part of the State, where he died in 1853, at the 



RUSH TOWNSHIP. IOI9 

advanced age of ninety years. The subject of this sketch received a 
thorough English education in his native county, where he afterwards 
taught school, and where on May 8, 1833, he married Miss Lavina Jones, 
a native of Grayson County, Virginia, born February 20, 18 17. They 
have had ten children, of these James M., Emmett C, Samuel B., Mar- 
tha J., Minerva, Celia E., Robert B., and G. W., survive ; May and 
Albert G. died. W. S. Wells moved to Missouri in 1829, settling in 
Jackson County, and at the end of the year returned to Virginia. In 
1837 he moved from Virginia to Platte County, Missouri, where, in the 
spring of 1838, he taught one of the first schools ever opened in that 
section of country. About the clpse of the same year, he returned to 
Virginia. In 1843 he again visited Missouri, locating at Wright City, in 
the southwest part of the State. In 1844 he moved to Marshall County, 
Alabama, and thence in 1850 to Western Tennessee. In 1856 he moved 
to Douglas County, Kansas Territory, from which he was subsequently 
elected a member of the celebrated Lecompton Convention which 
framed a constitution for the State. In this election he received the 
unanimous vote of both parties. In November, i860, he moved to 
Atchison, Kansas, and, in the following January, returning to Missouri, 
settled in his present (1881) home — Rushville. In the fall of 1861 he 
joined General Price's army under Jackson's first call for troops. He 
was in the battle of Pea Ridge, and served till May, 1862, when he 
returned home. In May 1866 he embarked in the mercantile business 
in Rushville, in which he has since been principally engaged. In 1874 
he was elected by the Democrats a member of the Twenty-eighth Gen- 
eral Assembly. He was re-elected to the same position in 1876, receiv- 
ing, besides the full Democratic vote of his district, a large Republican 
support. In politics he has all his life been a Democrat. He has been a 
member of the old Baptist Church, thirty-nine years. Of this he is also 
an ordained minister, and has been preaching since 1853. He served as 
justice of the peace six years, and has been a notary public since 1873. 

S. B. WELLS 

was born in Lee County, Virginia, April 7, 1843, and when about one 
year old, was taken by his parents to Alabama, where he remained 
about four or five years. Then they moved to Dyer County, Tennessee, 
and in 1856 to Douglas County, Kansas, there residing till i860, the 
time of their emigration to Buchanan County. When twenty-two years 
of age, our subject learned the carpenter's trade, and has worked at it 
eight years. In 1866, he embarked in the mercantile trade in Rushville, 
and has been engaged in the same business more or less since. He has 
a farm of 112 acres, also good property in Rushville. Was married 
November 2, 1866, to Miss Martha J. White, who was born in Buchanan 



1020 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

County, in 1847. They have had five children, three of whom are living — 
Charles W., Robert B. and Emmett. 

EMIL WINKLER, 

dealer in groceries and provisions, East Atchison, was born May 16, 
1849, ii^ Prussia, Germany, and spent his boyhood days on a farm, 
receiving his education in the schools of that vicinity. At the age of 
fourteen years, he commenced to learn the milling business, and followed 
it for nine years. In the spring of 1872, he emigrated to America, and 
landed at New York City, coming to Atchison, Kansas, where he 
engaged as clerk in a grocery store, and he remained three years in that 
capacity, and then opened at his present location, in East Atchison, in 
1876. His store is filled with a complete stock of general groceries and 
provisions, and he has a fair patronage. He was married December 5, 
1875, to Miss Pauline Reuthinger, daughter of F. Reuthinger, present 
Mayor of East Atchison. She is a native of this state, and was born 
February 11, 1856. They have had three children, two of whom are 
living, Carl T. and Rosa. Himself and wife are members of the 
Lutheran Church, and he is a member of the Knights of Honor. Mr. 
W. belongs to the city council. 



m^^^-^^ 



-^&-^^^^^-^ 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 



JESSE BLEVINS, 



section 2, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Green County, Kentuck}-, 
August 18, 18 16, and was raised on a farm and educated in the old log 
school house. When seventeen years of age his father moved to Jack- 
son County, Missouri, where they remained till the spring of 1837, then 
coming to Buchanan County, where he has since made his home. His 
f.irm consists of 192 acres. In 1847 he went to the Mexican war as a 
teamster and remained on dut)' for a }'ear, less one month. He has 
been for four years constable of his township. Was married April 7. 
1839, to Miss Rosa Lower. She was born in Granger County, Tennes- 
see, October 10, 1816, and came to Missouri in 1855, and to Buchanan 
County in 1837. They have had sixteen children, six of whom arc living: 
Sarah, Francis J., Daniel and Jacob (twins), Luc}- E. and Elizabeth. 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 102 I 

For the last twelve years Mr. B. has been unable to attend to his work- 
on account of illness. Is the man who carried the first mail from 
Buchanan County, the route being from Crawford Township to Platts- 
burg. This he continued for four years. 

GAINES BOHANNON, 

farmer, section 2, postoffice DeKalb, was born on the section upon which 
he now resides, April 22, 1840, and was also raised on the same farm, 
and educated in the common schools. Taught a short time, since which 
he has been engaged in farming. His landed estate in this county con- 
sists of 40 acres; also, has 160 acres in Butler County, Kansas, where he 
has a part of the time made his home. John S. Bohannon, his father, was 
born March 7, 1806, and was a native of Sullivan County, Tennessee. 
Came to Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1838, and had followed farming 
from boyhood. He died July 14, 1879. His mother, Tabitha Foust, was 
born March 16, 1809, and was a native of Sullivan County, Tennessee. 
They had a family of eleven children, ten of whom grew up, and eight 
are now living. 

F. M. BRETZ, 

blacksmith, DeKalb, was born in Marion County, Ohio, October 31, 
1840, and when five years of age his parents moved to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, where he has since resided. He was here educated 
in the common schools, his educational advantages being rather limited. 
When thirteen years of age he began to learn his present trade in 
DeKalb, where he has since followed it. Began in life a poor boy and, 
was the main support of his parents for a number of years. Miss Cleora 
Smith became his wife December 26, 1864. She was born in Buchanan 
County, April 24, 1848, and is a daughter of Joseph Smith, ex-sheriff of 
Buchanan County. They have had five children, four of whom are liv- 
ing: Charles L., born September 24, 1866; Artie M., born October 31, 
1874; Anna A., born July 2, 1877; Henry, born November 19, 1879. 

ALEXANDER BROWN, Sr., 

farmer, section 30, postoffice Rushville, was born in Bath County, Ken- 
tucky, May 22, 181 1, and, in 1832, went to Decatur County, Indiana, and 
there remained till October, 1835. At that time, he was married to 
Miss Mary A. Connor, after which they moved to Missouri, and located 
in Daviess County for two years, then moved to this county, where 
he has since resided. He now owns 160 acres of land. He previously 
owned more, but has given to his children. Mr. and Mrs. B. have eleven 
children : James W., born June 29, 1837; Martha A., born April 4, 1839 ; 



I022 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Ezra, born September 14, 1841; Wm. S., born January 27, 1844; Frank- 
lin, born June 16, 1846 ; Memory, born September 6, 1848 ; Serrilda J., 
born October 19, 1850; Melvin, born April 20, 1853; Mary E., born 
August 24, 1858 ; David G., born December 20, 1855 ; Leona, April 21, 
1861, died December 21, 1880. Mrs. Brown is a native of Indiana, and 
was born December 19, 1819. 

JOHN T. BROWN, 

farmer and carpenter, section 25, postoffice DeKalb, was born at Blue 
Lick, Nicholas County, Kentucky, September 15, 1830. His father, 
Daniel, being a carpenter, John also had the advantage of learning that 
trade. In 185 1, he came to Missouri and located in Platte County, 
where he remained about two years and then came to Buchanan County. 
Here he has since resided, and during life has worked at his trade, more 
or less. His farm contains 120 acres. Was in the state militia about 
eighteen months, acting as drill master most of the time. Was mar- 
ried, September 16, 1852, to Miss Louisa Martin. She was born in 
Anderson County, Tennessee, September 9, 1832. They have ten child- 
ren: Martha A., James H., Eliza E., John F., William T., Edward L., 
Nannie, Florence, Maggie, and Buddie B. 

A. M. BROWN, 

farmer and fine stock breeder, section 11, postoffice DeKalb, was born 
May 4, 183,8., and is a native of Decatur County, Indiana. In the fall of 
that year he was brought to Buchanan County, when, after receiving a 
fair education in the common schools, he attended the high school at 
Weston. He spent his boyhood days on a farm till sixteen years of age, 
after which he was engaged in the mercantile trade for several years. 
With this exception he has followed agricultural pursuits. He and his 
mother-in-law own 433 acres, their home farm containing 163 acres. He 
was married December 28, 1859, to Miss Julia Kendley. She was born 
in Kentucky, February 22, 1844. They have one child, Mary S., now 
Mrs. Steele, born October 8, 1861. Mr. Brown is a Mason, and a mem- 
ber of Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

WM. BROWN, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 16, postoffice DeKalb. The subject of 
this sketch is a son of David and Margaret Brown and was born on the 
farm where he now resides April 10, 1843. Has followed farming from 
boyhood, and now owns 157 acres and moderately improved. Miss 
Priscilla Hainline became his wife February 28, 1867. She was born in 
Buchanan County, Missouri, November 20, 1844. Six children was the 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO23 

result of this union, three of whom are living : David H., born Decem- 
ber II, 1867 ; Lizzie L., born September 7, 1871 ; and Virgie, born Jan- 
uary 21, 1877. 

DANIEL BRUMLEY, 

farmer, section 21, postoflfice DeKalb, was born in Shelby County, Ken- 
tucky, February 14, 18 14. His father, William, was also a native of 
Kentucky, and a cooper by trade, which Daniel also learned. In 1837, 
he moved to Parke County, Indiana, where he remained till 1843, the 
time of his emigration to Buchanan County, Missouri. Here he has 
since resided. Followed his trade, principally, from boyhood till he 
moved to his present location, and occasionally since, the remainder o 
his time being engaged on a farm. His farm contains 321 acres, mod- 
erately improved, all of which is the result of his own savings. Was 
married, September 18, 1834, to Miss Elizabeth J. Brown. She was 
born in Shelby County, Kentucky, June 4, 18 18. They have had eleven 
children, eight of whom are living; Mary E., born June 3, 1838; William 
P., born June 21, 1840; Samuel H., born May 15, 1842; Thomas E., born 
December 13, 1845; George W,, born December 6, 1847; John A., born 
May 18, 1850; Henry H., born April 3, 1852; Lucy A., born May 10, 
1854. 

ISAAC CLINKENBEARD, 

farmer and gardener, section 12, postoffice DeKalb, was born February 
15, 1823, and when an infant his parents moved to Bourbon County, 
Kentucky, where he grew to manhood on a farm. Was for a few years 
in the mercantile business. When twenty years of age he came to 
Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since resided. His farm con- 
tains 156 acres. Also has a fruit and garden spot near St. Joseph. 
Was married, March 11, 1858, to Miss Mary A. Jones. She was born in 
Henry County, Kentucky, October 23, 1841. They have had eleven 
children, seven of whom are living: James H., born December 16, 1858; 
Mary E., born August 28, i860; William J., born March 28, 1862; Henry 
E., born August 14, 1864; Leander, born December 9, 1867; Lewis A., 
born February 7, 1870; Nannie M., born May 18, 1873. 

J. C. CROOK, Sen., 

blacksmith, wagon manufacturer and dealer in farm implements, 
DeKalb. The subject of this biography was born January 5, 1832, and 
is a native of Madison County, Kentucky. Was raised in his native 
county. When eleven years of age began to learn his trade. In the 
fall of 1848 his parents located in Buchanan County, where he engaged 
at his trade, and in 1861 worked in Fort Leavenworth. In 1862 he went 



1024 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

to Mexico-and was foreman in the government shop at Fort Union for 
one year when he returned to DeKalb, Buchanan County, Missouri. 
He followed his trade till 1866 when he moved on a farm and was 
engaged in farming in connection with his trade till the spring of 1880,, 
when he again moved to his present location in DeKalb. Also has a 
farm of sixty acres in section 28, of this township. Was married Octo- 
ber I, 1853, to Miss Nancy May. She was born April 26. 1835. They 
have had nine "children, eight of whom are living: Silas M., John R., 
Mary F., Ida, Charley, William, Warren and James C, Jr. Mr. C. is a 
Mason and a member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. Also an Odd Fel- 
low and a member of DeKalb Lodge No. 191. 

THOS. J. CRUMPACKER, 

notary, justice, carpenter and undertaker, DeKalb, was born in Clarke 
County, Ohio, January 15, 1832. His parents died when he was fifteen 
years of age, since which time he has relied entirely upon himself for 
support. When sixteen years of age he learned his present trade, and, 
in the fall of 1853, went to the southern part of Illinois, where he was 
engaged at bridge work, on the Illinois Central Railroad, about three 
months. After this he came to Missouri, working over different parts 
of Missouri, and some in Kansas. In November, 1855, he went to Texas, 
remained there one year, then traveled over some of the Southern States, 
and arrived in Ohio January 9, 1857. In May, of the same year, byway 
of Michigan, Chicago and St. Louis, he went to Arkansas and Tennes- 
see, and returned to Buchanan County, arriving in DeKalb July 13,. 
1857, where he has since made his home. Mr. C. is considered one of 
the most skillful mechanics of his trade, having had a large experience 
of about thirty-four years. His property im DeKalb denotes comfort 
and prosperity, his yard being filled with the finest varieties of flowers, 
on which subject he is much interested. May 23, 1857, he was married 
to Miss Susan A. Bretz. She was born in Marian County, Ohio, January 
19, 1839. They have had ten children, six of whom are living : Mary 
A., Flora S., Thomas H., Jennie M., Frank W. and William G. Mr. C. 
is a Mason, and a member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. He was W. M. 
of that order for about ten years, and High Priest of Chapter No. 6 
about two years. He is also a Sir Knight and member of Commandery 
No. 4, of Weston. 

ZELORA E. CRUMPACKER, 

carpenter and builder, DeKalb, was born in Miama County, Ohio, Feb- 
ruary 28, 1 841, and when about five years of age he went to Harding 
County, Ohio, to make his home with Anania Jones. He was there 
raised on a farm and educated in the common schools. In December,. 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO25 

1861, he enlisted in Company G, Eighty-second Ohio Infantry, partici- 
pating in many important battles, and was wounded at the battle of 
Dallas, Georgia, May 24, 1864, by a ball passing through his left breast. 
After this he remained in the hospital ten months, when he was dis- 
charged and returned to Harding County, Ohio. He has since suffered 
very much from this wound. In the spring of 1865 he went to Cedar 
County, Iowa, where he remained till November, when he returned to 
Ohio, and was engaged in timber and lumber business till 1872. Then 
he came to Buchanan County, since which time he has made his home 
with his brother, and has been engaged at his trade. He is a Mason, 
and member of Wellington Lodge, No. 22. 

A. DERGE, 

of the firm of Derge & Hagenstein, merchants, DeKalb. The subject of 
this sketch was born in Gruneberg, Prussia, November 21, 1833. Was 
raised in his native country, and was there educated, receiving the prii)- 
cipal part of his education in Berlin. In the fall of 1852, he became 
infatuated with the glowing accounts of America, and crossed the ocean, 
landing in New York City in November of that year. First went to 
Watertown, Wisconsin, where he was engaged as clerk in a bakery till 
the following spring, when he returned to his native country, having 
official business. Remained there till 1855, when he again came to 
America, and located in Wisconsin, where he was engaged in various 
works till the spring of 1858. Then went to Lyon County, Kansas, and 
took up a Government claim, but remained but a few months, when he 
came to St. Joseph, and the following winter went to DeKalb, and 
engaged as clerk in a store till 1861. Then went to Atchison, Kansas, 
embarked in the mercantile trade, and pursued the same till 1864, when 
he disposed of his stock and engaged as clerk. In 1867, he returned to 
DeKalb, and began in mercantile trade as one of the present firm, since 
which time has been doing the leading business of the city. Has held 
the position of postmaster since 1871. Besides keeping a general stock 
of goods they are also engaged in the grain and stock trade, the junior 
partner of the firm attending principally to that department, their stock 
averaging from $5,000 to $8,000, and doing from $25,000 to $30,000 
worth of business each year. In 1873, Mr. D. took a trip to his native 
home. Was married September 20, i860, to Miss Amanda Bretz, who 
was born in Ohio, October 24, 1842. They have four children — Alice, 
Frederick, William and Bertha. Mr. D. is a member of the Masonic 
Lodge of Wellington, No. 22, also an Odd Fellow, of DeKalb, No. 191. 

J. H. DICKEN, 

farmer, section 26, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Green County, Ken- 
tucky, July 5, 1837, and when two years of age his parents moved to 



I026 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Illinois, where his father, Isaac H., died in the fall of 1844. In the 
spring of 1855, his mother, Elizabeth, with the family of nine children 
moved to Missouri and located in Buchanan County. The subject of 
this sketch was raised on a farm and has followed farming during life. 
He received a good education in the common schools here. He 
acted as Lieutenant in the Pawpaw Militia a number of months. Has 
held the office of justice of the peace since November, 1878. He now 
owns one-half interest in a farm of 140 acres. Was married February 
6, 1866, to Miss Susan A. Fauntleroy. She was born in Kentucky, 
August II, 1840. They have two children — Valley H., born April 21, 
1867 ; and Birdie B., born October 5, 1872. Mr. D. has been a member 
of the Christian Church since 1867 and Mrs. D. since 1876. 

D. A. DICKEN, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 26, postoffice DeKalb, was born in 
Menard County, Illinois, December 31, 1843. In the spring of 1845 he 
came to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since made his home. 
He received a fair education in the common schools and has taught 
school about four years. Has made several trips to the western states 
and territories engaged in freighting. With this exception Mr. D. has 
always been engaged in farming. His farm contains 140 acres which is 
moderately improved and well watered. Was married August 4, 1867, 
to Miss Bettie A. Brown. She was born in Garrett County, Kentucky, 
June 24, 1839. They have had four children, only one now living — 
Freddie B., born March 17, 1875. Mr. D. is a mason and a member of 
Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

DAVID M. DIX, 

•of the firm of Harmon & Dix, merchants, DeKalb, was born in Platte 
County, Missouri, April 29, 1850, and when only a child his parents 
moved to Buchanan County, where he has since resided. He received 
his primary education in the common schools of this county, and after- 
wards attended the State University two years, having taught school to 
pay his expenses while at this institution. He taught his first school in 
the year 1871, and followed the profession till the time he became a 
partner in this firm, in January, 1881. He was married March 26, 1879, 
to Miss Frankie Brown. She was born in this county August 8, 1853. 
They have one child, Maggie E., born January 16, 1880. This firm is 
doing a fair business, and, being prompt and agreeable, merit the pat- 
ronage they have obtained. 

R. C. DUNLAP, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 17, postoffic DeKalb, was born in Mont- 
gomery County, Kentucky, October 25, 1841, and when two years of age 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO27 

his parents moved to Buchanan County, Missouri. Was educated in 
the common schools, and also took a thorough course in Bryant's Busi- 
ness College of St. Joseph, graduating from this instisution in 1865. 
At the beginning of the war he served six months in the state guards 
after which he enlisted in the artillery service. Participated in a num- 
ber of the principal battles and was wounded June 24, 1864, in the left 
arm, by a shell, which necessitated amputation. After this he lay in the 
hospital at Augusta, Georgia, for about three months, and remained in 
the South till the close of the war, when he returned to Buchanan 
County. His landed estate consists of 120 acres of land well improved. 
At present he is engaged in erecting a house of fine structure which will 
add much to the appearance of a home. Mr. D. was married, Decem- 
ber 20, 1866, to Miss Jennie Hurst. She is a native of Buchanan County, 
Missouri, and was born in August, 1848. They have four children: 
Leona, born April 16, 1868; James G., born October 20, 1871; Wyatt, 
born January 24, 1875; Lela, born December 27, 1879. 

JOSEPH T. FRAKES, 

farmer, section 12, postofifice DeKalb, was born in Montgomery County, 
Kentucky, June 30, 18 18, and when twelve years of age his parents moved 
to Putnam County, Indiana, where he remained ten years, then com- 
ing to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since resided. His 
landed estate consists of no acres. Was married June 16, 1840, to Miss 
Birdie D. B. Sampson, who was born in Kentucky, October 18, 1822. 
She died in July, 1872. They had eight children — Elizabeth, born August 
25, 1841 ; Nathan T., born March 30, 1843 ; Jackson, born March 14, 
1845 ; W. N., born February 20, 1847 ; Benjamin, born October 26, 1849; 
Willis, born August 6, 1851 ; Anna J., born May 12, 1853; and Sednie 
A., born October 13, 1855. Mr. Frakes was again married October 2, 
1875, to Mrs. Charlotte Tyler. 

A. B. FRISTOE, 

farmer, section 4, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Page County, Virginia, 
April 19, 1830, and was raised in his native State. In the fall of 1854 he 
came to St. Joseph and remained over winter ; in the spring of 1855 he 
located in Bloomington Township, where he has since resided except 
from 1859 to 1862, when he was in Doniphan County, Kansas. His 
farm contains seventy acres, which is the savings of his own labor and 
business tact. He was in the Pawpaw militia two years. Was married 
November 27, 185 i, to Miss Lucinda Utz. She is a native of Virginia 
They have no children of their own, but have raised one child and 
partly three others. 



I028 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JAMES GABBERT, 

farmer, section 13, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Bartholomew County, 
Indiana, April 18, 1830, and when eighteen years of age his parents 
moved to Buchanan County, Missouri. Was raised on a farm and has 
followed that occupation during life. In 1856 he went to Leavenworth 
County, Kansas, where he remained till the spring of 1876, when he 
returned to Buchanan County. His farm contains 109 acres all of 
which is the savings of his own labor. March 17, 1853, he was married 
to Miss Melvina Ellison. She was born in Rush County, Indiana, July 
8, 1838. They have had ten children, eight of whom are living — Eliza- 
beth C, Melvin M.. Wm. R., Ella N., Emma B., Mary O., Eva M., and 
Charlie. 

A. J. & J. M. GABBERT, 

farmers, section 14, postoffice DeKalb, are both natives of Buchanan 
County, Missouri. A. J. was born August 30, 1844, and J. M. was born 
January 11, 1846. They have been raised in this county, and have fol- 
lowed farming from boyhood, and are the owners of a farm of eighty 
acres. They are both members of the I. O. O. F. lodge. Their parents 
were natives of Virginia, and came to Buchanan County, Missouri, 
about 1840. They had a family of ten children. 

STEPHEN GARTON. 

DeKalb, was born in Decatur County, Indiana, May 15, 1826, and was 
reared in his native county till thirteen years of age, when his parents 
emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri. Was brought up on a farm 
and engaged in farming till twenty-four years of age, since which time 
he has been engaged in the saloon business. In the summer of 1846, he 
went to New Mexico, and engaged as teamster in the Mexican war till 
the spring of 1867, when he returned to DeKalb. Was married, August 
8, 1 8 150, to Miss Sarah J. Percy, who was born in Putnam County, Indi- 
ana. She died June 12, 1855. They had three children, two of whom . 
are living, Lawrence W. and Leroy. Was again married, November 28, 
1855, to Miss Jane Bretz. She is a native of Marion County, Ohio. 
They had five children, four of whom are living: James B., Blanche, 
Florence B. and May. 

ISOM S. GARDNER, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 23, postoffice DeKalb, was born July 25, 
1813, and is a native of Madison County, Kentucky. He never attended* 
school a week in his life. Came to Buchanan County, Missouri, arriving 
October 29, 1838, and entered 160 acres of land where he now resides. 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO29 

His landed estate consists of 265 acres being comfortably improved, all 
of which is by his own labor, having come to the county with a very 
small amount of means. From the time he was twenty years old till 
twenty-five, Mr. G. was employed in driving stock south to Petersburg 
and other points. November 19, 1835, he was united by marriage to 
Miss Mary Thurman. She was born in Madison County, Kentucky, 
August 4, 1 82 1, and was raised in her native county. I'hey have had 
nine children, seven of whom are living — Elizabeth J., born November 
19. 1837 ; James A., born April 2, 1843 ; Mary R., born April 15, 1846; 
George I., born February 23, 1852, Wm. C, born September 25, 1853 ; 
Harrison B., born August 16, 1856; and Warren, born October 11, 1859. 
Mr. G. is a Mason and member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

PHILIP GERNER, 

miller and farmer, DeKalb, was born January 12, 1821, and is a native 
of Baden, Germany. He was educated in both agricultural and military 
schools of his native country, and for two years was traveling over dif- 
ferent parts of Europe, Italy, Spain, France, Asia Minor, Turkey, Rus- 
sia, etc. He was for a short time in the Revolutionary war. In Sep- 
tember, 1849, he started for America, landing at New York, where he 
remained eleven months, and after staying a time in Ohio and Ken- 
tucky, he came to Missouri and located in Platte County, this being in 
the spring of 1854. In February, 1864, he moved to Buchanan County, 
where he has since resided. Has principally followed milling from boy- 
hood, but occasionally has been engaged at various pursuits. His 
landed interest consists of 140 acres in Buchanan County, and 480 acres 
in Kansas, besides property in DeKalb. He was married December 21, 
1855, to Miss Ann Crutchfield, born in Kentucky, October 6, 1835. She 
died June 8, 1872. They had seven children, George, born September 
12, 1856; Fannie, born August 2, 1858; Ellen, born July 31, 1861 ; 
Francis Z., born August 24, 1863 ; Sheridan, born November 21, 1865 ; 
Sherman, born June 21, 1868, and Katie, born March 6, 1871. 

FRED. W. HAGENSTEIN, 

of the firm of Derge & Hagenstein, merchants, DeKalb, was born in 
Gruneberg, Prussia, October 2, 1838, and was there reared and received 
his education, having to work for his board when attending school. 
When fourteen years of age, he learned the miller's trade, which he fol- 
lowed about two years. Having anxiety to seek a new home in America, 
'with his present partner he crossed the ocean, landing at New Yorkjuly^ 
1855, and located in Wisconsin, where he remain till May, 1858, and then 
went to Kansas, and remained a short time, and came to St, Joseph, 



I030 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

where he was employed by Baker, Woodson & Co. till December, when 
he came to DeKalb. Here he was employed in a hotel till March, 1861, 
when he crossed the plains to Rock Creek, Nebraska, and was there 
engaged in mercantile trades of different kinds, also dealing in cattle. 
In 1863, he went to Whisky Run, Nebraska, and, one year after, he began 
freighting, visiting most of the the western points, and at the same time 
trading. He continued this business till January, 1867, when he returned 
to DeKalb, and began as one of the firm mentioned, his attention being 
directed principally toward the grain and stock department. The num- 
ber of car loads of grain shipped by them was about 100 during a year. 
They also have a number of acres of land, near their location, which 
they use entirely for pasture. Mr. H. not only came to America without 
money, but borrowed some to pay his way. He was married May 9, 
1877, to Miss Mollie Martin. She is a native of this county, and a 
daughter of Dr. John W. Martin. They have one child, Florence. Mr. 
H. is a Mason, and a member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

HARDEN HAINLINE, Sen., 

farmer and stock raiser, section 20, postoffice DeKalb, was born in 
Montgomery County, Kentucky, October 12, 18 19. Was educated in 
the old-fashioned school houses of his native county. Spent his boy- 
hood days on a farm and has since followed that vocation. In 1844, he 
emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri, and located where he now 
resides. His farm at that time was mostly covered with timber; it is 
now among the best improved farms in the county, and contains 160 
acres. All he now owns has been gained by his own labor and busi- 
ness tact. Was married February i, 1844, to Sally Harmon. She was 
born in the same county as himself, December 6, 1817. They have had 
nine children, six of whom are living: Priscilla, now Mrs. Brown, born 
November 20, 1844; Lucy, now Mrs. Bundy, born December 8, 1847; 
Harden, Jr., born June 13, 1850; Francis, born July 13, 1853; Lemuel S., 
born May i, 1856; Jefferson E., born July 12, 1862. Mr. H. has acted as 
justice of the peace for four years, excepting a few months. 

JAMES HALL, 

retired farmer, section i, postoffice DeKalb, was born November 19, 
1808, and is a native of Powell County, Kentucky. He was raised in his 
native county on a farm and was educated in the common schools. His 
father having died when he was but eight years of age, his educational 
advantages were very much limited. Since seventeen years of age he 
has been his own architect. He has followed farming from boyhood ; 
was married to Miss Julia A. McPherson December 25, 1828. She was 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO3 I 

born in Clark County, Kentucky, about 1813, and died July 8, 1878 
They had eight children, six of whom are living : William A., Permelia 
E., Francis M., Henry H., Martha A., and Kate. In 1829 Mr. Hall emi- 
grated to Decatur County, Indiana, and in the fall of 1837 he moved to 
Jackson County, Missouri, where he remained till the following spring, 
when he moved to Platte County. In the fall of 1841 he came to his pres- 
ent location. His farm contains 192 acres of land, which is moderately 
improved. Mr. H. has been a member oi the Christian Church for 
thirty-one years, and is a Mason and member of Wellington Lodge, No. 
22, of which he has been a member for about twenty-five years. 

T. D. HAMPTON. 

blacksmith, DeKalb, was born in Rutherford County, North Carolina 
April II, 1832, and when three years of age was taken to White County, 
Tennessee. There he grew to manhood and was occupied in farming 
until about 1859, when he learned the blacksmith's trade, and has since 
followed it. December 31, 1863, he moved to Robertson County, Ten- 
nessee, remained one year, and then came to Buchanan County, Mis- 
souri, first locating in Crawford Township. Six years later he removed 
to Washington County, Arkansas, but soon returned to his present loca- 
tion. Mr. H., was married April 30, 1857, to Miss Elizabeth James, who 
was born in White County, Tennessee, August 17, 1837. They have 
had seven children, five of whom are living: Cynthia L., born February 
[5, 1859; Elizabeth B., born January 16, i860; James B., born November 
13, 1865; Nettie A., born March 7, 1867; William H., born July i, 1870. 

H. B. C. HARRIS, 

physician and farmer, section 25, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Pow- 
hattan County, Virginia, February 3, 1825, and was there raised on a 
farm. After receiving his primary education in the common schools he 
attended the Concord Academy in Caroline County, Virginia, for three 
years. In 1848 he began the study of medicine with M. F. T. Evans 
and in 1848 graduated in the Medical University of the City of New 
York, after which he returned to his native home and remained one 
year. He again went to New York City, and in February, 1850, came 
to St. Louis and remained till July, when he located in Weston, Platte 
County, Missouri. Was at this point engaged in the practice of his pro- 
fession for about twenty years, during that time ranking among the 
leading physicians of the state and having the confidence of the people 
in his community. At the end of the time mentioned, on account of 
disability he gave up the practice and located on a farm and in the 
spring of 1879 h^ moved to his present location. His farm is located in 



1032 _ BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Platte County and contains 120 acres. Dr. H. has been twice married ; 
first, to Miss Sarah C. Calvert, May 20, 1851. She was born in Scott 
County, Kentucky, March 9, 1835, and died March 18, 1865. They had 
seven children, five of whom are living: Rebecca D., born May 24, 
1852 ; Hiram, born July 31, 1855 I Martha, born August 7, 1861 ; James 
C, born October 16, 1863. Was again married May 2, 1869, to Miss 
Elizabeth A. Daniels. She was born October 17, 1842, and is a native of 
Tennessee. They have six children ; Margaret E., born January 10, 
1871 ; Pauline B., born April 20, 1873, died October 29, 1874; Robert D., 
born March 31. 1875, died October 8, 1875 ; Sallie T., born September 
9, 1877 ; Wm. H., born May 7, 1879; and Mary, born June 15, 1880. 

THOMAS M. HICKMAN, 

farmer, section 14, postofifice, DeKalb, was born February 19, 1806, and 
is a native of Mason County, Kentucky. When twenty-one years 01 
age, he came to Missouri, and remained near St. Louis for about eighteen 
months, working by the month. He then entered a tract of land, and 
improved the same, which he sold in 1836, and went to Clay County. 
In the spring of 1838, he settled in Buchanan County, Missouri, where 
he he has since resided. He entered and improved the land on which 
he now resides. His farm contains 140 acres. March 8, 1827, he was 
married to Miss Sallie Houser. She was born in Mason County, Ken- 
tucky, July, 1806, and died in September, 1837. They had five children, 
three now living : Susan, born July 28, 1828 ; John, born January, 28, 1830, 
and Alfred, born September 18, 1833. Mr. Hickman was again married 
December 19, 1838, to Miss Jane Wilson. She was born in Orange 
County, Indiana, April 13, 1820. Their family consists of Milton, born 
October 29. 1839 ; Mary E., October 20, 1841 : Elizabeth, February 20, 
1844 ; James W.. September 16, 1846 ; Nancy J., June 30, 1849 ; Francis 
M., March 21, 1850, and died March 9, 1874; Isabelle, September 24, 
1855, and Sarah G., March 4, 1859. 

THOMAS HILL, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 4, postoffice DeKalb, was born April 21, 
1826, and is a native of White County, Tennessee. He remained in his 
native county till fourteen years of age, when he came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, where he has since resided except from the spring of 
1865 till the fall of 1868, during which time he was engaged in freighting 
and mining in the mountains. With this exception he has followed 
farming from boyhood. He was in the Pawpaw Militia about three 
months. His farm contains 455 acres, which is all well improved and 
well supplied with stock. Mr. Hill was married July 30, 1846, to Miss 
Margaret Norris. She was born in Johnson County, Missouri, January 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO33 

8, 1832, and came to Buchanan County in 1839. They have nine chil- 
dren, William, born August 8, 1847 ; May E., born September 18, 1848; 
Lucy J., born February 23, 1850; John, born August 25, 1852; James 
R., born March i, 1856; Thpmas J., born May 23, 1858; Alice, born 
August 18, 1864; Florence, born January i, 1869, and Robert E., born 
August 25, 1870. Mr. T. is a Mason and a member of Wellington 
Lodge, No. 22. 

AMOS HORN, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 20, postofifice DeKalb, was born in 
Lafayette County, Missouri, March 30, 1820. In 1838, he came to 
Buchanan County, Missouri. Has followed farming from boyhood, and 
his landed estate now consists of 310 acres, all well improved. All he 
now possesses has been obtained by his own labor, as he began for him- 
self when fifteen years of age. Was married, July 19, 1849, to Miss 
Frances E. Ellison. She was born in Missouri in October, 1826. They 
have had eight children, three of whom are living : Sarah A., now Mrs. 
Brumley, James E., and Arminia. He is a member of Wellington 
Lodge No. 22, Masons. 

CAPTAIN P. A. JONES, 

farmer and teacher, section 21, postofifice DeKalb, is a native of Buchanan 
County, Missouri, and was born September 6, 1838. Was educated in 
the common schools of this county and at Pleasant Ridge College. Dur- 
ing life he has taught school for about twenty-three years. His landed 
estate consists of 204 acres. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union army 
serving in the State and Federal service till the close of the war, enter- 
ing as private and being mustered out as captain. Was married Feb- 
ruary 23, 1862, to Miss Sarah E. Garton. She was born in the same 
county as himself December 27 1845. They have had nine children, 
seven of whom are living : Abraham L., born December 23, 1862 ; 
Samuel B., born May 15, 1865 ; Mary L., born August 13, 1867 ; Mattie 
M.,born March 21, 1869; Wm. H.,born August 30, 1872 ; Lillie B., born 
October 10, 1875 ; Charley A., born October 3, 1877. Captain J. is a 
Mason and a member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

JOHN C. KELLER, Sen., 

farmer, section 30, postofifice Rushville, was born in Clark County, Indi- 
ana, December 14, 1829, and when two years of age his parents moved 
to Bartholomew County, Indiana, where he was raised and educated. 
In i860, he emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since 
resided. His landed estate consists of 254 acres. Was married, May 

6i 



1034 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

31, 1855, to Miss Clarinda Cox. She was born in Dearborn County^ 
Indiana, October 18, 1834. They have eight children: Martin, born 
April 18, 1858; Myra, born December 30, 1859; James A., born Decem- 
ber 20, 1 861; Mary J., born December 25, 1865; Sarah E., born July 24 
1868; Martha, born September 4, 1870; Virtie E., born April 30, 1874; 
John C, Jr., born September 26, 1876. Mr. K.'s father, Martin, is of 
German descent, and was born in Ohio County, Virginia, in June. 1803, 
and died in Bartholomew County, Indiana, April 20, 1855. His mother,. 
Polly (Robb), was born in Clay County, Indiana, February 28, 1806, and 
now resides on his farm. Her grandchild, Mahala Thompson, was born 
September 10, 1864, and now makes her home with her. 

J. M. LAWRENCE, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 31, postoffice Rushville, was born in 
Clark County, Kentucky, September 14, 1819. His parents, John B. and 
Elizabeth Eve, were natives of Virginia. In the spring of 1855 J. M. 
moved to Missouri and located in Platte County till the fall of 1855, 
when he came to Buchanan County, where he has since resided. He 
has followed farming and trading in stock from boyhood. His landed 
estate consists of 220 acres, all of which is the saving of his own labor- 
Was married September 13, 1846, to Miss E. Sewell. She was born in 
Clark County, Kentucky, December 29, 1822. They have seven chil- 
dren : Charity A., born June 6, 1847 ; Zachariah T., born June 6, 1849 5 
Walter S., born April 25, 185 1 ; John S., born April 20, 1853 ; Wm. H., 
born July 10, 1855 ; Mary E., born February 6, 1858 ; and Milton S.^ 
July 23, 1864. Mr. and Mrs. L. are members of the Christian Church. 

Dr. JOHN W. MARTIN, 

physician and surgeon, DeKalb, was born October 30, 18 16, and is a 
native of Bourbon County, Kentucky. He was raised in Lexington, 
where he was educated, and when about seventeen years of age he 
learned the bricklayers' trade and worked at it for about five years. 
When twenty-two years of age he began the study of medicine under 
Dr. Pinckard, of Lexington, Kentucky, and afterwards attended the lec- 
tures of the Transylvania University of Lexington, graduating in March, 
1840. He then began his practice in Fayette County, which he pursued 
till 1854, when he moved to DeKalb, Buchanan County, Missouri. Here 
he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. He was 
married August 20, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth Hart. She was born July 
22, 1829, and is a native of Fayette County, Kentucky. They have had 
fourteen children, seven of whom are living : Nannie, Kittic, Bettie, 
John W., Christopher H., Mollie, and James D. Christopher H., M. D., 
was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, November 22, 1854. He was. 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO35 

raised in his native county, and was here educated. In February, 1874, 
he began the study of medicine with his father, and in the spring of 
1877 graduated in the medical department of the University of Louis- 
ville, Kentucky. Since that time he has been engaged in the practice 
of his profession with his father. He was married June 17, 1878. to 
Miss Bettie Wallingford. She was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, 
September 17, 1861. They have two children, William and Thomas. 

W. S. MARTIN, 

farmer, section 35, postofifice DeKalb, was born in DeKalb, Buchanan 
County, Missouri, February 16, 1848, and has always made his home in 
his native county. His father, John S., being a miller, the son was also 
raised in that industry. Since eighteen years of age he has made farm- 
ing his principal occupation. His farm contains 130 acres. Was mar- 
ried December 16, 1875, to Miss Louisa J. Hyde. She was born in 
Buchanan County, Missouri, January 14, 1852, and was raised in her 
native county, and educated in the Young Ladies' Institute, of St. Joseph. 
They have two children : Charley, born May 26, 1878, and Harry, born 
March 13, 1880. Mr. M.'s father was a native of Virginia, and his 
mother of Ohio. 

JAMES W. MITCHELL, 

farmer, section 25, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Fairfax County, Vir- 
ginia, April 20, 1833, and was raised on a farm in his native county. In 
1853, he came to Buchanan County, Missouri, and in 1856 moved to 
Atchison County, Kansas, where he remained about three years. Then 
went to Colorado, where he was engaged in mining till 1862, when he 
returned to Buchanan County, Missouri. His farm contains 106 acres. 
Was married, January 28, 1858, to Miss Sarah J. Bryant. She was born 
in Buchanan County, Missouri, October 29, 1839. They have had nine 
children, seven of whom are living: Robert H., born March 11, 1859; 
Hugh B., born September 13, 1861; Anna L., born December 13, 1865; 
Elizabeth M., born November 18, 1867; Francis D., born January 18, 
1870; Rose E., born September 7, 1872; Mary F., born November 22, 
1874. Mr. M. is a member of the Christian Church, and his wife wor- 
ships with the Baptist denomination. 

BENJAMIN PEEL, 

farmer, section 29, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Lincolnshire, England, 
April 17, 1839, and when about twelve years of age, his parents, John 
and Ann (Cook), emigrated to America, landing at New York. They 
shortly located at Lansing, Michigan, where Benjamin grew to man- 



1036 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

hood. In February, i860, he left his home and went to Denver, Colorado, 
and was engaged in mining in different parts of the mountains, till 1862 
when he went to Montana, and began dealing in stock, and running a 
meat market in Banneck, till 1866, then moved to his present location. 
He now owns one of the finest farms in Bloomington Township, con- 
taining 320 acres, well improved, fine orchard, and an abundance of 
stock. November 6, 1867, he married Miss Lucy Brown. She was 
born in Buchanan County, Missouri, Januar}' 8, 1847. They have four 
children : Margaret A., born September 20. 1868 ; John W., born May 
7, 1871; Edward E., born May 18, 1873, and Charles E., born October 
20, 1879. ^Ir. P. is a Mason, and a member of Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

HAMBURY PYLES, 

farmer, section 1 1, postofifice DeKalb, was born in Mason County, Ken- 
tucky, March 3, 1818, and in 1846, he moved to Platte County, Mis- 
souri. In 1858 he came upon his present location. Has followed farm- 
ing from boyhood, and his landed estate consists of 270 acres. He was 
married November 13, 1845, to Miss Jane Dye. She was born in the 
same county as himself, Ma}- 26, 1824. The}' have ten children, all liv- 
ing: Mar}- L., born November 14, 1846; John M., born Ma}- 10, 1848; 
Margaret G., born April 10, 1850 ; Parthenia ¥., born December 18, 
1851 ; Sarah A., born August 12, 1855 ; Thomas, born June 27, 1857; 
William, born April 23, 1859; Elenora, born August 9, 1861 ; James S., 
born October 22, 1863 ; Nannie C, born March 5, 1866. 

PRESTON RAMSEY, M. D., 

DeKalb, was born May 15, 1833, and is a native of Clark County, Ken- 
tucky. He was raised and educated in this county, and when eighteen 
years of age began the study of medicine under Dr. James Hood, of 
Winchester, Kentucky, and graduated in the University of Louisville, 
Kentucky, in the spring of 1857. He then pursued his practice in Clark 
Count}- about two }'ears, when he went to Philadelphia, and remained 
six months. While there he attended the Philadelphia Medical School, 
and, at the same time, visited all the principal hospitals of the city. He 
then returned to Clark County, Kentucky, where he continued his prac- 
tice till the spring of 1867,. when he moved to DeKalb, where he now 
resides. His residence denotes comfort and prosperity. Miss Mary E. 
Merrit became his wife, March 15, i860. She was born in Philadelphia 
December 18, 1841, and died Ma}' 5, 1874. The}- had seven children, 
five now living : Fanny F., born June 29, 1862 ; John M., August 2, 1864; 
Lenora, October 29, 1865 ; Mary E., April 8, 1868, and James S., April 
30, 1872. He is an Odd Fellow, of DeKalb Lodge No. 191. 



BLOOMINOTON TOWNSHIP. IO37 

JUDGE CORNELIUS ROBERTS, 

farmer, section r, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Green County, Ken- 
tucky, November 22, 1809, and was educated in log school houses in 
which were split benches. October 28, 1828, he was married to Miss 
Lucinda Thompson. She was born in Edmondson County, Kentucky, 
August 20, 18 12, and was a daughter of a widow. When about twelve 
years of age they moved to Green County, Kentucky, where she was 
married. In the fall of 1836 Mr. and Mrs R. moved to Missouri and 
located in Jackson County, and in the following spring came to Buchanan 
County and located on the farm where he now resides. His farm con- 
tains over 289 acres, all of which was a wilderness when he came here. 
Mr. R. has been an honorable, upright man and one respected by all 
who know him. He has been in public office in the county from fourteen 
to sixteen years, an account of which can be seen elsewhere in our 
history. He had a family of twelve children: Jesse T., born October 
II, 1829; James E., born October 28, 1832, died June 25, 1862 ; Mary 
A., born December 19, 1834, died August 29, 1847 ; Wm. T., born Feb- 
ruary 19, 1837, died May 4, 1881 ; one infant ; Richard M., born October 
20, 1840, died July 7, i860; Elizabeth, born June 15, 1843, died March 
30, -1845 ; Susan S., born April 26, 1846, died September 5, 1847 ; Cor- 
nelius J., born July 27, 1847 ! Francis M., born August 3, 1850 ; Eliza J., 
born May 28, 1852 ; and Lucinda L., born August 25, 1868. Mr. and 
Mrs. R. are members of the Christian Church. Mr. R. is also a Mason 
and belongs to Wellington Lodge No. 22. 

JAMES SAMPSON, 



farmer and proprietor of saw-mill. Has always been a citizen of 
Buchanan County, Missouri, where he was born, October 8, 1839. His 
father, John, who was a native of Kentucky, and his mother Annie 
(Kaze), a native of Pennsylvania, came to this county in the fall of 1837. 
His father being principally engaged in a saw and grist-mill, James has 
also followed that vocation more or less during life. His landed estate 
consists of 316 acres, having the best of improvements, his house and 
barn being above the average of the county. His orchard is fine and 
quite large. April 12, i860, Mr. S. was married to Miss Mary Meers. 
She was born in this county March 7, 1844. They have had eleven 
children, eight now living: Mary J., born March 8, 1862; Martha F., 
born February 9, 1867; James, born February 28, 1869; Eliza, born 
October 8, 1872 ; Sula, born January 26, 1.874 ; John, born May 15, 1876; 
Willie, born September 21, 1878 ; Jeffie, born July 5, 1880. 



1038 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOHN H. SPRATT, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 36, postoffice DeKaib, was born Sep- 
tember 29, 1 8 14, and is a native of Wythe County, Tennessee. When 
ten years of age, with his parents, he moved to Green County, Kentucky, 
where he was raised on a farm, which occupation he has followed during 
life. In the spring of 1875, he came to Buchanan County, Missouri. 
Was married, January 22, 1878, to Mrs. Elizabeth V. Spratt. Her 
maiden name was Spencer, and she was born in Kentucky, November 
4, 1836. When six months old her parents moved to Missouri, locating 
in Buchanan County. She was married, February lo, 1856, to James B. 
Spratt, a brother of her present husband, and he was born in the same 
county, September 26, 18 16, and also went to Kentucky at the same time 
as J. H. In 1837, he came to Missouri, and remained till 1840, when he 
returned to Kentucky. In 1850 he came to Missouri, and located in 
Buchanan County, where he remained until the time of his demise, Feb- 
ruary 3, 1875. His death was caused by a shot received from a revolver 
fired by Frank Brown, who is now in the state's prison for the remainder 
of his natural life. J. B. Spratt followed farming from boyhood and had 
a farm of 320 acres, conveniently located and moderately improved. 
He had a family of nine children, all of whom are living: John M., 
born November 14, 1856; Eugene H., born August 17, 1858; Mary H., born 
May 16, i860; Isadore B., born August 7, 1862; William C, born Octo- 
ber 29, 1864; Booth, born April 9, 1866; Nannie A., born August 8, 1869; 
Lula N., born January 12, 1871; Jimmie E., born March 5, 1875. 

WILLIAM T. STEELE, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 8, postoffice DeKaib. The subject of 
this sketch first saw the light in Madison County, Kentucky, July 18, 
1828. His father was a merchant of Richmond, and in 1840 they moved 
to Missouri and located in Platte County. In 1856 he moved to Noda- 
way County, where he remained six years and then went to Andrew 
County, and in the spring of 1866 he moved to Buchanan County. 
He was educated in the common schools and also attended Beth- 
any College and the Academy of Cincinnati, each for two years. His 
farm consists of 380 acres of land, which is well improved and con- 
veniently located, having an orchard of about 800 bearing apple trees 
and other fruits. Mr. S. was married April 17, 1853, to Miss Elizabeth 
Dooley. She was born in Park County, Indiana, December 11, 1835, and 
died March 16, 1867. They had four children, John, born February 15, 
1854; Sarah, born July 27, 1856; Clara, born December 23, 1858, and 
Oliver, born October 21, 1862. Miss Julia Dooley, a sister of his first 
wife, became his second wife, December 18, 1867. She was bor'^ in Park 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. IO39 

County, Indiana, February 4, 1838. They have three children, Silas, 
born October 4, 1868 ; Elizabeth, born September 30, 1874, and William 
T., born June 14, 1876. 

BENJAMIN STEWART, 

farmer, section 30, postoffice Rushville, was born May 25, 18 16, and is a 
native of Green County, Kentucky. When about sixteen years of age, 
his father moved to Washington County, Indiana. His parents, Samuel 

5. and Mary (Howard), were natives of Virginia. His mother died in 
Kentucky, and his father in Indiana. In the spring of 1841, Benjamin 
came to Missouri, and located in Platte County, at Weston, where he 
remained three years, and then came to Buchanan County. Here he 
has since resided, except eight years, when he lived in Platte County. 
While in Indiana, he worked more or less at the carpenter trade, and, 
to some extent, after coming to Missouri. His farm contains one hun- 
dred and sixty-one acres. He makes a specialty in raising fruit, most 
of which he makes into brandy, having a small distillery located on his 
farm. He was married July 7, 1842, to Miss Martha Cox. She was born 
in Jackson County, Indiana, September 22, 182 1. They have had seven 
children, three of whom are living: Mary E., born January 31, 1845 ; 
Ida, born January 29, 1855 ; Benjamin, born July 3, i860. 

JOHN UNDERWOOD, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 22, postoffice DeKalb, is a native of 
New York and was born in Chatham County, September 25, 1813. 
When about three years of age his parents moved to Orange County, 
Indiana. In 1828 he went to Fountain County, and in the fall of 1832 
to Will County, Illinois. In the spring of 1838 he came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri. His father died while in Orange County, Indiana, 
since which time John principally cared for himself Has followed farm- 
ing from boyhood and came to Buchanan County with a very small 
amount of means ; entered the land on which he now resides and 
remained on same till the spring of 1853 when he went to California 
and there remained till the spring of 1856, when he returned to Buchanan 
County. He purchased the adjoining farm and in a few years his old 
farm, and then moved and has since resided at his present location. 
His farms contain 230 acres all well watered and improved land. Miss 
Betsie A. Dicken became his wife April 12, i860. She was born in 
Green County, Kentucky, April 12, 1832. They have had four children, 
three now living : John A., born March 28, 1862 ; Annetta, born May 

6, 1863 ; Mary E., born December 26, 1864. 



I040 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

W. H. WARREN, 

teamster, DeKalb, was born in Putnam County, New York, October g,. 
1841, and in 1855 his parents moved to La Salle County, Illinois. He 
was educated in the common schools. His father was a miller, and he 
was also brought up in the same occupation. In 1861, he enlisted in 
the Federal service in Company I, Fourth Illinois Cavalry. Previous to 
this he had served three months in Mulligan's Brigade, and at that time 
was taken prisoner at Lexington, Missouri, but was released in a few 
days. He served in Company I till the close of the war, and partici- 
pated in all the battles in which his company took part. During the 
time he was in service he was not off duty one day. After the close of 
the war he returned to Illinois, and from there went to Indiana, where 
he was engaged in railroading till 1871, when he came to Buchanan 
County, Missouri. Was married July 4, 1867, to Miss Eliza Long. She 
was born in Ashland County, Ohio, March 27, 1844. They have had 
five children: Eugene, born September 16, 1870; William H., born Jan- 
uary 17, 1872; Mary, born January 19, 1877; Maggie, born April 26„ 
1879. 

SAMUEL G. WEST, 

DeKalb, was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky, October 27, 1836, 
and in 1843 his parents moved to Buchanan County, Missouri. He was 
raised on a farm and educated in the common schools. In 1861 he 
enlisted in the Federal service in Company D, Twenty-fifth Missouri 
Infantry, remaining with this company eighteen months. He partici- 
pated in a number of prominent battles and returned to Buchanan 
County. He re-enlisted in the militia and served till the close of the 
war. In 1866 he e'ngaged in the saloon business. He was married April 
17, 1 88 1, to Miss Polana Chitwood. She was born in Buchanan County, 
Missouri, September 20, 1854. Mr. West is a Mason, and a member of 
Wellington Lodge No. 22, and a member of DeKalb Lodge No. 191, 
I. O. O. F. 

JASPER WTLSON, 

farmer, section 14, postoffice DeKalb. His father, James, was a native 
of North Carolina, and was one of the early pioneers of this county, 
and was murdered at the beginning of the war in 1861. His mother, 
Priscilla (Moore), was a native of Tennessee. Jasper was born in 
Orange County, Indiana, April 8, 1822, and when thirteen years of age 
his parents moved to Will County, Illinois, and in the fall of 1837 moved 
to Buchanan County, Missouri, where he has since resided. He was 
raised on a farm, and has followed that vocation during life. His farms 
contain 290 acres, being located in different sections. His home farm 



BLOOMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 



IO4I 



contains 160 acres, and moderately improved. He served in the State 
Militia about three years, and under the old law was commissioned 
lieutenant, which position he held for several years. He was married 
August 10, 1843, to Miss Mary Garton. She was born in Decatur 
County, Indiana, May 10, 1824. They have had six children, four now 
living: Mary J., born February 20, [846 ; John W., born April 19, 1849; 
James M., born December 29, 1837 ; Martha E., born August 23, 1867. 

JOHN YAGER, 

farmer, section 4, postoffice Hallsj was born in Williamsburg, New York, 
now East Brooklyn, August 13, 1832. He was educated in the German 
schools of his native city, and also attended the English school a short 
time. When fifteen years of age, he learned the baker's trade, which he 
followed four years. From this date till the time of his marriage, he 
was engaged at various pursuits, in different states, employed by different 
railroad companies, operating in stone quarries, etc. During this time, 
he learned the stone cutter's trade, and while at Mount Pleasant, Henry 
County, Iowa, was married August 5, 1855, to Miss Nellie Melcher. She 
was born in Germany, December 20, 1833, and came to America about 
1853. After residing in different parts of Iowa and Missouri, Mr. Y, 
moved to DeKalb, Buchanan County, Missouri, and settled on his pres- 
ent location in i860. He resided in DeKalb four years, and then rented 
a farm about three years. He now owns a farm of 155 acres, which is 
well improved, and has sixteen acres of orchard, also about two acres of 
vineyard, and from which he manufactures first class wine. He has a 
family of seven children; Emily, born June 14, 1856; Daniel, born 
November 27, 1858; Francis L., born April 7, 1861; John, born May 6, 
1863; Charley, born March 10, 1869; Mary, born March 6, 1872; and. 
Edward, born July 4, 1876. 



tM"^ 




^^$j^\% 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. 



B. F. BAKER, 



farmer and miller, sections 5 and 6, postoffice Halleck, was born in 
Buchanan County, Missouri, August 12, 1846, and received a good, com- 
mon school education. He was married April 5, 1874, to Miss Maggie 
Robinson, a native of Missouri, born May 13, 1857. They had four chil- 
dren : Beulah, born September 25, 1875; Verna, born April 3, 1877; 
Viola, born September 3, 1878; James, born July 3, 1880; all living. 
Mr. Brown owns 190 acres of land, all under fence and in a good state of 
cultivation. He devotes most of his time to the milling business at Hal- 
leck. He is a Mason and a member of the I. O. O. F. Has made all he 
possesses since the war. 

JAMES D. BARBEE, 

farmer, section 28, postoffice Wallace, is a native of Kentucky, and was 
born January 2, 1827, He was reared upon a farm, and received a good 
common English education. He emigrated to Missouri in 1848, locat- 
ing in Platte County, where he engaged in farming ; came to Buchanan 
County in 1865. He was married in January, 1852, to Miss Amanda 
Miller, also a native of Kentucky. She was born June 14. 1834. They 
have had eleven children, John, Mollie, Eliza, Emma, Kate, Lou, James, 
Effie, Agnes, Myra, and Hattie. The two oldest are dead. Mr. B. 
served in the Confederate army for four years in Company I, First Mis- 
souri Cavalry. He was wounded in the head slightly at Blakely, Ala- 
bama, and was taken prisoner at Vicksburg and Blakely, but was 
paroled and exchanged. He is a Mason and a member of the Mission- 
ary Baptist Church. He has seventy-seven acres of land which was 
given him by his father-in-law. It is all under fence, in a good state of 
cultivation, with a good house and barn and a fine orchard. 

JONATHAN BOLLER, 

farmer and teamster, Toas, postoffice Halleck, was born in Ohio, March 
27, 1830, and had a fair education. Owns a house and lot in Toas and 
two and one-quarter acres of land adjoining the city. Was married, 
September ii, 1855, to Miss Mary M. Boiler. She was born September 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO43 

7, 1837. They have had seven children: Permelia A., born February 19, 
1857; Joseph L., born August 17, 1859, died August 25, 1859; Phoebe E., 
born October 15, i860; Edix M., born August 12, 1862; Lilly M., born 
February 18, 1864, died March 2, 1880; James L. and Jesse L., born 
March 3, 1866. The subject of this sketch is engaged in farming in 
summer and teaming in winter. He is an industrious man and enjoys 
the respect of his fellow citizens. 

JOHN P. BRYAN, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 20, postoffice, Wallace. Was born in 
Boyle County, Kentucky, June 14, 1842, and raised upon a farm. His 
father emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1845. Mr. Bryan is 
a quiet, unsophisticated bachelor. He has 160 acres of land, which he 
inherited from his father's estate. The land is all under fence and in a 
good state of cultivation, with four acres of orchard. His mother, Eliza 
Bryan, was born in Spottsylvania County, Virginia, near Spottsylvania 
Court House, December 25, 1801. She had five children, but only two 
are living. She has been twice married ; first, to Jesse Burton, a native 
of Kentucky. He died in 183 1. Ten years afterwards she married 
James P. Bryan, who was born in Kentucky in 1805. He was a graduate 
of Centre College, at Danville, Kentucky, and was an excellent scholar. 
He was also a Mason. 

D. W. CLOUSER, 

farmer, sections 8, 9 and 10, postoffice Halleck ; was born in Ross County, 
Ohio, September 4, 1830. His opportunities of education were very lim- 
ited. Was raised on a farm ; also worked in a grist and saw mill. His 
parents emigrated to Missouri in 1847, arid located in Buchanan County. 
He was married to Miss Elsa Noble in 1850. She was born in Indiana, 
June 19, 1830. They had three children: Ruth A., born March 26, 1853; 
George P., born July 23, 1855; David A., born April 14, 1857. His wife 
died June 23, 1861, and he was again married, October 9, 1865, to Miss 
Rebecca L. Crow. She was born in Kentucky, December 4, 1841. The 
result of this union was seven children: Charles W., born October 16, 
1866; Hugh C, born March 6, 1868; Carrie A., born September 14, 1870; 
James A., born September 6, 1872; Iva L., born April 27, 1878; Ada D., 
born July 28, 1880, and one child who died in infancy. By hard labor 
and economy Mr. C. has secured 310 acres of land, all under fence, and 
in a good state of cultivation, with ten acres of fine orchard. He is a 
justice of the peace, school director and township clerk; is a Royal Arch 
Mason a member of Tabernacle Chapter No. 54; is also an Odd Fellow 
and a member of the Christian Church, in which he is an elder. In 
1850, seven hundred Pottawatomie Indians camped on his place. He 



I044 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

fed them and traded with them during this time. His father, Daniel 
CloLiser, resides with him. He was born in Ohio, October 14, 1799. He 
learned the blacksmith trade when young, but was compelled to aban- 
don it on account of his eyes, after which he followed farming and mill- 
ing. He married Catharine Roten, May ii, 1829. She was born in 
Ohio, February 20, 1803. They had five children, two boys and three 
girls. Father Clouser was a pea vine tramper in Ohio, and had many 
narrow escapes. His wife died February 15, 1881, after having been 
sick for thirty years. 

PRICILLA COGDILL, 

section 5, postofifice Halleck, widow of Jacob Cogdill, was born in Ken- 
tucky, February 4, 1826. Her parents moved to Missouri during the 
the same fall. She married William Baker in February, 1842. He was 
born in Tennessee. They had three children ; Missouri A., born March 
I, 1843 ; William H., born September 3, 1845 ; Martha J., born Septem- 
7, 1848. Mr. Baker died November 15, 1848. His widow, the subject of 
this sketch, married Jacob Cogdill, December i, 1850. He was born in 
Tennessee, January 3, 1795. By this union they had seven children : 
Maggie, born February 13, 1852, died February, 1880 ; Ross, born April 
20, 1854 ; Mary E., born May 3, 1856 ; Martin D., born March 26, 1858 ; 
Lucinda P., born March 22, 1864, died June, 1869; Daniel B., born 
March 8, 1866; Richard M., born October 25, 1868. Mrs. C. has 320 
acres of land, all under fence, with four acres of orchard. Mr. Cogdill 
died January 21, 1879. He was in the war twelve months, and drew 
pension on account of services rendered, and the widow, since his 
demise, draws eight dollars per month. 

W. H. CREW% 

wagon maker, postoffice Halleck. Was born in Glasgow, Barren County, 
Kentucky, October 15, 1847, where he received a good education. He 
learned his trade and followed it in Kentucky. In 1864 he emigrated to 
Missouri. Since then he has been engaged in the insurance business 
and wagon making. He was married July 4, 1876, to Miss Parthena F. 
Pyles. She was born in Missouri, January 18, 1853. They have been 
blessed with two fine children— Jane N., born June 24, 1877, and Nannie, 
born April 25, 1880. He is a member of the Methodist Church, South. 
Was road overseer, taught school one year. He was in the Confederate 
army, serving in the Third Kentucky Regiment, cavalry, under John 
Morgan. He was wounded in the right hand, losing his first finger. He 
was also shot in the leg and side. Has a house and lot, blacksmith and 
wagon maker's outfit and carries on both branches. His father was 
broken up by the war. 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO45 

J. H. DAVIS, 

farmer, section 6, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Montgomery County, 
Kentucky, August 13, 182 1. His school advantages were ordinary. 
August 13, 1850, he married Lucinda White. She was born in Mont- 
gomery County, Kentucky, June 4, 1823. They have had four children, 
Mary Ann, born August 25, 1853 ; Samuel G., born December 4, 1856 ; 
he died October 5, 1858 ; James W., born January 5, i860, died May 5, 
1862, and one child who died in infancy. He emigrated to Missouri 
November, 185 1, locating in Crawford Township in March, 1852. By his 
own industry and economy he has secured 233 acres ot land, all of 
which is under fence, and in a good state of cultivation. He has a good 
house and barn and three acres of orchard in fine, thrifty condition. He 
was captain of Company K, Twenty-fifth Enrolled Missouri Militia, then 
reorganized and served in the Eighty-first Pawpaw Militia, receiving 
full pay for himself and all his men. Captain Davis recruited more men 
than any other man in the county for the Federal service and State 
Militia. Serving the government about four years, from first to last, his 
was the first company sworn in and about the last discharged. He is a 
Master Mason and member of Wellington Lodge, No. 22. He is also 
a member of the Christian Church, and has donated toward building 
churches and school houses. His meritorious wife is a member of the 
Masonic organization known as Eastern Star, and also the Christian 
Church. Their surroundings denote peace, plenty, and true happiness. 

W. L. DAVIDSON, 

carpenter, postoffice Halleck, was born in Buchanan County Missouri, 
January 14, 1845. 'He received a fair education, was raised on a farm, 
and worked under a carpenter for two years. He then carried on busi- 
ness for himself, and has since been ver}^ successful in all his operations. 
He owns sixty acres of land partly fenced, good house and orchard. 
He is an Odd Fellow and Encampment member of the order. He bears 
the character of a liberal and charitably disposed citizen. 

W. A. DEATHERAGE, 

farmer, section 5, postoffice Halleck, was born in North Carolina, Jul}- 
13, 1848 and raised on a farm. His early opportunities for acquiring an 
education were very limited. His parents emigrated to Virginia in 1854 
remaining one year ; thence they came to Missouri, locating in Buchan- 
an County. He married April 4, 1872, Miss Mary E. Cogdill. She was 
born in Missouri May 3, 1856. They have had four children : Margaret 
A., born December 3, 1872 ; Eliza B., born November 10, 1877, and two 
children who died in infancy. He lives on a farm of 140 acres of land. 



1046 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

the property of his wife. It is all under fence and in good state of culti- 
vation, with good house. Mr. D. has been successful and prosperous in 
life. 

MRS. FRANCISCA FERGUSON, 

the pioneer school teacher of Crawford township, was a sister of Colum- 
bus Roundtree. She was born December 5, 1806, in Barren County, 
Kentucky. She was educated at Glasgow, Kentucky, and was graduated 
at Glasgow College. She was married to Mr. Ferguson and had four 
children. After her husband's death she taught school on the southwest 
corner of section 16, in a log school house with puncheon floor. One log 
was cut out of the side wall and paper inserted, stuck full of pin holes, 
to admit the light. The house was sixteen feet square. It was built in 
March, 1839. Here she taught three or four years, her compensation 
being fifty cents per scholar, per term of six months. She took stock- 
ings, flannel, &c., in pay for services. In one instance she received two 
little shoats from James Curl, as very little money was in circulation 
those days. She taught several for nothing. Dr. Silas McDonald, Wash 
Taylor, James Curl, Singleton Asher, Robert Taylor, J. J. Penick, Wal- 
lace Davidson and Columbus Roundtree built the school house. It was 
provided with an old-fashioned stick chimney about six feet wide. 
During school she used suspended on the door a paddle marked " in" on 
one side and "out" on the other. Her labors of love and usefulness 
were terminated by death September 9th, 1846. Mrs. Ferguson was 
undoubtedly the first person who ever taught a school in the township. 

S. C. FLEMING, 

miller, postoffice Halleck, was born in East Tennessee. His education 
was fair. He was reared on a farm. He married August 13, 1854, Miss 
Adaline Stokes, also native of Tennessee. She died January 5, 1859. I'l 
1864 he married Miss Mary Stone, a native of Tennessee. She was born 
March 15, 1838. They had four children : Minerva, born March 5, 1865; 
Mary E., born August 6, 1871 ; Edney T., born October 18, 1872 ; Emma, 
born July 20, 1877. They emigrated to Missouri in i860, locating at 
Halleck. Mr. Fleming farmed for six years. He then engaged in 
milling, in which business he has continued up to the present (1881). 
He has seven acres of land all in orchard, and is now building a fine 
residence. 

HENRY G. FOSTER, 

blacksmith and wagon maker, postoffice Halleck, was born in West Vir- 
ginia, February 17, 1836. His school advantages were limited. Emi- 
grating to Missouri in 1852, he located in Buchanan County. Here he 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO47 

married Miss Elizabeth Hampton, June 23, 1863. She was born in Ken- 
tucky, March 20, 1848. By this marriage he has had five children: 
Sarah E., born July i, 1866; Idona, born January 18, 1869; Clella, born 
September 18, 1873; James H., born December 26. 1877; Gertie, born 
March 26, 1879. Mr. Foster was raised on a farm, and learned his trade 
after becoming twenty-one years of age. He is an Odd Fellow, and 
owns houses and lots in Halleck, where he conducts a general repair 
and job shop, and is doing an excellent business. 

W. D. & J. H. HAMPTON, 

dry goods, groceries, notions, tinware, hardware, etc., postoffice Halleck, 
established business November 24, i83o, have been doing a very satis- 
factory business. They are both natives of Kentucky, emigrated to Mis- 
souri in 1861, and were raised in Halleck. Their education is moderate. 
W. D. is a member of the Christian Church. He carried mail from 1870 
to 1874 from Halleck to Rushville, then learned telegraphing, following 
it for a livelihood until 1877. Then commenced clerking for P. W. 
Noland, remaining with him up to 1880, at which time he branched out 
in business for himself. He has been successful, and is contented with 
his lot in life. 

JOHN HICKMAN, Sr., 

farmer, section 7, postoffice DeKalb, was born in St. Louis County, Mis- 
souri, January 28, 1830, and raised on a farm. His school privileges were 
very limited. In 1837 his parents moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, 
March 10, 1853 he married Miss Letitia J. Frakes, a native of Missouri. 
She was born June 28, 1838, and had eight children: Sidney A., born 
March 12 1855 ; Thomas J., born May 29, 1856 ; Richard G., born May 
15, 1858 ; John M., born January 22, i860 ; Lucinda F., born December 
II, 1861 ; Mary E., born May 15, 1863 ; Lillie M., born May 7, 1865 ; 
Mattie S., born February 25, 1877. By his own labor he has acquired 250 
acres of land including thirty-three acres that came with his wife. This 
land is all under fence, and in good state of cultivation. He has on it an 
excellent residence and granary. There are two good orchards on the 
place. Mr. Hickman has donated liberally toward the building of 
churches and school houses in this section of country. One of the earli- 
est settlers of this country and a man of excellent memory, Mr. Hick- 
man is an entertaining companion, and speaks familiarly of the days 
when the Indians made themselves at home in this county, often helping 
themselves in the smoke houses of the white settlers with whom, how- 
ever, they were, generally, on good terms. 



1048 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

B. F. HIGDON, 

farmer, section 28, postoffice Wallace, was born in Ohio, September 9, 
1827. He received a good education, and followed teaching school for 
some time, then learned the carpenter trade, after which he engaged in 
the grocery business, continuing for four years. He then read law, and, 
in due time, was admitted to the bar, and practiced sixteen years. He 
married, in 1S48, Miss Minnie J. Demarree, a native of Indiana, by whom 
he had three children : Eaber, Lewis F., Anna E. Of these, two sur- 
vive. His wife died in 1856. In 1857, he was married to Nancy Ash- 
craft, by whom he had one child, Evan. They separated in i860. He 
was divorced from her on account of desertion. He then, in 1862, mar- 
ried Elizabeth Andrews, a native of Missouri. They had one child, 
Mary E. This wife died in 1872. September i5, 1876, he married Mrs. 
Mahala Cox, with whom he has lived happily, and is well satisfied with 
his condition in life. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He served one year, during the civil war, in Cornpany I, Twenty-fifth 
Illinois Regiment. He then came home, and recruited a company in 
the Missouri State Militia, under Colonel Denny. He commanded this 
company, serving one year. Had three horses shot under him, but he 
received no wounds. His wife was born in Todd County, Kentucky, 
February 20, 18 16. She was raised on a farm. Her education was very 
limited. She was first married to Guilford Montray, January 5, 1836. 
He was a native of Kentucky, born November 17, 18 14. By this mar- 
riage they had seven children : John W., born April 22, 1837 : William 
R., born March 23, 1839, died May 18, 1867 ; George M., born December 
20, 1840; Louisa E., born October 23, 1842, died January 14, 1874; 
Angeline, born August 28, 1844; Meret Y., born September 11, 1846, 
died January 20, 1854 ; Mary B., born November 28, 1848. Her husband 
died February 21, 1852. She then married Jacob B. Cox, July ii, 1852. 
From this union were born two children : Jacob A., born March 4, 1853, 
being the day Franklin Pierce was inaugurated President of the United 
States ; and Mahala A., born July 15, 1855. She was divorced from 
Jacob B. Cox., on account of poligamy. She then, in 1869, married 
Hugh Mathews, a native of Iowa. In less than one year she discovered 
that he had a wife in Iowa, and she discarded him. September 16, 1876, 
she married B. F. Higdon, with whom she has since continued to live 
very happily. She has a lifetime dower in fifty-six acres of land, which 
is well improved, and in good state of cultivation, and provided with a 
good house and barn. She is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church. 

LEVI J. JUDAH, 

farmer, section 18, postoffice DeKalb, was born in Indiana, January 15, 
1825. He had poor school advantages, never attending twelve months in 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO49 

his life. In 1839 ^^'s father emigrated to Missouri and located in 
Buchanan County, where he has resided ever since. He married 
November i, 1862, Mrs. Elizabeth Kirby, a native of Indiana. She had 
four children, Samuel, born June 30, 1863 ; Martha M., born September 
II. 1864; EH F., born February 18, 1866; he died in 1873; Emma, 
born March 31, 1868. Mr. Judah served in the Kansas Militia. He is a 
member of the Christian Church, and has donated liberally toward 
building churches and school houses. He has 380 acres of land, all 
under fence, and in a fair state of cultivation. He also owns a good 
house and barn, and a fine fifteen-acre orchard, producing some of the 
finest fruit sold on the market. His land is well watered. 

JOHN T. JUDY, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 32, postoffice Wallace, is a native of 
Kentucky; was born June 23, 183 1. Was raised in his native state and 
enjoyed very limited educational advantages. Emigrated to Missouri 
in 1853, locating in Clay County. In February, 185 1, he married Miss 
Mary Jane Foster, a native of Kentucky, born in 1830. By this mar- 
riage he had eight children, Thomas, Laura, Alexander, Susan, Henry, 
Eddie, Mollie and Cora, all of whom are living but two. He is a Master 
Mason and a member of the I. O. O. F. By his own industry he has 
acquired 160 acres of land, all under fence, in good state of cultivation, 
and well improved. Has never regretted moving to Missouri, where he 
has enjoyed uniform success in all his business relations and transac- 
tions. 

P. L. MARTIN, 

farmer, section 19, postoffice Wallace, was born in Tennessee, October 
28, 1841. In 1842, his parents moved to Missouri, and located in Platte 
County. Was raised on a farm and had no schooling. Was married, 
in 1 86 1, to Elizabeth Barnes, a native of Missouri. They have had six 
children, Mary A., Jacob, Fannie, Reuben, Bettie and an infant not 
named. He resides on Martin Spencer's land. Is a member of the 
Christian Church, and a man of liberal disposition, contributing freely 
to the maintenance of churches and the Christian Orphan Home. He 
has always helped the needy and been the poor man's friend. 

JAMES MEEK, 

farmer, section 33, postoffice Wallace, is a native of Indiana, born in 
Jennings County, December 7, 1820. He was raised ^n a farm, and 
received no education. He emigrated to Missouri in 1841, and was mar- 
ried in 1843 to Miss Cynthia Bo}'l, a native of Ohio. By this marriage 

65 



1050 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

he has had sixteen children, two of whom are dead. He has eighty- 
acres of land, all under fence, and well improved, with good house and 
barn. He lost considerably by the late war, his damages amounting to 
sixteen hundred dollars. He served in the State Guards Confederate 
service three months, and was in the Pea Ridge battle. He takes a 
lively interest in the improvement of different breeds of live stock. 

JOHN MURPHY, 

farmer, section i8, postoffice Halleck, was born in Kentucky February 
9, 1849, ^"d came to Missouri in the fall of 1849 with his parents. His 
educational advantages were very poor. He married, January 18, 1872, 
Miss Annie J. Willis, a native of Missouri. They have had three chil- 
dren : William, born April 20, 1874 (died July 6, 1874); Charles, born 
March 7, 1876, and Otho, born January 7, 1878. He has secured 154 
acres of land, acquired principally by his own efforts. He has a good 
house and barn, and his land is in a good state of cultivation. From 
1874 to 1878 Mr. Murphy was engaged in general merchandise at Hal- 
leck doing a successful business. He has been a friend to popular 
advancement, aiding liberally in the establishment of churches and 
school houses. The subject of the above sketch is young and ambitious 
and if misfortune does not overtake him, will make his mark, ranking 
among the most prosperous farmers of his township and county. 

PERRY W. NOLAND, 

postoffice Halleck, dealer in dry goods, groceries, hardware, agricul- 
tural implements, queensware, notions, clothing, boots and shoes, 
hats, caps, &c., &c. Was born in Buchanan County, Missouri, Novem- 
ber 22, 1847 ; had fair education ; was raised on a farm until sixteen 
years old, then engaged in clerking, which he followed up to 1870, when 
he engaged in business on his own responsibility, under the firm name 
of Noland, Robinson & Willis, doing a successful business. In 1878 he 
purchased the interest of both his partners, since which time he has been 
operating alone. He owns a store house 22x50, two stories high, the 
upper part of which is occupied by Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges. He 
married Miss Mary Murphy April 7, 1867. She was born in Buchanan 
County, Missouri, September i, 185 1. By this marriage he has had two 
children, Walter, born January 4, 1877, (he died September 19, 1878), and 
Egbert, born November 11, 1873. He is a Master Mason, and has been 
a member of the Christian Church since 1859, s-"*^ is now a deacon in the 
same. He has also been constable, and is now justice of the peace. He 
served in the Pawpaw militia. Has been postmaster for six years. He 
also owns a cooper shop. 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO51 

CAPT. JOHN T. RILEY, 

school teacher, postoffice St. Joseph, is a native of Missouri, was born in 
Clay County February 16, 1830, and raised on a farm. In early life he 
received a good common school education, and was afterwards gradu- 
ated at Bethany College, West Virginia, in the year 1856. He read law 
under Hon. Thomas E. Turney, of Clinton County, and was admitted to 
the bar in 1858. He practiced in Maryville, Missouri, until 1861. On 
the breaking out of the civil war he first joined the Missouri State 
Guards under Colonel Slayback, serving three months. January, 1862, 
he enlisted in the regular Confederate service. Company H, First Mis- 
souri Cavalry, and remained until the close of the war. Was taken 
prisoner twice, confined at Camp Morton, Fort Delaware, Point 
Lookout, and Elmyra, New York. Principle and love of country caused 
him to enlist. After the war he remained in Mississippi and married 
Miss Lucy A. Small, a native of Alabama, August 17, 1867. She was 
born May 2, 1844. By this marriage he has had five children. He 
returned to Missouri in 1869, since which time he has followed teaching 
for a living, and preaches to exercise his talent. In 1872 he was elected 
county superintendent of schools of Buchanan County for two years. 
In 1878 he was nominated and elected a Representative from the Third 
District of Buchanan County as a Democrat, with 400 majority over his 
opponent. He was re-elected in 1880 over another Greenbacker by over 
800 votes. He is a Master Mason, and has been teaching school for 
over twenty years. During'the war he was orderly sergeant and never 
absent from any battles, participating in every engagement with his 
regiment. He has always been a Democrat, but never an ultra one ; can 
always see good wherever it may exist. As a member of the legisla- 
ture he voted for all measures tending toward economy, education, and 
temperance. He took an active part in securing to St. Joseph the 
rebuilding of Lunatic Asylum No. 2, the former building having been 
destroyed by fire in 1879, ^^^ strenuous efforts were put forth to have it 
rebuilt elsewhere. 

J. H. C. ROBINSON, M. D., 

Halleck, was born in Boyle County, Kentucky, January 15, 1832, where 
he received a good, common school education. Emigrating to Missouri 
in 1849, he located at Halleck, where he read medicine under Dr. Crow. 
He afterwards attended lectures at Lexington, Kentucky, where he was 
graduated in 1855. He commenced the practice of medicine in DeKalb 
in the spring of 1856 ; thence he moved to Whitesville, Andrew County, 
where he remained until i860. He then permanently located at Halleck 
where he has been uniformly successful in the practice of medicine and 



I052 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

surgery. He married Miss Josephine Finney, a native of Missouri, in 
1856. By this marriage they had five children : Margaret S., Elizabeth 
S., Lee D., Mary P., J. H. C. His estimable wife died in 1873. In 1874 
he married Miss Sarah E. Meadows, a native of Missouri, b}' whom he 
has had one child, Plato W. Dr. Robinson is a Mason and a member of 
the I. O. O. F. He is present (1881) Noble Grand of Truth Lodge, No. 
216, Halleck. He is a member of and deacon in the Christian Church. 
He has also been school director for )'ears. By his own industry he has 
accumulated 319 acres of land and an interest in the most valuable 
flouring mill in the country. He is highl}- popular, both personall)- and 
professionally. 

COLUMBUS H. ROUNDTREE, 

farmer, section 18, postoffice Wallace, was born in Kentucky, March 10. 
1826. His father emigrated to Missouri in 1828, locating in Boone 
Count}', where he resided until 1837, at which time the famil}- moved to 
Buchanan County, where the subject of this sketch has remained ever 
since, with the exception of a period of five years, spent in Oregon 
and the Far West. He was under General Gillum six months fight- 
ing the Indians, and was with the General when he was killed, during 
the missionary massacre. There were one thousand soldiers engaged in 
the fight, and he has seen only one that has returned. His name is 
\"ardeman Blevins, now (1881) a resident of Atchison. He was granted 
his discharge by Governor Abernathy, after which he was one of a part}- 
of four that explored the head waters of Sacramento River, in quest of 
gold. They traveled b}^ night, and laid up by day. Arriving at their 
destination, one would guard the horses while the three others would 
dig gold. They made about fifteen hundred dollars, of which they did 
not seem to know the value. They went to Suter's Fort, and gave most 
of it for flour, etc. Flour was five dollars per pound, gold dust was three 
dollars an ounce. They did not weigh, but guessed it off. In the winter 
Mr. Roundtree walked fifty miles through the snow, met an old man on 
an old horse, paid him five hundred dollars for his horse, and returned 
to the Mountains. He once gave fifty dollars for supper, consisting of 
a cup of coffee and fried cakes. While in Central America, making his 
way to the Island of Cuba, he purchased a ticket for New York, paying 
$250. In a few minutes met a man, who enquired what he would ta'ke 
for his ticket. He replied, " $500." Without an}- hesitation, he 
counted out the gold. Next evening, a vessel came in. He embarked 
for the Isle of Cuba, but on account of fifty men having been shot, the 
da}- before the arrival of the vessel, no one was allowed to land without 
a passport. In a few da}-s, they got on a boat from South America, and 
went to Nc\\' Orleans. Mr. Roundtree returned home, and married, Ma\- 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO53 

30, 1852, Miss Isabella Connett, a native of Lexington, Kentucky. She 
was born December 15, 1823. By this marriage he had five children: 
Wm. R., born November 5, 1854 ; Matilda A., born November 19, 1856 ; 
Virginia A., born March 23, i860; Joanna, born August 30, 1853, died 
February i, 1854, and one child, not named, who died in infancy. By 
his own industry he has accumulated 600 ctcres of land, all of which is 
under fence, and in good state of cultivation, with good house and fair 
stabling. April 17, 1879, his fine barn, two good horses, 850 bushels of 
wheat, hay, and oats, were swept away by lightning. He gave his son, 
Wm. R., 175 acres of land for being a good, industrious boy. He has 
helped all religious denominations to build churches, and has been char- 
itable to widows and orphans. He is a Mason, and a popular citizen. 

JOHN W. SILER, 

farmer and carpenter, sections 30 and 31, postoffice Wallace, was born 
in Burks County, Virginia, September 7, 1842. Emigrated to Missouri 
in 1845 with his parents. They settled in Platte County, where he 
received a good common school education. Was married, in 1869, to 
Miss Sarah E. Way, a native of Virginia. She was born July 4, 185 1. 
They have had five children: Lena, born December 30, 1872; Zela, born 
July 28, 1875; Margaret, born November 13, 1877; William, born Janu- 
ary 26, 1880; Charles E., born March 9, 1871, died September 4, 1872. 
Has been school director. Has 116 acres of land, made by his own 
industry; it is all under fence and in a good state of cultivation. 

JOHN S. WALLINGFORD, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 30, postoffice Wallace; was born in 
Platte County, Missouri. May 15,1842. Education fair. Was married 
April 10, 1867, to Miss Nannie Allen, of Platte County. By this mar- 
riage he had three children— Sadie, born June 28, 1868 ; Allen, born 
November 7, 1870 ; Laura, born September 20, 1873. Laura died Octo- 
ber 31, 1876. Inspired by patriotism, and influenced by surrounding 
circumstances, he enlisted in Captain John Hart's company. Confederate 
service, as high private. During an engagement he received a wound 
in the left hand and arm which rendered that member almost useless. 
He has been deputy assessor for two terms, doing good and faithful 
work. The subject of the above sketch has a keen eye for fine stock, 
and makes a specialty of Loudon Duke cattle. He is a member of the 
Christian Church, and has always fed the hungry, assisting the worthy 
at all times to the extent of his ability. 

S. R. WALLINGFORD, 

farmer, section 30, postoffice Wallace, was born in Platte County, Mis- 
souri, July 14, 1846, and when eighteen months old was taken to Ken- 



1054 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

tucky, and there raised. At the age of fourteen he returned to Mis- 
souri, after which he received a moderate education. Was married, Feb- 
ruary 28, 1870, to Amanda Noland, a native of Missouri. She was 
born January 3, 1853. They have had four children: William, born 
December 5, 1871; Ada, born June 24, 1874; Anna, born February 3, 
1876; Georgia, born January 6, 1818; Anna died March 5, 1877. Is a 
member of the Christian Church, and owns 95 acres of land. Of this 
he inherited 45 acres; the balance he acquired by his own industry. His 
land is all under fence and in a good state of cultivation, with fair 
improvements, including two acres of orchard. 

C. P. WALBRIDGE, 

druggist, Wallace, was born in Grant County, Wisconsin, August 5, 1856, 
He remained in his native county, on the farm, till eleven years of age, 
when his parents moved to Otoe County, Nebraska, where he remained 
till June 5, 1880, when he went to Atchison. September, 1880, he went 
to DeKalb and put in a stock of groceries with W. H. Mack. He was 
educated in the common schools and the University of Nebraska, and 
was for some time while in Nebraska engaged in teaching. While in 
Atchison he was employed as clerk in a drug store. He continued the 
grocery business while in DeKalb till the spring of 1881, when he settled 
in his present location. 

JOHN M. WATSON, M. D., 

postoffice, Halleck ; was born in Wayne County, Ohio, May 25, 
1833. Had the benefit of a good common school education. At the age 
of twenty-one he emigrated to Kentucky and taught school for a liveli- 
hood. In a few years he returned to Ohio and completed a course at 
Mount Union College, after which he read medicine under Dr. H. G. 
Allen, in Fleming County, Kentucky. He afterwards attended lectures 
at the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating in the 
spring of 1859. He then located at Sherburne Mills, Kentucky, where 
he practiced for two years ; thence he moved to Clintonville, Bourbon 
County, where he remained for seven years in the practice of his profes- 
sion. In 1868 he sold out and moved to Paris, Kentucky, where he 
engaged in the drug business in connection with his practice, continuing 
there for three years. This was the most unfortunate move of his life, 
and by it he sustained serious loss. In 187 1 he emigrated to Missouri. 
and located at Halleck, Buchanan County, where he gradually worked 
up a lucrative general practice, being very successful in his new field of 
labor. He is Past Grand in the lodge of I. O. O. F., and member of the 
Christian Church. He is also a deacon in Halleck Church. In i860 Dr. 



CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP. IO55 

Watson was married to Miss Lizzie Taylor, a native of Fleming County, 
Kentucky. She was born October 21, 1842. They have had seven 
children — Mary B., born July 23, 1861, died March 11, 1865 ; William A., 
born October 20, 1863, died January 19, 1880; Henry B., born October 
29, 1865; Warren C, born January 8, 1868, died September 20, 1870; 
James, born September 20, 1869; Rosa L., born August 6, 1874, and one 
child that died in infancy. 

J. J. WHITTINGTON, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 16, postoffice Wallace, was born in 
Buchanan County, Missouri, June 11, 1842. In youth he received a good 
common school education, after which he sold goods at Toas for three 
years. He then returned to farming, which he has followed ever since. 
He has a penchant for Durham cattle, Cotswold sheep and Poland China 
hogs. Was a volunteer in the Confederate service for two months, but 
was not sworn in. He participated, however, in the Lexington and Blue 
Mills battles. He is a Master Mason and a member of the L O. O. F. 
He is also a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. He has 160 
acres of land all under fence and well improved. He was married 
December 17, 1861, to Miss Anna B. Jones, native of North Carolina, 
born August, 1841. They have had three children : William, born 
January i, 1863 ; Katie, born August 14, 1865 ; Frankie, born May 7, 
1867. 

GEORGE A. WILLIS, 

farmer, section 30, postoffice Wallace, is a native of Missouri, born in 
Buchanan County, January 29, 1850. He received a good common 
school education. He was married February 9, 1871, to Miss Angeline 
Noland, a native of Missouri. She was born February 28. 1855. They 
have had four children, Irvine, born July 17, 1872 ; John, born Novem- 
ber 18, 1874; Allen, born May 21, 1874; Jessie, born July 17, 1879. 
They are all alive and doing well. Mr. Willis has over 156 acres of land. 
He had $2,400 willed to him, the balance he has made by his own 
efforts. The land is all under fence, and in a good state of cultivation. 
He has a good house and fair barn, together with an orchard of 200 
.trees. He is a member of the Christian Church. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 



C. p. ARMSTRONG, 

postoffice Arnoldsville, was born in Tennessee, March i, 1822. Served 
an apprenticeship at the tanning and currier trade, and afterwards fol- 
lowed the business for a livelihood. He was among the earliest settlers 
of the Platte Purchase, emigrating to Platte County, Missouri, in 1843. 
He was, for many years, a prominent and highly popular merchant of 
New Market, in the northern portion of that county. In 1876, he 
moved to his present residence — Arnoldsville, Buchanan County — where 
he has since been engaged as a clerk in a general store of that place- 
Mr. Armstrong was married to Cynthia Carson, a native of Kentucky,. 
December 23, 1845. By this marriage he had four children, Elizabeth, 
Julia, William G. and Belle. They are all living and married. Mrs. Arm- 
strong died from the effects of fever in August, 1864. In 1867, Mr. 
Armstrong married Mrs. Pauline Baughman, a widow, and a native of 
Kentucky. He had by this marriage one child, Lulu. His second wife 
died of consumption September 2, 1877. December 24, 1878, he was 
again married. His third and present wife was Miss Maggie McIntosh.^ 
They have had two children. Commodore P., and Ethel W. Mr. Arm- 
strong has met with considerable reverses in life, and was a heavy suf- 
ferer during the civil war, losing, by the work of incendiaries, a store- 
house with a valuable stock of goods, besides sustaining other serious 
losses. He is, however, of a constitionally cheerful disposition, and 
never repines at the past and the inevitable. He is a member of the 
Christian Church, and of the I. O. O. F., and is a man of honorable 
impulses, large heart and generous sympathies. 

D. L. BECK, 

farmer, section 3, postoffice Agency, was born in Madison County, Ken- 
tucky, Februrary 23, 1824, and lived there until sixteen years old, when 
he emigrated, with his father, to Lafayette County, Missouri, where he 
remained two and one-half years, then moved to Clinton County, and 
in 1854 came to Buchanan County, where he has since resided. He 
was married in 1849 to Miss Martha Ann Vaughn, a native of Missouri. 
By this marriage he has had six children. David C, Betsy A., Andrew 
J., Sena I., Thomas J. Mary A. By .their united efforts an,d economy^ 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 105/ 

Mr. Beck and his wife have acquired sixty-nine acres of land, the saving 
of their own labor. He has been school director two years. Mr. Beck 
has always been a quiet, unassuming citizen, and is highly esteemed by 
his friends and neighbors. 

ALEXANDER BLACK, 

farmer, sections 29 and 37, postoffice Arnoldsville, was born in Daviess 
County, Missouri, April 13, 1842, and has resided in Missouri all his life. 
He married Thurmutus Wilson May 15, 1866, by whom he has had one 
child, Mary Bell, now living. His wife died September 8, 1871. March 
5, 1874, he married Blanche Foster. She was born March 12, 1844. By 
this marriage they have had four children, Oliver P., Thomas S., 
Rebecca J., Charles W. The last died December 15, 1875. He owns 
fifty-five acres of land; also holds 160 acres in trust. All under good 
state of cultivation. Mr. Black was one of those who had the fortune to 
sustain no loss during the late war. 

BRYANT BRINTON, 

farmer, section 4, postoffice. Agency, born October 6, 1824, in Boyle 
County, Kentucky. His parents emigrated to Indiana about 1826. 
Leaving Indiana in the fall of 1837, they located in Buchanan County, 
Missouri. January 7, 1847, he married Emily McCrary, a native of Mis- 
souri. They have had twelve children — Eliza Ann, born October 30, 
1847; Nancy E., born February 13, 1849, died February 28, 1867; Mary 
E., born April 9, 1850 ; Hillery F., born November 21, 1852 ; George M., 
born March 10, 1854; Benjamin B., born December 2, 1855; Emily D., 
born February 2, 1858, died June 28, 1871 ; Caroline S., born June 3, 
1861 ; John, born February 24, 1863 ; William E., born December 22, 
1864; Harriet A., born July 16, 1867, died October 16, 1867; James F., 
born December 13, 1880. He now owns 375 acres of land. By the late 
war he lost considerably. He was in the Confederate army, serving in 
Cornell's regiment, under General Price. He is a member of Cumber- 
land Presbyterian Church. 

C. S. BRINTON, 

farmer, section 5. postoffice Agency, was born in Indiana August 27,. 
1827. His parents emigrated to Missouri in the fall of 1837, locating in 
Buchanan County, where he has resided ever since. He received only a 
moderate education. September 27, 1859, he married Miss Jane Gilmore 
a native of Missouri. By this union they had seven children : Robert, 
born November 15, 1850 ; Parthenia, born July 13, 1852 ; Thomas, born 
December 9, 1853; Eliza, born May 15, 1856; Emily, born November 



1058 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

30, 1859 ; Benjamin, born September 27, 1858 ; Jefferson, born Febru- 
ary 15, 1862; all alive and doing well. He has been fortunate enough 
to save 140 acres of land, all under fence, and good state of cultivation. 
His father, one of the citizens, was called to Far West to assist in sup- 
pressing the Mormons. Mr. Brinton sustained serious losses by the late 
war. He was in the Pawpaw militia, taken prisoner and cast into prison 
by Col. Cranor's men and held for ten days. He is a member of the 
Grange, and has been school director several times. 

JUDGE JOHN H. CAREY, 

farmer and stock dealer, section 5, postoffice Agency. Among the prom- 
inent and successful farmers and stock dealers of Buchanan County, is 
the subject of this sketch. He is a native of Ireland, and was born in 
Werxford County, June 12, 1835, and made that- his home until twelve 
years of age. He had limited common school advantages, and emi- 
grated to America" with his father in 1847, locating in St. Louis, where 
he worked at various trades until 1852, when he commenced learning" 
the ship carpenters' trade, at which business he remained until he left 
the city in 1856, when his father moved to Buchanan County, Missouri, 
settling in Center Township. He was married December 8, 1864, to 
Miss Nancy W. Gilmore, daughter of Joseph and Martha Gilmore, early 
■settlers of Clay County, Missouri, By this marriage they have been 
blessed with five children, Martha B., Frances N., Maggie J., and two 
that died in infancy. After marriage Mr. Carey rented land and farmed 
exclusively until 1869, at which time he purchased the land where he 
now resides, consisting of 183 acres. Mr. Carey was elected judge of 
the county court in 1879 by 2,155 nriajority, being the largest majority 
ever given any county judge in Buchanan County. He has held other 
minor offices, the duties of which he discharged with honor to himself 
and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. The judge's fancy 
runs in fine stock, and he is the possessor of fine sheep, a full blooded 
Clydesdale stallion, imported by Given, of Frankfort, Indiana ; also 
Poland China hogs, and other stock. The judge is well provided with 
all the modern improvements and conveniences for farming, and is 
erecting an addition to his dwelling house. The life of Judge Carey has 
been honorable and enviable, as well as successful. He has always 
enjoyed the respect of the community in which he resides. By his 
industry and economy he has accumulated a competency. Every good 
cause receives his hearty support. 

A. C. CHESTNUT, 

farmer, section 28, postofifice Arnoldsville, was born in Laurel County, 
Kentucky, May 12, 1820. His opportunities for acquiring an education 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. IO59 

were extremely limited, and, such as they were, he walked two miles to 
a log school house to secure them. In 1840, he emigrated to Daviess 
County, Missouri, where he lived till 1848, when he moved to Buchanan 
County. November 15, 1838, he married Evaline Jones, by whom he 
had ten children: John T., Abraham, William, Mary, Maria, Hettie, 
Fannie, George, Samuel and Evan. Abraham enlisted in the Confed- 
erate army under Colonel Gates. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, and 
was killed by the accidental discharge of his own gun. Mr. Chestnut's 
first wife died in January, 1866, and in 1868 he married Sarah Anne 
Farrah, by whom he has had three children, Charles, Lucy and Ella. 
By his own industry he acquired the 60 acres of land he now owns. 

JOHN CLINE, 

farmer, section 54, postoffice Arnoldsville. This well preserved gentle- 
man was born in West Virginia, January i, 1812. In 1833 he emigrated 
to Missouri and settled in Platte County, where he resided and followed 
the peaceful avocation of farming until 1858, when he moved to Buchan- 
an County, sojourning there until 1866, at which time he moved to Kan- 
sas, where he remained about eight years, when he returned to Buchanan 
County, Missouri, On March 10, 1842 he married Elizabeth Ann Walker 
By this union they have had thirteen children : George W., Sarah J., 
James W., Robert A., Charles D., Benjamin A., Frances A., Susan, Mel- 
vina I., John W., all o' whom are living; William, Adaline and Mary, 
deceased. He owns eighty acres of land acquired by his own industry, 
and the assistance of his family. His son George W. was in the Confed- 
erate service, in Gen. Price's army corps. Mr. Cline was road overseer 
for two years. There were many India»is in this county during his 
early experience. All commendable enterprises invariably receive Mr. 
Cline's hearty support. 

TIMOTHY FERRELL, 

farmer, section 4, postofifice Agency, was born in Ireland, December 12, 
1840. At the age of twelve he left his native country for America, and 
landed at New Orleans, where he remained six months ; after which he 
emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri. Here he resided up to 1861, during 
which time he learned the moulder's trade. In 1861 he moved to 
Buchanan County, and in 1865 was married to Miss Fannie Reynolds, a 
native of Buchanan County. By this union they have had five children 
— Mary L., Susan W., Joseph E., Eurabe A., John W. He was a mem- 
ber of an exempt company at St. Joseph during the late war. He owns 
a farm of fifty acres of land, which is in a good state of cultivation. 



I060 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

JOEL GRABLE, 

farmer and merchant, section 26, postoffice Platte River. The subject 
of this sketch has been a very successful man all through life. He was 
born July 26, 1816, in Wayne County, Ohio. Emigrated to Buchanan 
County, Missouri in 1843, returned to Ohio in 1844, then to Missouri in 
1845, returning to Ohio in the same year, and remained until after the 
Mexican War, at the close of which he located permanently, where he 
now resides, in Buchanan County. He was a builder and carder by pro- 
fession. He had a carding factory in Bretz's Mill, which was consumed 
by fire in the winter of 1845. He rebuilt in 1848, and continued in bus- 
iness until i860, when he sold out. Since i860, he has been engaged in 
farming and stock raising. October 12, 1840, he was married to Miss 
Elizabeth Beals, a native of Wayne County, Ohio. They had but one 
child — it and the mother died. October 12, 1848, he married Delilah 
Seal, born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. By this union they have 
had three children : Odilin B., Cornelia A. Algernian S. Owns 214 acres 
of land, all under good state of cultivation, with good house and barn 
thereon. He has donated liberally to the building of school houses, 
always assisting the needy. On the 23d of March, 188 1, he formed a 
partnership in general merchandise, under the firm name of Grable & 
Henshaw. Cornelia A. was married December 23, 1879, to Joseph A. 
Henshaw, who was born May 14, 1855, in Clay County, Missouri. He 
was a farmer until twenty-one — since maturity a business man. 

MRS. MARGARET M. GRABLE, 

section 32, postofifice, Arnoldsville ; resides in Arnoldsville and operates 
a farm. She was 'born March 31, 1826, in Ohio. She emigrated to 
Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1846, and married Anthony Grable in 
1847. He was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, May 12, 1846. They had 
six children — Melissa, Mary, Maggie, Celeste C, Charles A. P., Luannie 
M. Three of these died: Mary, July 10, 1852; Maggie, July 26, 1858; 
Celeste, September 11, i860. Her husband died November 15, 1873, of 
Typhoid Pneumonia. By their own industry and economy they accu- 
mulated 5ij acres of land, all under a good state of cultivation. Mr. 
Grable was a captain in the Pawpaw militia, but never received any 
compensation for his services. He was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, 
and donated freely toward the building of churches and school houses. 

PASLEY JOHNSON, 

farmer, section 32, postoffice Arnoldsville, a native of North Carolina, 
was born October 12, 1834, and emigrated to Buhanan County, Missouri,, 



JACKSON TOWNSHTF. IO61 

in 1844. Was married, June 2, 1854, to Miss Nancy Pumphrey, a native 
of Kentucky, who was born November 11, 1826. They had eight child- 
dren: George W., Jona, John, Holla, Jennie, David'and Jessie, all living, 
and an infant daughter deceased. By his own labor he has accumu- 
lated 235 acres of land, all under good state of cultivation. Joined the 
Pawpaw militia in 1864, and in common with many others never 
received a cent for his services. Is a Mason and belongs to the Baptist 
Church. Did not enjoy the advantage of schools. Served in the Mex- 
ican war as wagon master, and was in Mexico when the city surrendered. 
He crossed the plains to Mansfort, a place for supplies for Indian scouts. 
March 24, 1879, Mr. Johnson met with a severe accident; the cars on the 
Chicago & Rock Island Railroad caught his wagon, crippled the mules, 
demolished the wagon, and ruined Mr. Johnson for life. He obtained judg- 
ment for damages to the amount of $2,650. From this verdict the com- 
pany appealed to the Supreme Court. 

WILLIAM M. MATNEY, 

farmer and miller, section 26, postoffice Platte River, one of the most 
successful busines'^ men, farmers and millers of Buchanan County, was 
born May 21, 1824, in Hart County, Kentucky. He left Kentucky Octo- 
ber I, 1845, and landed in Buchanan County, Missouri, October 20, 1845, 
with twenty dollars and twelve cents. He has resided in Buchanan 
County ever since except six months that he lived in Clinton County. He 
worked for John Patee in St. Joseph at ten dollars per month. Then 
worked in Mexico and on the road at twenty dollars per month. He 
worked for John Bretz until May, 1849, ^^^^^^ took a trip to California, 
returning in 1852. Engaged in general merchandise August, 1852, con- 
tinued until May, 1854, when he sold his store and purchased an undi- 
vided half of the Bretz. Mill. He married Catharine A. Bretz, a native of 
Pennsylvania. April 27, 1853. She was born August 23, 1832. By this 
union they have had seven children, Albert E., James B., Elizabeth, 
John W., Lydia, Edward R., Rebecca E., all alive except John and 
Lydia, and doing well. By his own exertions he has accumulated 589 
acres of land, all under good state of cultivation, with large and com- 
modious house, good barn, orchard, etc. He has been postmaster and 
school trustee, and is a member of the Grange. During the late war 
he experienced considerable inconvenience, and sustained loss. His 
beloved wife died March 7, 1879, ^I'oi"" congestion of the lungs. In all 
public enterprises he has lent a helping hand, and has ever been the 
poor man's friend. 

WILLIAM MEANS, 

farmer, section ],^, postoffice Arnoldsville. The subject of the following 
narative, was born in Christain County. Kentucky, January 18, 1809, and 



I062 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

emigrated to Missouri (which was a wilderness) in 1820, locating in How- 
ard County, where he remained but a short time. He then went to 
Daviess and to Ray counties, where he remained seven years. Afterward 
moved to Buchanan County, having been engaged in farming most of 
the time. In 1830 he married Miss Nancy H. Gentry a native of Boon 
County, Missouri. They have six children : James R., Charles G., 
Thomas J., Susan, Elizabeth and Martha. His first wife died in 1868. 
His second marriage was to Miss Mary C. Mcintosh, his present wife. By 
hard labor and strict attention to business he has acquired a considera- 
ble amount of land, all of which has been given to his children, except 
100 acres. His children are all married. Mr. Means has served six 
years as Justice of the Peace with credit to himself, discharging the 
duties of the office to the entire satisfaction of the people. He has all 
his life been recognized as a public spirited citizen. 

THOMAS J. MEANS, 

farmer, section 32, postoffice Arnoldsville, was born in Howard County,. 
Missouri, January 6, 1841. He left Howard County for Platte, in 1849, 
remaining there until 1881, when he located in Buchanan County. 
December 20, 1870, he married Susan A. Vaughn, a native of Platte 
County. By this marriage he has had five children : Alverta, Clay P., 
Thomas J., Charlie C, Minnie E., all living and doing well. By his own 
exertions he has succeeded, since the war, in accumulating 448 acres of 
land, all under fence and in good state of cultivation. In 1863, he went 
west, returning in one year. In early days he had no school advantages,, 
and experienced nothing but hard work. He is a member of Rowley 
Lodge No. 204, A. F. and A. M. He buys, ships and speculates in hogs, 
cattle, mules, etc. He has been one of the most successful men of 
Buchanan County. 

GEORGE W. RAY, 

farmer and merchant, section 30, postoffice Arnoldsville, was born July 20, 
1833, in North Carolina. Emigrated to Clay County, Missouri, in early life, 
and after remaining there one year moved to Buchanan County. Married 
Rebecca Wilson, in August, 1857. She was born in Ohio, in 1837. By 
this marriage they have had six children: Mary A., Thermutus, B., John 
R., George W., J. Robert and Elizabeth. By his own industry he has 
acquired a farm of 525 acres of land, less 200 acres given him by his 
father. The land is in a good state of cultivation and is provided with 
good improvements. Mr. Ray is a Mason and a member of the M. E. 
Church; is also school trustee. He has been engaged in merchandising 
since the fall of 1875, doing both a cash and a credit business, and has 
lost but little by the latter. He built a storeroom, 22x60 feet and one 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP. IO63 

story high, in which he sells about twenty thousand dollars worth per 
year. Mr. Ray has engaged ext'ensively in buying and selling mules 
and intends making that business a specialty. He is one of the success- 
ful farmers and merchants of Buchanan County; he has grown with the 
county, and recalls the period when the Indian was a familiar object in 
the neighborhood. 

J. N. STAGNER, 

farmer, section 30, postofifice Arnoldsville, was born October 20, 1826, in 
Madison County, Kentucky. He married Elizabeth Stagner October 2, 
1848. They have had eight chi'dren, including Rozanna, Andrew, 
Albert, Winston, and four others that died in infancy. He emigrated 
to Missouri March 13, 1849, locating in Lingingston County, where he 
remained four years. He then moved to Caldwell County, Hving there 
six years. In i860 he moved to Buchanan County, where his wife died 
October 15, 1865, of consumption. October 13, 1867, he married Miss 
Mary A. Davis, a native of North Carolina. He has had four children 
by this marriage, Dora E., Elvie D., Lenie B., and John O. His father 
gave him 114 acres of land, which he still owns, and which is under a 
good state of cultivation. He was in the Pawpaw militia, regularly 
enrolled to protect home property against thieves. He is a member of 
the Christian Church, and has taken two degrees in Masonry. He has 
been generally prosperous in life, experiencing little trouble beyond the 
ills necessarily incident to pioneer life. 

DAVID STAGNER, 

farmer, section 33, postofifice Arnoldsville, was born February 13, 1831, 
in Madison County, Kentucky. When in his twenty-third year, he 
located in Livingston County, Missouri, remaining there twelve years, 
when he moved to Buchanan County. He married, September 20, 1858, 
Miss Matilda Sparks, a native of Indiana, born in August, 1834. By this 
union they have had nine children : Kemper, John R., Sarah J., Amaziah, 
David R., James W., Elijah, and two children that died in infancy. By 
his own labor he has acquired 126 acres of land, all well improved. He 
takes especial pride in fine horses, and especially favors Edwin Forest 
stock. Has been school director. During the late war he lost some 
corn, and had a good mare taken from him by the soldiers. He served 
in the Home Guard awhile, but was not taken out of the state. He has 
never regretted locating in Missouri, where he has met with general 
success. 

J. B. STAFFORD, 

farmer, section 30, postofifice, Arnoldsville, was born in Lawrence County, 
Kentucky, December 7, 1839. His parents emigrated to Platte County, 



1064 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

Missouri, in 1842, where he resided up to 1866. He married MeHssa 
Grable May 17, 1866. They have had five children — Cynthia M., Laura 
A., James A., John R., Charles W., all I'ving. By his own industry he 
acquired 406 acres of land, besides fifty acres given him by his father-in- 
law. This is all under fence and in cultivation and provided with good 
buildings. Mr. Stafford was in the Pawpaw and State militia, but was 
not out of the state. During the war he crossed the plains. He was a 
charter member of Rowley Lodge No. 204, A. F. & A. M. ; was in the 
dry goods business at Arnoldsville for two years, being successful. 
Meeting with a good opportunity to sell out, he accepted the offer. 
Having disposed of his goods he turned his attention to farming. 

JOHN B. SHERWOOD, 

farmer, section 27, postoffice Platte River, wa^ born in Richmond 
County, Ohio, September 9, 1821. When two years old his parents 
moved to Ross County, remaining until 1835, when they moved to 
Logan County. November 3, 1839, he emigrated to Buchanan County, 
Missouri. He married Miss Mary Ray, February 9, 1843. She was a 
native of North Carolina. By this union they have twelve children : 
Lucinda C, Joseph W., John W., Elizabeth M., Caroline, Jane, Susan, 
Anna, Adaline, George, James and Albert. By the united efforts and 
economy of Mr. S. and his wife, they have secured lOO acres of land. He 
sustained severe loss during the late war. Was two years in the Confed- 
erate service under Gen. Price, in Col. Gates' regiment, after which he 
spent one year at Pike's Peak. He received no wounds, but endured 
man>- privations. He served as justice of the peace for two years. His 
wife died February 17, 1872. Mr. S. is a Master Mason. He was raised 
in 1868, presided in the east three years, and was representative to the 
Grand Lodge in 1872. He has been all his life an exemplary citizen. 

JAMES E. W^ELLER, 

farmer, section 18, postoffice Halleck, was born in Nelson County, Ken- 
tucky, February 17, 182 1. His opportunities for acquiring an education 
were very poor. He emigrated to Buchanan County, Missouri, in 1844. 
Li 1851 he married Miss Mark. They have had seven children, Sarah 
M., Charles E.. William H., Isabella J., Mary M., Jaqob M., and Martha 
S. They are- all alive with one exception. Mrs. Weller died in Novem- 
ber, 1864. In August, 1865, he married Mrs. E. E. Hill, by whom he has 
had three children, PLmil}' C, Phoebe A., and James E. Mr. W. owns 
234 acres of land, 160 acres of which is under fence, well improved, 
with a fair house and barn and good orchard. He is a Master Mason, 
and was representative in the state legislature during 1872 and 1873, 
to which he was elected as a Democrat. He served as justice of the 



PLATTE TOWNSHIP. IO65 

peace two terms, and was secretary of Birming Lodge No. 150 A. F. & 
A. M. for eight consecutive years. Mr. Weller was engaged in general 
merchandise at Halleck for five years and was successful, but lost his 
earnings during the war. 

HENRY YATES, 

farmer, section 7, postoffice Agency, was born April 20, 1847, in 
Buchanan County, Missouri, where he had the good fortune to secure a 
fair education. September 15, 1871, he was married to Miss Sallie 
Williams, who was born May 14, 1846, in Kentucky. They have had 
three children: Thomas L., born in September, 1875; Harry C, born 
in October, 1878 ; Dora P., born July 3, 1872, died January 13, 1879. 
To the eighty acres of land, given him by his parents, he has man- 
aged by his own industry to add 160 more. He is a Mason and Odd 
Fellow, and is also a member of Cumberland Presbyterian Church. His 
farm is all under fence, and well improved, with a good house and barn, 
and well supplied with farm machinery. 



•*->^^D0®-^-<-*- 



PLATTE TOWNSHIP. 



JAMES ANDERSON, 

farmer, section 2, postoffice, Frazer ; was born in East Tennessee, June 
5, 18 1 3, and moved from his native state to Indiana, where he lived a 
short time. July 15, 1839, he came to this county, which has since been 
his home. He owns a farm of 222 acres. He married Miss F. Brown 
March 25, 1830. She was born in East Tennessee, December 2, 1814. 
They have two children living, Jane, born February 12, 1831, and Jesse 
N., born May 6, 5836. They have lost two, Fanny and Mary. Mr. 
Anderson and wife are members of the Missionary Baptist Church. J. 
N., son of the above, was born in Indiana, May 6, 1836, and came with 
Tiis parents to Missouri in 1839. He was raised a farmer, and has fol- 
lowed this calling as an occupation. He owns a farm of 107^ acres. He 
has held various township offices, and has always taken a deep interest 
in educational matters. He married Miss Martha E. Huddleston April 
'8, 1855. She was born in Buchanan County April 25, 1839. To them 
liave been born nine children — Edward C, born February i, 1856; Mary 



I066 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

M., born May 21, 1858 ; James B., born November 19, i860; William D., 
born February 9, 1863 ; Jesse N., born September 18, 1865 ; Fanny Jane, 
born September 7. 1868; Martha A., born April 10, 1871 ; Hiram M., 
born September 24, 1873, and Charles S., born February 12, 1876. Mr. 
and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Methodist Church. 

D. L. ARNOLD, 

farmer, has 178 acres of land on section 28. He was born in Logan 
County, Ohio, June 4th, 1836, and, with his parents, came to Buchanan 
County in October, 1838, and settled in Platte Township. He grew up 
here on a farm and received a fair common school education, though the 
advantages were very limited at that time. He went to work with his 
father, who was a carpenter, and learned the trade, and worked at it for 
some years. In 1865 he purchased the farm he now owns and occupies, 
and which he greatly improved. He married Miss Mary Ann Lillie, 
July 26, 1857. They have two children living: Loma and Henry W. 
Halleck. Eli Arnold, the father of D. L., was born in Pennsylvania in 
1 79 1. At an early day he removed to Ohio, where he became a carpenter 
and millwright, and also learned the tanner's trade. He had charge of 
the construction of many large mills and other buildings and some of 
which were of considerable importance. He moved to Buchanan 
County, Missouri in October, 1838. He very soon built a flouring mill 
on Bee Creek, two miles east of Taos. This was the first mill with a 
bolt, put up in the county. He then fitted up Turner's Mill, on Bee 
Creek, and afterwards constructed a mill on Platte River, where Mat- 
ney's Mill now stands. In 1844 he started a tannery near Arnoldsville, 
which perhaps was the first established in the county. He then put up 
a mill at Arnoldsville. After a few years he sold out his property and 
purchased a place two miles from this city, where he continued to reside 
up to the time of his death, which occurred in January, 1866. Arnolds- 
ville was named in honor of him. He married Miss Saloma Chesround, 
in Pennsylvania. They have five children living : Jerome, Durang L., 
Reubin, Fannie and LilHe. 

PETER BLEDSOE, 

farmer, section 24, postofifice Edgerton. He was born in Illinois, March 
15, 1818, and reared a farmer. His parents emigrated to Boone Count}', 
Missouri, in 1819; thence to Jackson Count3^ then Caldwell, then Clin- 
ton, thence to the Platte Purchase, settling in Buchanan County in 1837, 
on Rock House Prairie, where he now resides. By his own prudence 
and good management he has secured 490 acres of land, all of which is 
under fence and in good state of cultivation. He married Miss Eliza- 



PLATTE TOWNSHIP. lOG/ 

beth Drake in 1849. She was born in Ray County, Missouri, in 1818. 
By this marriage they had five children : Julia Ann, John, Nancy, Wil- 
liam, Peter O. Magee. They are all dead except Peter O. Magee. Mrs. 
Bledsoe died in 1862. He was married, November 22, 1864, to Mrs. 
Barshaw, widow of Jefferson Botts. She had by her first husband seven 
children : James W., born September 25, 1849; George H., born April 
6, 185 1, died in 1869; Richard E., born March 7, 1853; John, born 
December 22, 1854 ; Nancy A., born June 29, 1859, died in i860 ; Jeffer- 
son, born January 9, 1862 ; Benjamin F., born April 25, 1867. By her 
marriage with Mr. Bledsoe they were blessed with three children : 
Robert E. L., born December 5, 1865 ; Joseph E. J., September 19, 1867; 
Beauregard, September 15, 1869. Mr. Bledsoe was a member of the 
Pawpaw Militia, in 1861. He has been a hard working man, and has 
generally enjoyed a prosperous life. In 1861, however, he was so 
unfortunate as to lose his eyesight, since which time he has had to feel 
his way around over the farm by use of a cane, and when he goes from 
home has to depend upon his children, or affectionate wife, to guide his 
steps. He does not complain, but accepts the situation, and seems to 
enjoy life in his present afflicted condition. 

WILLIAM A. BLEDSOE, 

farmer, section i5,postofifice Platte River, was born in Buchanan County, 
Missouri, June 29, 1849, and was raised a farmer. His education was fair. 
August 16, 1869, he married Miss Mary Ann Toben. She was born in 
Buchanan County, September 27, 1844. By this marriage they have 
had five children: Maggie E., born September 22, 1871; William F., 
born December 20, 1874; Jesse F., December 15, 1877; Delia M, born 
April 29, 1879; one child died in infancy. By his own industry and 
economy he has acquired 80 acres of land. He is a member of the 
Christian Church at Bruce's school house. The subject of the above 
is an industrious man, a peaceable citizen, a kind husband, and an indul- 
gent father. 

JOHN P. BOYLE, 

county superintendent of public schools, was born in Tazwell County, 
Virginia, October 28, 1828. In 1849 he came to St. Louis, Missouri ; 
he completed his education at the Ste. Genevieve Academy, when he chose 
the occupation of teacher, a pursuit in which he has been all his life 
engaged. He came to St. Joseph in 1866, and in 1870 moved on a farm 
in Platte Township, where he has since continued to reside. He has 
improved a good farm, though engaged the greater part of his time with 
his professional duties. He was elected superintendent of public schools 
for Buchanan County, a position the duties of which he has since 



I068 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

continued to discharge with zeal and ability. He is not only an excel- 
lent scholar and first-class teacher, but bears the character of a gener- 
ous hearted man and a good neighbor. In 1857 he married Miss Eliza 
Patterson, a lady from his former home in Virginia. They have eight 
children, all living : William C, Mattie Bell, Elizabeth F., Eliza J., John 
L., Katie, James, and Harvey. 

J. C. CARRINGTON, 

farmer and stockraiser, section 29, postoffice, Edgerton, Platte County ; 
was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, December 5, 1830, and in 1834 
or 1835, came to Morgan County, Illinois. In 1867, he came to Buchanan 
County, where he now owns over 800 acres of land, and is one of the rep- 
resentative farmers of the township. He was married to Miss Mary A. 
Fitch December 30, 1853. She was born in Ohio, May 10, 1833. By 
this union they have eight children living — Emily E., now Mrs. I. S. 
Gibson, born October 3, 1854; John W., born October 21, 1856; Fannie 
J., now Mrs. F. Johnson, born October 3, 1858; Joel H., born March 2, 
i860 ; J. C, born August i. 1861 ; Mamie, born August 18, 1863 ; Annie, 
born September 21, 1865 ; Carrie R., born January 12, 1869; Joseph G., 
born January 22, 1871 ; Phebe, born June 23, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Car- 
rington are members of the Christian Church. 

LEWIS COBB, 

farmer, section 11, postoffice Frazer, is a native of Indiana, and was born 
in Daviess County, September 12, 1826. Came to Buchanan County, 
Missouri, in 1840, and in 1856 removed to Kansas, whence, in 1857, he 
went to Texas, and in 1858 purchased a farm in Buchanan County, Mis- 
souri. In 1864 he went to Nebraska, where he remained but a short 
time, and has since made his home in this county. His farm consists of 
125 acres of land. He married Miss Nancy Housh, December 28, 1848. 
She was born June 12, 1828. To them have been born eleven children: 
Clarissa J., born January 2, 1849; George W., born April 20, 185 1; Mary 
E., July 20, 1854; Sythia A., born November 27, 1855; Thomas J., born 
May 17, 1858; Sarah R., November 27, 1859; Susan F., born February 16, 
1864; Alice M., born November 27, 1865; Lewis H., born May i, 1867; 
Nancy C, born March 7, 1870. Susan F., died in December, 1864. 

J. A. DEAKINS, 

farmer, section 14, postoffice Frazer is the son of R. H. and Catharine 
Deakins, and was born in east Tennessee, August 13, 1847. His father 
was born in Maryland, November 28, 1800, and died August 11, 1873. 
His mother's maiden name was Catharina Ghorst. She was born in Vir- 



PLATTE TOWNSHIP. - IO69 

ginia, April 26, 1820. In 1854 the subject of this sketch came with his 
parents to Arkansas, but they, not liking the country, came with their 
son, the same year, to Buchanan County, where he was raised on a farm 
He married Miss Eliza Kinnaird, October 31, 1867. She was born in 
Buchanan County, December 5, 1843, and was the daughter of C. and 
M. C. Kinnaird. The former was born in Kentucky, August 16, 1805, 
and died April 26, 1880. The latter was born in the same state, Febru- 
ary 20, 1810, and died Feb. 28, 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Deakins have a 
family of four children : Annie M., born May 10, 1870 ; Charles Catha- 
rine, born December 16, 1872 ; Pettie Frances, born October 2, 1875 ; 
Eliza Tennessee, born June 29, 1878. 

HON. WESTON J. EVERETT, 

farmer, section 12, postoffice, Frazer ; is one of the oWest residents of 
Buchanan County, and was born in Halifax County, Virginia, August 24, 
iSoi. When six years of age he was taken by his parents to Kentucky, 
where he lived until 1818, and then came to Missouri. He lived in 
Howard and Saline Counties until the spring of 1821, and then settled 
in Clay County. In 1836 he explored the Platte Purchase, and as soon 
as it was opened for settlement, moved up into Buchanan County in 
1837, in the midst of severely cold weather, with snow on the ground six 
inches deep, in order to secure the location he had selected the year pre- 
vious. He purchased a cabin standing on section 13, which had been 
occupied by a settler who had located in the country while it was yet in 
possession of the Indians, but was compelled to leave by the United 
States troops. While that part of the purchase that now includes 
Buchanan County was attached to Clinton County, he was elected one 
of the members of the Clinton County Court, and served until the organ- 
zation of the County. In 1855 he was selected as the Democratic nomi- 
nee for the State Legislature, and was elected by a handsome majority, 
receiving every vote in Platte Township, but five out of 225. The winter 
of 1855 was revision session, and the same was prolonged until the suc- 
ceeding winter. During that period the Legislature had no more faithful,, 
industrious and conscientious public servant than Judge Everett. He 
was afterwards solicited to again become a candidate, but declined, much 
to the regret of all. His early education was limited to the schools of 
the period, which were few in number and inferior in grade, but he made 
the best possible use of his opportunities, and by reading and observa- 
tion, as well as contact with the world, obtained such knowledge as 
places him among the leading men of the county. He married Miss 
Hannah Crockett March 8, 1829. She was born in Tennessee, Septem- 
ber 8, 1808. Her father, whose name was David Crockett, was a second 
cousin of the renowned David Crockett, whose name is so closely iden- 



lO/O BIOGRAPHICAL. 

tified with pioneer life. Judge Everett is at this time (1881) the oldest 
resident of Platte Township, and no one enjoys and merits the esteem of 
all in a higher degree than he does. Politically he is a Democrat of the 
old school, and voted for Jackson in 1828. Judge Everett's birthplace, 
in Halifax County, was at the historic place of Bull Run, and it may not 
be amiss to relate the circumstance from which it derived its name. The 

Judge's father, Everett, had a neighbor, and each of them owned 

a bull. These animals met near a stream and commenced bellowing 
until it became the signal for a conflict. The neighbor's bull punished 
Mr. Everett's by pitching him into the water, after which feat he ran 
away from his opponent. From this circumstance the name Bull Run 
became identified with that locality, and has remained so to this day. 

JAMES W. GARTIN, 

farmer and stock raiser, owns 160 acres of land in section 4. He was 
born in Todd County, Kentucky, in 1834, and came to Clay County, 
Missouri, with his father in 1835. He received a good education at 
William Jewell College, and at the age of eighteen he went to Texas 
remaining eighteen months, when he came to Clay County, Missouri. 
His father was a government contractor, furnishing horses and stock for 
the Western frontier, and for several years James assisted him in deliv- 
ering his stock. In 1858 he came to Tremont Township, where he lived 
until 1866, when he bought a farm in Platte Township, where he now* 
lives. He has a fine farm, well improved. He has for many years run 
a threshing machine, and in that line has by his care and fair dealing 
and promptness in filling his engagements gained an excellent reputa- 
tion. He and his wife belong to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 
In 1858 he married Miss Mary F. Millen in Clinton County, Missouri. 
They have seven children, Annie J., James A., Charles S., Mary Fannie, 
William Thomas, Elvina Virginia, Emma Angle. 

WILLIAM S. GUNN, 

farmer and local preacher, was born in Harrison County, Indiana, March 
21, 18 II. He received a good education for the times, and, at the age 
of eighteen, went to Jefferson County, Kentucky, and learned the stone 
mason trade, at which he worked for many years. He came to Adams 
County, Illinois, purchased a farm, and became a thorough practical 
farmer. He remained in Illinois twelve years, at the end of which period 
he came to Missouri, and bought 260 acres of land on section 32, in 
Platte Township, where he made great improvements, including the 
building of a fine residence and corresponding surroundings, which 
renders this one of the most desirable homes in the county. He was a 



PLATTE TOWNSHIP. 10/' 

member of the M. E. Church for forty-five years, and a local preacher 
for twenty-eight years. He was faithful in his ministrations, and zealous 
for the faith. He died June 14, 1881, in triumph of a living faith. He 
was twice married. The first time to Miss Lavina Cornwall, in Jefferson 
County, Kentucky, July 30, 1835. They had four children : John W., 
James D., Reuben H., and Susan Elizabeth. She died in Illinois. 
December 22, 1842, he married Julia F. Gill, of Shelby County, Ken- 
tucky. They had three children, all of whom are dead, one son having 
died in the army. Reuben H. Gunn, only son of William S., was born 
in Jefferson County, Kentucky, March i, 1839, ^^<^' with his father, 
came to this place, and remained at home until he entered the army, in 
1861, at Quincy, Illinois, joining the Fiftieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
Company B., and remained through the war. He received a wound at 
Fort Donaldson, through the right arm. He was promoted to the rank 
of Orderly Sergeant, and was one of the most devoted, faithful officers 
in the regiment. He married Miss Mary Jennie Cox, of DeKalb, Octo- 
ber 10, 187 1. She was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. 
St. Joseph. She was one of the most thorough scholars in the class, and 
won the love and esteem of them all. 

JOHN HYLAND, 

farmer and stock raiser, section 6, township 55. range 33, postoffice 
Frazer, was born in County Meown, Ireland, and was reared in his birth 
place until twelve years of age. He then bid farewell to the Emerald 
Isle and went to England, residing there until he reached his twenty-first 
year, when he sailed for the New World, and in due time landed in the 
City of New York. He first settled in Connecticut, residing there some 
thirteen months, when he moved to Massachusetts, where he remained 
three years. Thence he moved to Cass County, Iowa, thence to Jeffer- 
son County, Kansas, where he remained some eight years. In July, 
1844, he came to Buchanan County, and settled in the place he now 
resides. He owns 230 acres of well improved and well watered land, 
constituting one of the finest stock farms in the county. He also has 
on it a handsome residence. He commenced life a poor boy and has 
been entirely a self-made man, acquiring his means by honest and 
laborious industry. When he landed at New York City he had but one 
dollar in his pocket. He went to work, however, with a will, and has 
made a success of his life. He has never sought nor held an office in his 
life. He has been twice married ; first in 1857, to Miss Barbara Stokes- 
burry, a native of Tennessee. She died in 1862. He married again in 
1863 to Miss Jane Motery, a native of Kentucky. They have been 
blessed with three children, James, Thomas and Mar}-. Himself and 
wife are members of the Methodist Church. 



I072 BIOGRAPHICAL. 

G. M. ROBERTS, 

farmer, section 12, postoffice Frazer, was born in Clay County, Missouri, 
November 16, 1839, and was raised a farmer. In 1840, he removed to 
Buchanan County, where he lived until 1846; he then removed to Andrew 
County, where lived until 1854, and then -changed his residence to Platte 
County. He served four years in the Confederate army, and partici- 
pated in many of the important battles of the war. After being mus- 
tered out he returned to his home, and in 1866 removed to Platte 
County. In 1869, he removed to Kansas, and remained there until 1875, 
and then returned to Buchanan County, which has since been his home. 
His farm contains 168 acres, and is devoted to grain and stock raising. 
He married Miss Mary Leggett, March 4, 1858. She was born in Platte 
County, Missouri, February 11, 1839. They have nine children living; 
have lost two. Nicholas, born March 24, J 859; John W., born Septem- 
ber 12, 1861; George Price, born March 4, 1863, died May 4, 1863; Mary 
Delia, born May 20, 1866; Nancy America, born December 2, 1867; 
James Emmett, born October 26, 1870; Sallie A., born February 12; 
1873; Linda B., born October 22, 1874, died September 22, 1875; Alfred 
Thomas, born April 17, 1877; Charles William, born December 30, 1879. 
The youngest, Fannie Primrose, is deserving of more than passing 
notice, as she came as a Christmas gift to her parents December 25, 
1880. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts and their daughter, Mary Delia, are con- 
sistent members of the Baptist Church of Frazer, and the society finds 
in Mr. Roberts one of its staunchest supporters and most liberal con- 
tributors. While living in Wyandotte, Kansas, the society was largely 
indebted to him for their church edifice, and he and his brother-in-law 
own the ground on which the building is located. 

JUDGE JOHN ROHAN, 

a resident of Platte Township, and at one time a member of the county 
court, was born in Ireland, July 4, 1833. He emigrated to America and 
landed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 185 1. Shortly after his arrival he 
went to Ottawa, Illinois, in the neighborhood of which he had a brother 
living. He was for several years engaged in railroading in the capacity 
of superintendent and contractor. In 1855 he moved to Missouri and 
was for some time occupied as superintendent of the Missouri Pacific 
railroad, which was then being built through the state. In 1861 he 
began to sell goods in Platte County and opened a store in Newmarket. 
This business he conducted about three years, and, while thus engaged, 
in April, 1863, was married to Miss Carrie Hill, of that place, a native of 
Ray County, Missouri. He also carried on business at Camden Point. 
In 1866 he moved to Buchanan County and took charge of a store at 



ADDENDA— ST. JOSEPH. IO73 

Matney's Mill. In 1867 he purchased his farm and residence in section 
18, Township 55, Range 33. He also erected and conducted a store on 
this place. He has been a Democrat, all his life. In 1874, at the urgent 
solicitation of his friends, he consented to run for the office of county 
judge, to which he was nominated by the Democrats, and elected by a 
handsome majority. The duties of the position he discharged in a 
capable and acceptable manner. 



ADDENDA-ST. JOSEPH 



THEODORE GRISWOLD, 

deceased, was born in Genoa, New York, in 1823, and, in 1859, came to St. 
Joseph, where, for many years, he was successfully engaged in the insur- 
ance business. After retiring from this vocation, he was employed as a 
clerk in a large mercantile house. ^ He married Miss Clarrissa D. 
Hayes, in New York City, in 1850. They had five children : Theodore 
D., Lizzie J., Nellie, Ruth and Benjamin. Mr. Griswold died in 1877, 
leaving a loving family and a large circle of friends to mourn his loss. 
His- eldest daughter. Miss Lizzie Griswold, graduated from the high 
school, in 1873, and is an excellent scholar and successful teacher. She 
was a teacher, for three years, in the St. Joseph Public Schools, and for 
four years has been principal in the Angelique Street School. 



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